# Can sriracha go bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046 "2017-07-24T17:40:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/1 "2017-07-24T17:40:12Z")
I assumed there was so much spoilage-inhibiting stuff in there that it was impossible, but I put some all over my dinner the other day and it smelled… very strange. Not fermenty strange, but like play-doh strange. It didn’t taste weird but, better safe than sorry, and I ended up throwing my entire dinner (and the offending bottle of sriracha) in the trash. Couldn’t find an expiration date. Maybe someone is trying to poison me :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/2 "2017-07-24T17:50:24Z")
Sriracha is made of red jalapeno peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and salt. The pH level prevents the growth of microorganisms. It’s unlikely it will ever become poisonous, but it can still degrade over time like anything else. Luckily, it’s also dirt cheap. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/3 "2017-07-24T17:55:31Z")
Fun fact: Huy Fong only produces three products, sriracha sauce, chili garlic sauce, and sambal oelek, but they are all actually just stages in sriracha production. Sambal oelek is just chilis, salt, and vinegar, chili garlic sauce is just sambal oelek with garlic added, and sriracha is just chili garlic sauce with sugar added. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/4 "2017-07-24T20:03:53Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Fun fact: Huy Fong only produces three products, sriracha sauce, chili garlic sauce, and sambal oelek, but they are all actually just stages in sriracha production. Sambal oelek is just chilis, salt, and vinegar, chili garlic sauce is just sambal oelek with garlic added, and **sriracha is just chili garlic sauce with sugar added.** And then pureed or something, right? Oelek is sorta chunky, Sriracha is smooth textured. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/5 "2017-07-24T20:12:54Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > And then pureed or something, right? Oelek is sorta chunky, Sriracha is smooth textured. Yeah, at some point either pureed, or possibly the mixing in of the garlic and sugar mashes it up into the familiar sriracha consistency. I don’t really know, that wasn’t covered in the short documentary I watched about it (I think I watched it on Amazon Prime Video). ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/6 "2017-07-24T20:14:30Z")
I think Honey is the only thing that can’t go bad. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/7 "2017-07-24T20:21:13Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I think Honey is the only thing that can’t go bad. Anything with enough vinegar in it shouldn’t go bad in the sense of allowing bacteria to grow. Flavor compounds could break down so it no longer tastes the way it should, though. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/8 "2017-07-24T20:21:26Z")
Sriracha certainly… I dunno, oxidizes or something and changes color over time. You can forestall this by putting it in the fridge. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of it actually going “bad”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/9 "2017-07-24T21:39:02Z")
You can also prevent it from going bad by going through the bottle too quickly for it to have a chance. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/10 "2017-07-24T21:59:29Z")
I’ve kept bottles for a year or more. Never had one go “bad”, but it’s common for the color and flavor to diminish. It’s definitely more suited to a restaurant shelf life than a home fridge shelf life. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/11 "2017-07-24T22:21:44Z")
I’ve had hot sauces go “off” on me before, especially if I didn’t keep them in the fridge (which I typically don’t, although my past experiences have led me to keeping them in the fridge more often these days.) Never got sick from using them, but they just tasted like ass, so I dumped them and bought a new bottle. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/12 "2017-07-25T00:18:59Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I think Honey is the only thing that can’t go bad. You think incorrectly. [Honey can have botulism](http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/infantbotulismhoney.htm#!). I suppose one could pick nits and argue “botulism” isn’t going bad. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/13 "2017-07-25T00:20:42Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Fun fact: Huy Fong only produces three products, sriracha sauce, chili garlic sauce, and sambal oelek, but they are all actually just stages in sriracha production. Sambal oelek is just chilis, salt, and vinegar, chili garlic sauce is just sambal oelek with garlic added, and sriracha is just chili garlic sauce with sugar added. I never knew that. I need to try the other two. Trying to avoid added sugar and didn’t realize sriracha is guilty. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/14 "2017-07-25T01:13:05Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I think Honey is the only thing that can’t go bad. Kimchi is pretty hard to get to go bad. I think it tastes worse after a long time, but it is edible. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/15 "2017-07-25T11:48:04Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > [Honey can have botulism](http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/infantbotulismhoney.htm#!). > > I suppose one could pick nits and argue “botulism” isn’t going bad. :eek: Honey doesn’t get “botulism” and it doesn’t spoil. Even fresh honey has a few spores of botulism that are easily tolerated by strong immune systems. This doesn’t change even if the honey is centuries old. It’s suitable for anyone except infants or immunocompromised people. Contrast this with a can of green beans. It also has botulism spores, but the conditions are suitable for slow growth. Eventually the bacteria multiply and produce toxin that is hazardous even to healthy people. These are different definitions of “going bad”. You can call it a nitpick, but biologically, very different things are going on. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sriracha-go-bad/792046/16 "2017-07-28T04:53:36Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > You think incorrectly. And Bears shit in the woods. 😃 > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Kimchi is pretty hard to get to go bad. It can only go “Worse”.