# Does miso paste go bad?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-miso-paste-go-bad/161608>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 15, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-miso-paste-go-bad/161608 "2003-03-15T16:07:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-miso-paste-go-bad/161608/1 "2003-03-15T16:07:32Z")

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I’ve got a container of miso paste that has been sitting in my fridge for several months, unopened. It was part of my grand plan to eat nice, healthy miso soup, which always tastes so darn _healthy_ when I eat it in restaurants, just the thing for a cold Chicago winter.

Needless to say, the plan has not yet materialized. The miso looks the same as when I bought it, and I haven’t opened the container yet to smell it.

So misophiles, is it still OK to eat? Any favorite recipes?

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**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-miso-paste-go-bad/161608/2 "2003-03-15T17:00:00Z")

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I don’t know if it goes bad, but it does last a long time. I’ve had open miso paste in my fridge for months before I finished it. It was fine, with no noticable taste change. I just kept the open bag inside a sealed plastic bag in the fridge. BTW, miso makes a great base for sauces and gravies, not just soup.

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**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-miso-paste-go-bad/161608/3 "2003-03-15T19:47:03Z")

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Miso is bad to begin with, how can it get worse?

I’ve got some in the refer that’s been in there since the X left six years ago and I’m sure it’s as bad as the day it went in there.

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-miso-paste-go-bad/161608/4 "2003-03-15T20:27:22Z")

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Some sort of horrid memorial shrine?

Miso is a fermented product. It should last a long time in a refrigerator.