Opened, I mean.
I’ve kept them in the fridge for 3-4 months without any problems.
Thanks. I guess it will get moldy eventually, but mine has been in there about 2 months, and looks and smells fine.
I’ve sometimes seen some mould develop. I just scoop it off the top and throw it away. The rest of the jar is fine.
Until about 10 minutes after I discover it.
Depends. If it’s store bought and has preservatives in it, could last awhile. But generally I’d treat Pesto the same way I’d handle a garlic-infused oil. That is, without specific levels of antimicrobial agents such as citric acid, you could be growing C. botulinum bacteria.
If you don’t think you’ll be using it within 10 days or so, you could freeze it. Much safer that way, and still seems to taste as good as ‘fresh’ Pesto.
Hang on. I’ve got a bottle of garlic-flavored olive oil that I opened last week. It doesn’t say “refrigerate after opening” or anything. Are you telling me this is already spoiled?
When i can get good basil, i make my own pesto, and i find that it keeps fine for extended periods (a few weeks) in the fridge.
What i do is put it in a narrow container (like a jar or tupperware) and put a tiny bit of olive oil on top. Then i get some plastic wrap and push it down inside the jar and right onto the top of the pesto, making sure that to push it down so all the surface is covered and the wrap goes all the way to the inside edge of the jar all the way around. The oil and the wrap prevent air from getting to the pesto, and it keeps really well.
If a little air does get in, and the top goes a little dark, scraping of the dark film usually still reveals perfectly good pesto beneath.
Also, pesto freezes fine, in my experience.
Is it preserved with anything? What are the ingredients? Oil & garlic flavor, or oil and actual garlic?
I don’t mean to scare anybody. You should see some of the stuff in my fridge I still eat.
Here’s a quick article about garlic, oil & botulism.
Pesto is frequently made with lemon juice, which would lessen the risk I’d think.
Canola, Olive oil, several herbs, minced garlic, garlic oil. That’s it.
I just tasted it and it seems OK.
You can’t taste botulism, but it was probably heat treated before you bought it. Still, I wouldn’t keep it forever, and I’d definitely keep it in the fridge. Oil can go rancid anyway. Won’t kill you, but it’s not the best for you either.
Be careful, as I’ve had fresh pesto go bad within 5 days before.
Ingredients:
Basil, soybean oil, garlic, romano cheese, olive oil, salt, lactic acid, torula yeast?, citric acid, pine nuts. No “chemical” preservatives.
I’ll keep it a while longer. Maybe I’ll buy some good bread today and have some for lunch!
Until the day after tomorrow.