# Why is my half empty jar of Carolina Reaper infused hot curry sauce still edible after a year? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417 "2017-03-04T19:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![guitario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@guitario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitario)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/1 "2017-03-04T19:21:02Z")
Ok, when I say ‘edible’, of course I mean it’s like tasting the devil’s snot, but that’s normal - it is after all, made with Carolina Reaper chillies, which are the hottest on earth (or were until very recently anyway). I bought it last Jan/Feb, and because it only needs a tablespoon’s worth mixed with another curry to render me a dribbling mess, I still have half of the jar remaining. My last taste was November, but I just checked inside, and while the oils seem to be escaping, and the sludgy part is a little thicker than it used to be, it still seems perfectly fine with a bit of a shake (if by fine I mean horrendous). It has never seen inside of a fridge… So it’s been at room temperature the entire time. As a comparison, I had half a jar of Balti and that went completely mouldy in 3 months. Is this stuff so strong that bacteria simply cannot grow? Is the capsaicin acting as a super form of preservative? Is there more life on Mars than inside that jar? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/2 "2017-03-04T19:26:30Z")
Is it labeled as needing refrigeration? [From here.](http://www.pepperscale.com/does-hot-sauce-go-bad/) > [@](#): > > Chili peppers and vinegar, the main ingredients of most hot sauces, are both well-known as preserving agents. The high acid in vinegar and the capsaicin in chili peppers both keep bacteria at bay. So you’re likely not going to get sick from a few drops from an older opened bottle of hot sauce. > > But let’s talk about added ingredients. The fancier your hot sauce gets, the more chance there’s something that can potentially turn. > > Also read the bottle. Most hot sauces don’t contain “Use by” expiration dates, but if they need to be refrigerated, it’ll be mentioned. If you’ve had an opened bottle in the cupboard for years that should have been refrigerated, it’s time to chuck it. > > If your bottle contains an expiration date and you’re beyond it, it’s best to pitch it as well. There’s definitely a chance that the hot sauce is still fine to eat. Those expiration dates typically have to do with the lessening of the overall flavor, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Don’t fear the Reaper. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Fruitbat2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Fruitbat2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fruitbat2)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/3 "2017-03-04T19:30:13Z")
I’d throw it out. Unrefrigerated and getting sludgy sounds unappealing to me and you don’t know if something will make you sick or not until it does. If nothing else, things do break down and it’s not as fresh as it could be. ---
**Author:** ![guitario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@guitario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitario)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/4 "2017-03-04T19:48:35Z")
It’s a custom made type thing from a small brand, not one you can buy from an official retailer or supermarket, so the labelling isn’t the best - so it doesn’t say anything about refrigeration. However, it does say Apr 2017 on the lid - but I’m assuming this is for an unopened jar. I’m not going to chuck it… Like I said, I last ate some in November and gargled with some in water for a sore throat in January (it works), so if it didn’t kill me then, I doubt it would now. The smell, colour and taste hasn’t changed at all, only that it’s a bit sludgier than it was when I first opened it… but I assume that’s just a moisture thing. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/5 "2017-03-04T20:10:22Z")
It’s very unlikely to have food danger issues. Some of the more delicate pepper essence flavors are probably flat by now but I doubt you’ll really notice them anyway given the heat of the overall mixture. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/6 "2017-03-04T20:25:43Z")
[doesitgobad.com](http://doesitgobad.com) (is the Internet great, or what?) has similar advice on hot sauce: _"If you find a bottle of opened hot sauce siting in your pantry, one that should have been refrigerated, then don’t risk using it. Most of the time, your hot sauce will be fine to use otherwise. Unless it has gone years past its expiration date, it should be fine to use, but it’s always better to (be) safe than sorry._ I would be alarmed at the possibility that a life form resistant to Carolina Reaper essence could evolve in the bottle over time, and that the OP risks having it spread into the ecosphere. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/7 "2017-03-04T21:01:23Z")
At least half the half-empty containers in my pantry, fridge, etc, have been there for a year, and are still perfectly good to eat. ---
**Author:** ![Fruitbat2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Fruitbat2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fruitbat2)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/8 "2017-03-04T21:08:44Z")
Eating old, gross food seems to be a weird point of pride with some people. Have you ever eaten at someone else’s house and been served something dubious? Eek. ---
**Author:** ![guitario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@guitario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitario)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/9 "2017-03-04T21:29:44Z")
I’d like to point out while the thread is in it’s infancy… I’m not asking if I should use it or throw it away. I’m wondering why, given a normal jar of curry sauce has mould growing inside it within 3 months, an extremely hot and spicy curry sauce manages to remain seemingly intact after 12 months… I’m just guessing the inside of that jar is not exactly the most hospitable place for life to flourish… and if so, why that is the case? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/10 "2017-03-04T21:32:40Z")
> [@guitario](#): > > I’d like to point out while the thread is in it’s infancy… I’m not asking if I should use it or throw it away. > > I’m wondering why, given a normal jar of curry sauce has mould growing inside it within 3 months, an extremely hot and spicy curry sauce manages to remain seemingly intact after 12 months… > > I’m just guessing the inside of that jar is not exactly the most hospitable place for life to flourish… and if so, why that is the case? I think this was answered succinctly in the very first reply you got. High acid & capsaicin kills bacteria and high sugar mixtures (as in chutney) feeds it. > [@](#): > > Chili peppers and vinegar, the main ingredients of most hot sauces, are both well-known as preserving agents. The high acid in vinegar and the capsaicin in chili peppers both keep bacteria at bay. So you’re likely not going to get sick from a few drops from an older opened bottle of hot sauce. ---
**Author:** ![guitario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@guitario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitario)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/11 "2017-03-04T21:43:53Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I think this was answered succinctly in the very first reply you got. High acid & capsaicin kills bacteria and high sugar mixtures (as in chutney) feeds it. Damn, I read that reply but I must have missed the opening line of the quote - thanks Running Coach (and you, astro). ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/12 "2017-03-05T00:24:12Z")
> [@guitario](#): > > Ok, when I say ‘edible’, of course I mean it’s like tasting the devil’s snot, but that’s normal - it is after all, made with Carolina Reaper chillies, which are the hottest on earth (or were until very recently anyway). > > I bought it last Jan/Feb, and because it only needs a tablespoon’s worth mixed with another curry to render me a dribbling mess, I still have half of the jar remaining. > > My last taste was November, but I just checked inside, and while the oils seem to be escaping, and the sludgy part is a little thicker than it used to be, it still seems perfectly fine with a bit of a shake (if by fine I mean horrendous). > > It has never seen inside of a fridge… So it’s been at room temperature the entire time. > > As a comparison, I had half a jar of Balti and that went completely mouldy in 3 months. > > Is this stuff so strong that bacteria simply cannot grow? Is the capsaicin acting as a super form of preservative? Is there more life on Mars than inside that jar? Underlining mine. Gosh, that sounds so appetizing I don’t blame you for wanting to keep it. 😛 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-half-empty-jar-of-carolina-reaper-infused-hot-curry-sauce-still-edible-after-a-year/781417/13 "2017-03-06T01:10:17Z")
I’m still eating El Yucateco that I bought six years ago before moving to China. Yeah, I took a lot, didn’t eat it all, and brought a lot of it back with me.