Salsa question

[erinyyc]

I was just wondering how long a jar of store bought salsa lasts in the fridge. I once heard that if it has been a little longer all you have to do is cook it on the stove for a while. Do you think this is true?

Erin:)

[Gail]

She-who-breeds-things-in-the-fridge can answer from experience. Usually (now, I'm assuming this is jarred salsa, not the kind which markets sell as "fresh" in plastic) you've got months. There will be little question when your salsa is ready for the trash. It grows a beard.

I've had salsas which have hung around 6 months or more, others (notably a couple of Rick Bayless's line-- forgot the name) which cashed out after about two months.

Would I subscribe to the heat-it-up-to-renew theory? Not any more than I'd do it with any other food... Plus, depending upon your salsa, it might change the flavor of the product.

...cooked mold? Mmm... that's one even I haven't tried yet...

[SandyM]

Originally posted by Gail
...cooked mold? Mmm... that's one even I haven't tried yet...

.....but I suspect that She-who-breeds-things-in-the-fridge would be willing to try it..........on a dare. :p

[BosunsWife]

We buy our salsa by the jug at Costco (usually Pace brand). DH eats it like its a side dish, not a condiment LOL! His biggest sorrow since moving here is that he can't get Chi Chi's brand salsa anymore. I refuse to buy the ritzy stuff since he could go through one of those jars in a single sitting. We have only ever had a jug go bad once and I suspect that it was too long on the shelf before we bought it.

So I guess I'm not a good one to ask since our salsa doesn't last long enough to go bad. Also, since I found out I was preggers, I have been craving mexican food so I don't think salsa will last at all in our frig anymore. Happened with DD also - hmmmm!

[Deanna]

Holey-moley...all this time I thought it went bad after two days...so I just use it all up quickly!

Seriously, those jars of salsa aren't that expensive, so I'm thinking...after six months or so...I'd either pick out a recipe to use it up or just pitch it. I would DEFINITELY not try cooking it on the stove if I felt it was past it's prime...

[Beth]

Fresh salsas will only last a couple of days. Processed salsa or picante sauce will last quite a while when kept refrigerated. If a jar gets left out and gets to room temp again, it can go quickly (look for little air bubbles instead of the beard of wisdom from old aged salsas). If you have a jug, pour out what you will use and put the rest away before it has a chance to sit out.

[Gail]

Originally posted by Beth
...the beard of wisdom from old aged salsas...

Catchy. May I use that? :p

[eclairma]

I go through salsa pretty quickly in my house, usually within 1 to 2 weeks but I have found jars that have gotten swallowed up into the rear of the fridge that I had completely forgotten about and all I do is open the jar (if possible) and smell and look. I think the hot peppers act as a sort of preservative. This is probably not a safe asumption on my part but I haven't gotten sick yet. I'm not sure about cooking it again but if it were boiled I guess that would get rid of bacteria.

[Gina O]

Wow, and all this time I have been throwing them out after a week or two. I just discovered a jar in the fridge last night that I was going to remove today, but after reading this thread I am sure it has a month or two of life left in it.

I think my notion that they go bad more quickly came from salsa that I had canned myself. I know for certain they did not have a very long shelf life once opened and put in the fridge. Gina