How long can I keep apple butter or white wine in the refrigerator?

[makedah]

I've only had it once, when I was a little girl. I didn't like it because it didn't taste like butter or peanut butter! Anyway, I've seen in a a couple of CL recipes (like Morning Glory Muffins) but I don't want to have to throw it away after one use. How long will it last, opened in the fridge?

Ditto with the wine. I don't drink a lot, and I bought some wine a while ago for a recipe. How long can I keep the leftover in the fridge before its no longer good? I suppose it will turn to vinegar eventually, but I really don't know.

[Peeps]

I have both of these things in my frig right now and was wondering the same thing! I bought the apple butter for those Morning Glory Muffins (which were SO not worth the effort to make them, will not repeat) and haven't found another use for it. It's been months but I can't tell if its OK or not. I also have a bottle of wine I opened for a recipe and am wondering how long I can keep it in there since I don't drink the stuff. Hope someone has an answer!

[aggie94]

Usually, I only buy wine for recipes and then trust that DH will finish off the bottle since I don't drink wine. Last time, I bought a bottle of chardonnay for a recipe and he didn't like it at all. So it sat on the counter for a couple of months, until I had gone through enough recipes to finish it off. I certainly wouldn't drink it (even if I did drink wine) after a couple of days, but for recipes, I'll use it for a long time after it's open. And I keep it out, not refrigerated. Seems to be working fine so far.

Can't offer any advice about the apple butter -- sorry!

[Wendy w]

I'm not going to be much help on this, but wine never lasts long enough in my refrigerator to worry about how long it lasts! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif. I did have apple butter last about 6 months to a year.

[valchemist]

here is a helpful thread about wine...
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/005558.html

[This message has been edited by valchemist (edited 05-24-2001).]

[Leonard]

I also never have the problem with no finishing the wine. I have however, opened a bottle for a recipe and not finished it. I recently bought a "vac U Vin". It's a device that actually pumps the air out of the bottle and includes 2 rubber stoppers to use. I had heard great things about it. I just used it for the first time earlier in the week. Tasted the wine tonight and it's delicious!

[Gail]

From the Queen of Breeding Things in the Fridge: you'll know when your apple butter starts going. The first sign that it's going will be the taste. It'll look fine, but when you taste it, you'll think "Gee... didn't this used to taste better?" After a while, it'll start drying out around the edges, getting thick. Keep it long enough and it'll even develop mold.
Apple butter doesn't keep as long as other jams and jellies, but it should enjoy a pretty long shelf life in the fridge.

As for the wine... from the moment you open it, the oxidation process begins. Cork it up and stuff it in the fridge and it'll stay for quite a while, but there's air in the bottle and it's going to keep changing. Generally, with a regular cork in it, you probably want to drink it the next day. With the Vac-u-vin you can probably keep it a week. But keep in mind, when we talk about it no longer being "good," we're talking in terms of potability. Even if it's past its prime, you can still use it for cooking. (Think that's gross? Don't. Lots of great recipes use vinegar...)

PS In addition to the one thread mentioned here, this topic comes up every so often. Run a search to check for other opinions.

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 05-25-2001).]

[Alisa]

I bow to you Oh Queen of Breeding Things in the Fridge - I have nothing to say except thanks for letting me know I'm not alone. Isn't it horrid to find blue cheese in there when you haven't bought any?

[Gail]

Now, now. Bowing is totally unnecessary.

A simple kiss on the hem of my skirt will be sufficient.

[makedah]

Thanks for the heads up about Morning Glory Muffins. But the picture looked sooooo good!!!

Thanks for the link to the other thread. I have those rubber stopper/filters for wine. I think my wine has been in the fridge 2 months already, so I'll probably ditch it. What a shame. In the future, I will take the advice of someone on the other thread and use the mini-bottles of wine for my recipes. Either that or learn to drink more wine!

[comabri]

Originally posted by Peeps:
haven't found another use for it. ..

I like the taste of apple butter, having grown up near many apple orchards, having school field trips there every 6 months. I usually spread some on toast for breakfast.

I also cut chicken breasts into strips, coat with apple butter, sprinkle with black pepper (I know that sounds weird but it's pretty good) and then saute them in a skillet till they're browned. It's similar to th CL recipes using preserves but because the apple butter cooks down faster, I cut the chicken into strips so it is done faster.

[Searcher]

Hi,
If you're worried about the apple butter, you can freeze it, and thaw and stir well whenever you need it.

As for the wine, I've kept white wine in the fridge for two weeks, corked, but I just use it for cooking. If you don't use it often, try finding the little airplane sized bottles. Most wineries make them and they're easier to store and you'd probably use at least one for each dish.

[Melman]

A slight twist on the idea to have the apple butter on toast, toast some cinnamon/nut/raisin (you pick it) bread...something with a really good flavor. Apple butter is wonderful on bread like that.