How long is tobasco sauce good for?

[name not needed]

There's a several year old bottle of tobasco sauce in my kitchen. I was wondering how long it lasts.

[efhmc]

1. Tabasco is pretty much good forever.

[phantom power]

3. Yes, it lasts until it's protons decay

[Drifter]

2. Usually until it comes out the other end ...

then it doesn't matter. <Boom Tiss>

Cheers
Drifter

[eyesroll]

4. If it's in glass, it's still good

If it's in plastic (if Tabasco even makes plastic?), the packaging degrades over time.

That's why there are expiration dates on things like honey and vinegar -- honey literally can last forever (archaeologists found edible honey in the pyramids), and vinegar, as an acid, resists bacterial growth (but it does lose its punch) -- the packaging degrades and leaches into the product, or lets too much air and other impurities in and degrades the product.

[salvorhardin]

5. 2-5 years, according to

the Periodic Table of Condiments
http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/www/Info/condiments.html

[soothsayer]

8. funny! But they give mayonaisse only 3 months? hell, you

barely need to refrigerate the commercial stuff (but of course I DO).

[tridim]

9. That chart is great!

Except that unsalted butter doesn't last 1.5 months. They should specify that. I can also get sour cream to last much longer than 3 weeks. Cultured dairy lasts a good long time in a cold fridge. I'm a big buttermilk fan for that very reason.

[tridim]

6. I've had a huge bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce in my fridge

for about 6 years that's still good. I look for green furries every time I use it, but it just keeps on keepin' on.

[mac56]

7. Minneapolis comic Susan Vass had a good line -

"I've been married so long, I'm on my third bottle of Tabasco!"

Rimshot!

(edit to correct)

[ChickMagic]

13. My dad used to say that when I was a kid!

"We've been married so long we bought another bottle of Tabasco!"

[amazona]

10. forever in the fridge

...and a good long while sitting on the table.

[ohiosmith]

11. It has a half life of 10 million years. Only cockroaches and Tabasco

will survive.

[ET Awful]

12. It's shelf life is equal to that of a Hostess Twinkie :) n/t

[eleny]

14. I make a habit of washing lids and caps before replacing them

Figure it helps to keep things a wee bit fresher in the long run. And because I don't like gunk!