Re: [CH] Texas Fiery Food Show and habaneros
Todd & Sherri Guiton (sweat@peppered.com)
Fri, 07 Sep 2001 13:01:50 -0400
Bill Woodward wrote:
> <snip>
> I have a question for you. The bottle says that no refrigeration is
> required (which I read *after* I had refrigerated it :-) ), but it's
> obviously not a vinegar-based sauce, so what keeps it good, and how
> long's the shelf life?
>
> =====
> <>< ><> <>< ><> <>< ><> <>< ><> <>< ><> <>< ><> <>< ><> <><
> Bill Woodward (Bill_CCHKK@yahoo.com or wpwood@austin.hp.com)
> http://www.geocities.com/bill_cchkk
> <snip>
Bill: All of our sauces are made with very acidic fruit juices and as such, we
were told that refrigeration is optional. The finished pH of the Key Lime Toad
Sweat is 3.2, the Cranberry is 2.6 and the Chocolate Orange is 3.8. As for the
shelf life, unopened it is "indeterminant" and once opened it was suggested
that one year should be the expected. That obviously depends on if it gets
contaminated by a finger or the like. A mold or fungus could grow at the
margin where the sauce/air interface is and would be very unlikely to propagate
into the body of the sauce, but common sense rules apply. If there is a
visible mold, dispose of it. I have several bottles from the first batch
brewed in 1996 that I taste regularly and they have had no problems yet. They
are stored at room temperature and sampled every six months or so.
So, the whole point is, refrigeration is not needed but not a problem. It
will make the sauce thicker and slower to pour but not thick enough to present
a problem. Send me (off group) your mailing address and as soon as the bottles
of Chocolate Orange Toad Sweat are done, I'll send one off to you.
Thanks for the inquiry.
Todd Guiton
Peppered Palette
sweat@peppered.com