Condiments and sauces: storage times

Tap a food for how to store it, how to tell it has gone bad and whether it freezes well.

Food	Fridge	Freezer	Pantry
Bottled barbecue sauce	—Opened: 4 months	—	1 yearfrom purchase
Homemade barbecue sauce, canned	—	—	9–12 months
Hot sauceStays fresher longer if refrigerated.	—	—	6 months
Jam, jelly and preserves	—Opened: 6–12 months	—	6–18 monthsfrom purchase
Ketchup, cocktail or chili sauce	—Opened: 6 months	—	1 yearfrom purchase
Store-bought mayonnaise	—Opened: 2 months	—	3–6 monthsfrom purchase
Mustard	—Opened: 1 year	—	1–2 yearsfrom purchase
Dry ground mustard	—	1–2 years	6 months
Olives in jars or cans	—Opened: 2 weeks	—	12–18 monthsfrom purchase
Olives from an olive bar	2 weeksfrom purchase	Not recommended	—
Pasta sauce in a jar	—Opened: 4 days	—	18 monthsfrom purchase
Tomato sauce (pasta, pizza)Refrigerating unopened jars doesn't make them last longer.	—Opened: 3–5 days	—	Until the use-by date
Pickles	—Opened: 1–3 months	—	1 yearfrom purchase
Bottled salad dressing	—Opened: 1–3 months	—	10–12 monthsfrom purchase
Creamy dressing (ranch, Caesar)	—Opened: 3–4 weeks	—	6 monthsfrom purchase
Bottled vinaigrette	—Opened: 4 weeks	—	6 monthsfrom purchase
Homemade vinaigrette	2–3 weeks	—	—
Jarred salsa, picante and taco sauce	—Opened: 1 month	—	1 yearfrom purchase
Fresh salsa from the store's chilled section	4–7 days	—	—
Homemade fresh salsa	5–7 days	12 months	—
Soy sauce or teriyaki sauce	—Opened: 1 month	—	3 yearsfrom purchase
Tahini	—Opened: 3 weeks	—	1 yearfrom purchase
White and wine vinegar	—	—	2 yearsfrom purchase
Apple cider vinegar	—	—	Indefinitely
Balsamic vinegar	—Opened: 18 months	—	3–5 yearsfrom purchase

Fridge at 4 °C (40 °F) or colder, freezer at −18 °C (0 °F). Freezer times are for best quality: food kept frozen stays safe, but slowly loses taste and texture. These times are USDA guidance, not a guarantee. When in doubt, throw it out.

Storage times: USDA FoodKeeper (Food Safety and Inspection Service), public domain. Text by ShelfLife.