Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Paul, I try to use a clean utensil and not to double-dip, but I'm not sure about my other half. That could explain it. I also use lower-sugar preserves a lot and they are probably more prone to spoilage. Sugar is a great preservative.

Mold is a surface phenomenon and while I will usually try to salvage moldy cheese and maple syrup, I seldom save jelly with mold on it. Sugar preserved jams and jellies are also susceptible to yeast and\or bacteria that can start fermentation.

As far as refrigerator storage, if the bottle or jar says to refrigerate after opening, I do. I did a quick inventory of all my jams, jellies, mustards, and ketchups and they all do say to refrigerate. Even though some of them may be safe at room temperature, refrigeration almost certainly extends their life or improves their quality of life and we have a tendency to use some jams, jellies and condiments very slowly. My bottle of Lea & Perrins is dated Mar 2007 with a “best by” date of 1/28/2009.

I seldom refrigerate anything that has olive oil in it because it takes a long time to liquefy again after refrigeration so I tend to make vinaigrettes in daily use quantities so I can mix or match vinegars and oils based on flavor profile or whimsy. We have been on sweet vinegar kick lately because they make an interesting salad and can be mixed as low as 1:1 with olive oil for a fairly low fat dressing. We use White Balsamic, Cuisine Perel D’Anjou Pear Vinegar, and peach infused white balsamic. Adding some lime oil to the olive oil can also be nice for a change.