Research highlights Gen Z find ketchup & brown sauce outdated (2024)

FAQs

What condiments don't need to be refrigerated? ›

Shelf-stable condiments, like stone ground mustard, red wine vinegar, strawberry preserves, and wing sauce, don't need to be as cold as other perishable foods like milk, eggs, and meat, so they can hang out on your refrigerator door.

The guidelines at FoodSafety.gov state that shelf-stable products like mustard, mayo, barbecue sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salsa will benefit from being stored in the fridge. "Refrigeration ensures that commercial sauces and condiments stay fresh for a longer period of time."

Everyone's favourite, this legendary and uniquely distinctive sauce is the result of HP's dedication to sourcing the highest quality ingredients and using a closely guarded secret recipe. Store in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate after opening and use within 8 weeks.

It is ultimately derived, I think, from Worcestershire Sauce; the ingredients are similar and the taste is not dissimilar though brown sauce is a lot milder and a fair bit thicker, more akin to ketchup in consistency. I don't use it much myself, I go for the full on Worcestershire.

“Many restaurants and fast food places don't refrigerate their ketchup,” responded another Twitter user. “It's because they go through it so quickly that it doesn't have time to spoil. However, they usually store their ketchup in a cool, dry place to keep it from going bad or spoiling.”

The Verdict. Even Heinz weighed in on the subject a few years ago, stating that “because of its natural acidity, Heinz® Ketchup is shelf-stable. However, its stability after opening can be affected by storage conditions. We recommend that this product, like any processed food, be refrigerated after opening.

According to The National Peanut Board, an unopened jar of peanut butter can last six to nine months at room temperature. Once opened, they say that it can last two to three months in the pantry before you should move it to the fridge, where it can maintain quality for another three to four months.

You may buy mayonnaise off a non-refrigerated shelf, but the second you pop the top, you must put it in the refrigerator. In fact, the USDA recommends opened mayo be tossed in the trash if its temperature reaches 50 degrees or higher for more than eight hours.

The USDA's FoodKeeper app offers this guidance for storing butter: "May be left at room temperature for one to two days; one to two months when stored in refrigerator; six to nine months if stored frozen." After that, the taste can turn rancid or sour, says the USDA.

Like vinegar, Worcestershire sauce does not need to be refrigerated. Whether unopened or open it can be stored in the pantry for two years.

What the heck is brown sauce? ›

Brown sauce is a condiment commonly served with food in the United Kingdom and Ireland, normally dark brown in colour. The taste is either tart or sweet with a peppery taste similar to that of Worcestershire sauce. Commercial sauces are a blend of tomatoes, malt vinegar, molasses, dates, spices and tamarind.

Mustard. No matter the kind of mustard (Dijon, yellow, or whole grain), best practice is to store it in fridge. Refrigerated mustard will last up to a year after opening in the fridge, according to the USDA. Now dried mustard powder is another story—it can be stored in the pantry with all your other spices.

HP Sauce is a British brown sauce the main ingredients of which are tomatoes and tamarind extract. It was named after London's Houses of Parliament. After making its first appearance on British dinner tables in the late 19th century, HP Sauce went on to become an icon of British culture.

Bear in mind a previous Daily Mail splash on a similar research survey, where the newspaper reported a 42% figure in favour of brown. We reckon these numbers are close enough to provide some reassurance.

The bottled, brown and sweet barbecue sauce available today is mostly made with tomatoes, vinegar, molasses and other sugars, spices and thickeners. It's not so different from ketchup – and so it perhaps shouldn't be a surprise that Heinz was the first major brand to sell barbecue sauce at scale in 1940.

Where Should I Keep Extra Sauce Packets? Store extra sauce packets in a cabinet, kitchen drawer, or airtight container. Bottles, meanwhile, should be refrigerated after opening. Sauce packets are single use, which means they aren't meant to be opened and stored again.

Unopened jars of mayo as well as salad dressings can be stored on pantry shelves. However, it's important that once opened you keep them refrigerated, and the USDA recommends using them within 2 months after opening.