I am damn sure you’re a great lover of different dishes made with tomatoes unless you would never waste your precious time to find out the answer Does Tomato Sauce Need To Be Refrigerated After Opening? Yeah, Tomato Sauce tasty, tangy, delicious, thick substance mainly made from tomato that has crossed almost all the boundaries and turned out to be a global food. This is extensively used and added to prepare many yummy dishes no matter where you’re belonging to. Today I am going to unfold all the vital information related to Tomato Sauce so that you can understand the sauce much better than before. Take a look-
Table of Contents
What Is Tomato Sauce?
Tomato sauce is a kind of foodstuff that can be taken for different purposes. Made from fresh tomatoes, basils, thyme, or some other aromatic herbs including salt and some essential spices is added to make the whole thing a tasty, flavoured, and savoury one for you. It can be used as a perfect topping for pasta, and a good condiment for preparing different veggies, meat, and fish as well. And of course, it has also been considered a base for Mexican Salsa and Pasta.
What Is The Way To Prepare Tomato Sauce?
As tomato has high water content and soft flesh, if ripe and juicy tomatoes are chopped and mixed with onion and garlic and then cooked using olive oil until they break down, the sauce is ready after some above said vital ingredients are mixed to get much-needed taste and flavor. There is another type of Tomato Sauce where tomatoes are uncooked and just similar to Salsa where tomatoes are only peeled, dashed, and they are added with some spices, and stored to be cooled to prepare a kind of sauce.
Also read: Does Hot Sauce Need To Be Refrigerated? Does It Go Bad?
How Long Does Tomato Sauce Last In Room Temperature?
Before we directly jump to the point we have to consider a few aspects of tomato sauce. If it is store-bought which is air-tight sealed can be kept at room temperature for a good 18-24 months. But once you open it, you cannot keep it at room temperature for more than a week. However, when it comes to homemade tomato sauce, it should be consumed within a day or two to get the best out of it.
All these things suggest that tomato sauce doesn’t have enough shelf life. Still, it can be extended if you can keep it in a fridge or a refrigerator.
What Happens If Tomato Sauce Doesn’t Refrigerate?
As it is discussed earlier, tomato sauce doesn’t have much shelf life. Therefore, a refrigerator or a freezer takes a leading role in providing you with some more time. This is the reason if you keep the jar or the pack of tomato sauce out of the refrigerator its quality will start decreasing rapidly. Because at the temperature between 40 °F-140°F bacteria starts growing rapidly leaving the tomato sauce a substance to discard. If your tomato sauce doesn’t refrigerate, especially after opening and allowed to stay in such a warm place for some time, then I can say you have only 2 hours left to consume it unless you have no way but to throw it away.
Does Tomato Sauce Go Bad If Left Out Overnight?
The well-being of tomato sauce that was left out overnight heavily depends upon two things. Firstly, if the acidity of tomato sauce is much higher, then it’ll last a little longer than others. After that, if it is a store-bought sauce, then you may expect it can stay for 2-5 days as some preservatives such as vinegar and salt are added to it to provide some extended shelf life.
Also read: Does Apple Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated? Does It Go Bad?
Can Bacteria Grow In Tomato Sauce?
Due to the acidic content, there is a high chance for bacteria to grow in tomato sauce if not kept properly. What I mean to say, is if you keep the jar of an opened tomato sauce at a high temperature of 40°F to 140°F as I said above, your tomato sauce will be infested by bacteria that make the whole thing a ruin.
How Can You Tell If Tomato Sauce Is Bad?
Several signs indicate clearly if your tomato sauce has gone bad. Here they are-
- Usually, tomato sauce should be brilliant red or slightly orange. If it turns maroon or darker then perhaps it’s time to throw it out.
- After opening the bottle if you smell anything odd or sour, then you should not use it further.
- Again while drawing out of the jar if you trace some moldy spots in the sauce, then simply don’t use it again.
Also read: Does Worcestershire Sauce Have To Be Refrigerated? Does It Go Bad?
How To Store Tomato Sauce?
As we know refrigeration and freezing are the two ways that could help you to keep your tomato sauce in better condition for at least some more time. But your job is not yet done. Still, you need to follow some terms and conditions to get a better result.
- Boil the jar and the lid of it properly so that you can manage to keep it bacteria-free. No matter if you have poured store-bought or homemade tomato sauce.
- Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice or ½ of citric acid directly into the jar as they can work as preservatives.
- Now pour the whole amount of sauce into the jar. If it is a homemade one then don’t allow it to cool first.
- Immediately after, put the lid on and close the jar airtight, even if the sauce is hot inside.
- Keep the jar in a cool, and dark place in your kitchen cupboard or pantry. But keeping it in a refrigerator or a freezer would be the best idea for your tomato sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Firstly, you can pour the freshly-made puree into a clean ice cube tray and then place the tray into a freezer. Secondly, you need canning where you pour the hot puree into a sterilized jar and then seal it properly and finally keep it in a refrigerator.
If the tomato sauce has crossed the expiry date and also gone bad, then it’s a high risk to consume it. This may be a cause of food poisoning or botulism and both of them are quite fatal if unattended. Besides, there are some common symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, etc.
If you want to keep fresh or leftover tomato paste for a longer time, then following the same way as tomato sauce, you also have to fill the ice cubes with paste and then keep the tray of ice cubes inside a freezer or a refrigerator so that it sauce remains its quality for a long. Apart from that, you can pour the sauce into a plastic sheet, then wrap it up and finally put it in a refrigerator.
Final Words
If any of you love to taste different kinds of dishes, then you cannot deny the presence of tomato sauce in your kitchen for its versatile uses. Therefore, it is obvious to know most of it so that you can manage it better. I have tried to provide you with all the necessary information about tomato sauce. I hope this will be a useful one for you as always. Don’t know what’s the time on your watch now, but for me, it’s time to say goodbye!!! See you soon.