There are always those few mystery bottles of condiments tucked away in the back, the ones you forget about until you're rummaging through for something else.

冰箱最深處總有幾瓶被埋沒的神秘醬料瓶，直到你在翻找其他的東西時，才會突然發現這些被遺忘的醬料瓶。

Should you keep them, or pitch them?

你該留著它們，還是把它們扔了？

While there's a huge disagreement over whether an opened bottle of ketchup should be kept on the shelf or in the fridge, the answer according to Heinz is that it's the fridge, all the way.

雖然大家都在爭論到底開過的番茄醬應該擺冰箱還是櫃子裡，但是根據 Heinz 公司，正確的答案應該是冰箱，只有冰箱。

The acidity technically makes it shelf-stable, but once you open it, it can impact the balance of what's inside.

番茄醬的酸性雖然讓它可以被儲存在櫃子上，但當你一開封就可能會影響到瓶子裡的平衡。

For comparison, your refrigerated bottle will be good for between nine to 12 months while that same bottle will only last about a month in the pantry.

相較之下，放在冰箱中的番茄醬可以保存 9~12 個月，但同樣一瓶番茄醬在儲藏櫃裡大約只能擺上 1 個月。

What about ketchup-based cocktail sauce?

那以番茄醬作為基底的雞尾酒醬呢？

That's not going to last quite as long, but should be good for between six and nine months.

它的保存期限就不如番茄醬了，但大約也可以保存 6~9 個月。

In other words, use the bottle you opened for New Year's Eve by June, and you're fine.

換句話說，只要在 6 月前吃完你在跨年夜所開的雞尾酒醬就沒問題了。

According to French's, it's not technically necessary to refrigerate your regular mustard, but they say popping it in the fridge will help it hold flavor.

根據 French's 一般的黃芥末是不需要放進冰箱的，但他們表示，放進冰箱裡有助於醬料風味的保存。

Horseradish-based mustards and Dijon should definitely be kept in the fridge, because while there's nothing in either that will spoil, they will lose flavor if they're not kept cold.

但山葵芥末跟第戎芥末醬是一定要冰起來的，雖然兩種芥末都裡沒有會變質的成分，但若不冰起來，風味會流失。

Mustard in a glass jar will last longer than the stuff in the squeeze bottle, but the general rule is that mustard will still be good for two to three months beyond the "Best By" date, which they stress isn't the same as an expiration date.

在玻璃罐裡的芥末，保存期限會比放在塑膠瓶裡長，但通常在超過「最佳賞味期限」的2~3 個月內，都是還能食用的，他們特別強調「最佳賞味期限」是不同於「保存期限的」。

You might not have to throw this one away after all.

看來這個不需要丟掉囉！

"But you've mistakenly wandered off with my Grey Poupon!"

「但你不小心帶著我的 Grey Poupon 跑了！」

"Ow!"

「噢！」

"The scoundrel!"

「是那群流氓！」

While Worcestershire sauce has been a staple in kitchens for decades and while it's always been fine just sitting on the shelf, our homes are generally warmer than they were a hundred years ago.

雖然好幾十年來，伍斯特醬一直都是每個廚房的標準配備，而且好像一直擺在那裡也不會怎麼樣，但是我們現今家中的溫度已比一百年前還要暖和許多。

That means you're prolonging the life of the product by keeping it refrigerated, and it can last up to three years.

意思就是當你把這產品冰起來，就可以延長它的保存期限，而且可以保存近三年。

While we're talking about long-lasting condiments, let's talk about soy sauce.

在講完這些保存期限較長的醬料後，我們來討論一下醬油吧！

Like Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce is fermented and that helps make it last longer, but proper refrigeration makes a huge difference here, too.

跟伍斯特醬一樣，醬油也是經過發酵所以能保存久一點，但是適當的將他放進冰箱，還是能有相當顯著的差異。

At room temperature, your bottle will last about six months.

在室溫下，它能保存大約 6 個月。

In the fridge, it'll be good for around two years.

在冰箱則能保存兩年。

Chiles and vinegar are main ingredients in many hot sauces, and these preserving agents help make them last.

辣椒和醋是許多辣醬的主要原料，這些「保存劑」能延長他們的壽命。

As long as you properly refrigerate your sauce, an opened bottle could be good for up to three years… but, there's a "but."

只要你好好的把辣醬放在冰箱，一瓶被開過的辣醬是可以保存將近三年的，不過，還是有個「但」。

Dr. Doug Archer from the University of Florida says you shouldn't keep that open bottle in the fridge for more than a year.

來自 University of Florida 的 Dr. Doug Archer 表示你不應該將已開封過的辣醬放在冰箱超過一年。

That's because of hot sauce's tendency to develop flecks of mold that can react with the ingredients to start producing gases that will eventually, if forgotten about for long enough, burst the container they're in.

那是因為辣醬容易長出一點一點的黴菌會跟辣醬內容物起作用，開始釋放氣體，這些氣體最後要是被遺忘太久，就會從瓶子裡炸裂。

No condiment is as polarizing as mayonnaise, and since there's probably at least one person in your house that doesn't like it, it might sit on the door of the fridge for a long, long time.

說到讓大家互相「對立」一種醬料，絕對非美乃滋莫屬，因為你家裡一定都至少有一個人不喜歡美乃滋，所以它很有可能就會被遺忘在冰箱門上的層架很久很久。

How long should it stay there?

但它能放多久呢？

Not long, because a jar of mayo is only good for about two months.

不久，因為一罐美乃滋最多只能放兩個月。

In other words, finish that jar of mayo you opened for your summertime cookouts by the time school is in full swing.

換言之，在學期如火如荼地開始前，暑假在外頭野炊時，就趕緊把開過的美乃滋用完吧！

The same goes for mayo- and cream-based dressings.

而以美乃滋跟鮮奶油為基底的調料也一樣。

They're good for a maximum of two months, but you're better off using it within a month.

它們最多能保存兩個月，但最好還是在一個月內食用完畢。

If it's a vinaigrette dressing, you have a little more time, because those open bottles tend to be good for about three months in the fridge.

如果是油醋醬的話，則可以擺放久一點，因為已開封過的醬料通常只能在冰箱內放三個月。

Since a lot of standard Barbecue sauce ingredients, like salt and vinegar, act as preservatives, it'll last longer than you might think.

因為許多一般的烤肉醬裡常見的原料像是鹽和醋，有防腐的功能，所以它的保存期限比你想像中還要長。

Just be sure to keep your sauce in the fridge, all the time, which means not letting it sit out, say, alongside the grill while you're cooking.

但是一定要得時時將它放在冰箱，意思就是你不能把它長時間放在外頭，像是在烤肉時把它放在爐子旁邊。

That's going to shorten the life of the sauce immensely.

這樣會大大地減短烤肉醬的保存期限。

That said, let's assume you've kept it in the fridge most of the time it's been open.

儘管如此，假設你大部分的時間都有把開封過的烤肉醬放在冰箱裡。

There's still a huge variance here because there's so many different types of barbecue sauce.

還是會有很大的差異，因為市面上有太多種不同的烤肉醬。

Sweet Baby Ray's says an open bottle of their sauce won't be good past the 4-month mark, but some other sauces can last up to a year in the fridge.

Sweet Baby Ray's 表示他們的醬在開封四個月後就不新鮮了，但有些其它的醬料在冰箱裡可以保存近一年。

Ultimately, use your judgement and throw away anything that looks dark or moldy.

最終，用你的判斷力，把任何看起來發黑或是發霉的東西都丟掉吧 ！

If you've ever ordered takeout or stopped at a fast food joint, you probably have a collection of those little packets of condiments.

如果你曾經教過外賣，或是去速食餐廳用餐，你可能就會有一堆一包一包的醬包。

But, do they go bad?

但這些醬包會壞掉嗎？

Yes.

會。

Here's the scoop.

「獨家新聞報你知」。

Ketchup packets are good for around seven months, while mayo (regular and fat-free), tartar sauce, horseradish, and Tabasco packets are good for eight months.

番茄醬包可以擺上 7 個月，而其他像是美乃滋 (一般和零脂肪)、塔塔醬、山葵醬和 Tabasco 的醬包則可以保存 8 個月。

Then, you've got relish, barbecue sauce, mustard, steak sauce, and cocktail sauce packets, which will last around nine months.

還有洋蔥醬、烤肉醬、黃芥末、牛排醬跟雞尾酒醬包，大約可以保存 9 個月左右。

And here's the weird thing.

還有一見不尋常的事。

While mild taco sauce packets will last up to nine months, the same hot taco sauce is only going to be good for around four.

雖然淡的塔可醬包可以保存 9 個月，淡同款的辣味塔可醬卻只能保存 4 個月左右。

Now you know!

現在知道了吧！