Hot Sauces - Fridge or Room Temperature?

[Roll_Bones]

I was watching a show on TV that comes on in the early afternoon.
One of the host's said that hot sauce (Franks, Tabasco ect...) should be left at room temp.
We keep ours in the fridge as our bottles are big and last a very long time. We get them at Costco.
He said the hot sauce would lose heat in the fridge.

Is this true?

[Andy M.]

Don't know. I keep hot sauces at room temperature. I've noticed they lose heat over time at room temperature.

[Dawgluver]

Mine are always in the fridge. I'd happily keep them out if that's what is warrented, but they all say "refrigerate after opening."

[Cooking Goddess]

I keep ours in the pantry. I use them as in ingredient, but Himself tops his plated food sometimes. I suppose if he thought they lost some potency he would just put more on his meal. Meanwhile, neither of us have died, so that's good.

[CWS4322]

Mine are on the lazy Susan on the table. I think it might depend on how much you use. I use a lot of hot sauces and they don't last more than 2-3 months in my house.

[buckytom]

a co-worker taught me to keep hot sauces in your desk at work, not in the fridge.

they seem to magically get reduced in the office fridge, and if you bitch about it, they magically just get really thinned out.

[Dawgluver]

Originally Posted by buckytom

...and if you bitch about it, they magically just get really thinned out.

Kinda like the vodka my parents kept in the fridge when I was in high school.

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by Dawgluver

Mine are always in the fridge. I'd happily keep them out if that's what is warrented, but they all say "refrigerate after opening."

Interesting. None of mine indicate refrigeration.

[Steve Kroll]

With the exception of sriracha, cholula, and tabasco, most of the hot sauces I have on hand are homemade. I keep them all in the fridge. Just because.

[Dawgluver]

Originally Posted by Andy M.

Interesting. None of mine indicate refrigeration.

Now you're making me look.

Hm. Of the 8 bottles, only 2 say refrigerate after opening. So that frees up some fridge space!

[Roll_Bones]

I did not even look at the bottle of Tabasco in question. It says nothing about refrigeration, but I still stuck it in the fridge.
I have been keeping my large bottles of Franks in there anyway.

I was just wondering about losing heat. I guess time will tell?

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by Roll_Bones

...I was just wondering about losing heat. I guess time will tell?

As I mentioned earlier, my non-refrigerated hot sauces lose heat. Maybe it's the passage of time that causes heat loss, not the storage temperature.

[Zagut]

I have a bunch of hot sauces. 13 different kinds at last count but they come and go so I may have more now or less. Most likely more because the homemade are coming on line.

I keep any open bottle in the fridge. None say "Refrigerate After Opening" but I do because I think it keeps them fresher longer.

It's not always about the heat but the taste. I haven't noticed any real loss of heat but on the shelf the taste can change faster then if refrigerated.

I do let them come up to room temp before using them.

Don't know if that makes a difference or not?

No scientific evidence. Just an observation from someone with an asbestos tongue and a cast iron stomach.