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Do Pickles Go "Bad"?


Razors Edge

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...and if so, when?

I have some sliced pickles at work in the refrigerator, and haven't eaten the last bit in over three months. They still look good and the few I tasted seemed fine, so it got me wondering, how long do these sorts of thing stay good when still swirling in the pickling solution and in my refrigerator (or RG's root cellar)?

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Truth be told I have some pickle relish left over from the baseball snack bar days.  Assuming it’s from my sons Senior year it’s 3 years old... But who knows maybe it’s from Jr High!  

Oh and my SIL eats it every time we make burgers!!!! ?

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I did a google search a while back when I found some pickles I had forgotten about in the back of my refrigerator.

Pickles, pickled veggies, and sauerkraut are good for 1-2 years opened and refrigerated or unopened and unrefrigerated.

Things with tons of vinegar or salt are good for a long time:  Better Than Bouillon chicken/beef/etc. base is good for 1 1/2 years in the refrigerator after opening. I put a magic marker date on it after I've opened it since I don't use it often.  Soy Sauce doesn't need to be refrigerated and is supposedly good after opening when kept on a shelf for up to 3 years, though its flavor is said to remain better for a longer period if it is refrigerated.

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1 minute ago, MickinMD said:

I did a google search a while back when I found some pickles I had forgotten about in the back of my refrigerator.

Pickles, pickled veggies, and sauerkraut are good for 1-2 years opened and refrigerated or unopened and unrefrigerated.

Things with tons of vinegar or salt are good for a long time:  Better Than Bouillon chicken/beef/etc. base is good for 1 1/2 years in the refrigerator after opening. I put a magic marker date on it after I've opened it since I don't use it often.  Soy Sauce doesn't need to be refrigerated and is supposedly good after opening when kept on a shelf for up to 3 years, though its flavor is said to remain better for a longer period if it is refrigerated.

Well my SIL is our science project as he’s eating pickle relish at least 3 years old!  What does uncle google know!

True about soy sauce.  I buy small bottles and use them up  every 4-6 months but it stays in the cupboard not fridge.

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6 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

Pickles tend to get soft and soggy after a number of years.

...this is also my experience.  I think they put extra stuff in the commercial ones that might extend the shelf life in the fridge. We had them go bad occasionally back when we were making our own, but that was doubtless due to poor sterile technique.  you don't want to hot water bath them too long, or it makes them soggy, but if you don't kill all the germs and microscopic life that wants to eat your pickles, and you've not salted and brined them adequately, sometimes they go "off".

Fresh pickles are the way to go.  There are some Japanese places here that serve fresh pickled whatever as a side dish. those are excellent. The sign of a first class Mexican restaurant here is that they make their own hot pickled carrots.

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