How to Keep Condiments Fresh

Though you don’t need to worry about bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli, which cause foodborne illness, condiments can spoil. Then they may look, smell, and taste unappealing. How quickly this occurs depends on many factors, some of which you can control. Our tips—courtesy of Sana Mujahid, PhD, manager of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports, and Marybeth Mitcham, PhD, a resource educator for the Cornell Cooperative Extension—can help keep your flavor enhancers fresh and tasty.

To reveal the tips, click or hover your cursor over (or tap, on mobile) the dots on the illustration below.