For potentially poisoning my family with my utter incompetence...

[PoorMissDior]

How in gods name does anyone remember when to throw out opened ketchup, jam, mayonnaise, pesto etc etc

Once opened these items need to be used within 6 weeks or 12 weeks or some other defined time period.

I was vaguely aware of this but it's just occurred to me that I have a fridge full of condiments and absolutely no goddamn idea how long they've been open for. Could be weeks, could be months, could be years. Who the hell knows.

How does anyone monitor this? Do you all have calendar alerts set up? sophisticated spreadsheets? beautifully written little time stamped labels?

AIBU for not having the faintest idea what is going on in my kitchen?

When they get the first sign of mould surely?

Mould, or smell.... ;-)

Sharpie date opened on the label.

I have similar issues.
I’m just recovering from a really horrible stomach bug and as a result had a massive fridge clear out yesterday.
It’s almost back to Year Zero.
I was ruthless and my fridge is sparkling and much less cluttered.
But I don’t know how to keep an eye on things apart from a list / writing on the jars.

That's utter rubbish. Smell it and if it smells fine, eat it! If it smells off, don't

Mould or smell. But it depends.
Eg Pesto - generally try to use that up quickly.
Ketchup - it's fine. I have never stuck to the "once opened used within...." advice. Not poisoned anyone so far!

When it grows mould

I would keep all those things unless there was mould. I've never known ketchup to go off tbh

Ketchup has so much sugar in it it essentially preserves itself.

And good look for Satans furry caps or a smell and you're fine

Never pay much attention unless it’s something we use so rarely you can guarantee it’s been there months. Ketchup etc gets used far more often so would never be out of date.

I write on the lid with a Sharpie because it makes the rest of the household happy. I usually go by smell/colour/mold though. I used wholegrain mustard the other night that's been open in the fridge for at least a year and it was fine. I don't mess about with jam mold though - first sign of that and the whole lot is discarded.

When I remember, I write the date opened on the jar with a sharpie, but as others have said, if it looks and smells okay it's probably fine.

You could just use your own senses and chill out a bit?

I write the date on the jar lids.

Pesto will go mouldy quite quickly but ketchup is full of sugar so will last for ages.
As everyone has said, smell and mould are the best indicators. Anybody who tracks how long they have been open and throws them away just because of a date is frankly rather wasteful and silly!

I just never check the dates. If it goes off, you would know.

if it smells or looks off it goes in the bin
if it seems ok then it gets eaten

I taste it first if we don’t use it often I.e. HP or ketchup taste some on the end of a knife before ruining my dinner - if it’s fizzy it goes in the bin.

If there’s a small bit of mould on jam or butter and it’s localised I remove the offending area and taste the remaining product and 99.9% of the time it’s fine

Pesto or capers etc I'd put a date label on or write it with a felt tip. Herbs and spices lose potency but don't go off as such. Ketchup or mayo I don't think about. I doubt if you'd poison anyone.

Do people really bin stuff after a few weeks? That's really wasteful. You'd know if condiments were off, mustard can go vinergary but it wouldn't harm you. I'm eating chutney I made around 10 years ago. It's not mouldy and tastes better with age.

Once opened these items need to be used within 6 weeks or 12 weeks or some other defined time period

Er, no they don't. That's ridiculous. They want you to throw it away and buy more. Remember that.

We use hardly any ketchup so a bottle can sit in the fridge for years. It doesn't go off. We also had an open bottle of Baileys that sat for years in the fridge and was about 5 years out of date when I finished it. Was fine.

Anything with vinegar or sugar in, so jams, pickles and most sauces, won't go off for years, because that's the whole point of the product. Plus anything bought is likely to also have additional preservatives in too.

Pesto is slightly different but I get over that by freezing it in ice cube trays as I'll use a bit and then not want it again for a while and that can go mouldy and it's hard to tell by looking.

@pistolknight

Do people really bin stuff after a few weeks? That's really wasteful. You'd know if condiments were off, mustard can go vinergary but it wouldn't harm you. I'm eating chutney I made around 10 years ago. It's not mouldy and tastes better with age.

Don't look at the thread about the chicken then .

We also had an open bottle of Baileys that sat for years in the fridge and was about 5 years out of date when I finished it. Was fine.
Are you supposed to keep Baileys in the fridge? Not that mine ever lasts very long because I drink it.

I don’t think we have ever had chance for anything to go off. We keep all this stuff in the cupboard, except the pesto but that is usually gone within a week.
Never had food poisoning yet.

When it’s mouldy or smells.