So you’ve opened your kitchen cabinet and found a bottle of Worcestershire Sauce you’ve completely forgotten about.
Now you’re wondering:
“Is it okay to still use? Does Worcestershire Sauce even go bad?”
We’ve got you covered.
Here’s the fast answer: this sauce is highly stable and does not go bad even after several years. However, like all consumables, certain conditions directly affect the lifespan of your bottle of sauce.
What’s In Worcestershire Sauce?
Worcestershire Sauces mainly consists of sodium-based natural preservatives. These preservatives allow the sauce to be usable for many years before finally expiring. In addition to these preservatives, this sauce has different kinds of vinegar, salts, sugars, spices, molasses, onions, and flavorings.
Vinegar is what makes Worcestershire Sauce liquid, and it also acts as a preservative. Most of the time, depending on the region where your sauce is made, they use a fermentation process for production, which makes the sauce even more resilient.
How To Tell If Worcestershire Sauce Has Gone Bad
While it is very hard to say when Worcestershire Sauces truly expires, some signs indicate that the sauce is no longer usable. They can easily be regarded as a solid basis for evaluating the sauce’s condition.
For example, any presence of mold or an unpleasant smell is indicative of expiry. Another giveaway of a spoiled sauce is gas build-up. No matter the material of the bottle, a “popped lid” is never a good sign for Worcestershire Sauce.
However, if you can’t see or smell anything wrong with the bottle, you should taste it. If the sauce tastes sour, bitter, or anything out of the norm, you’re better off chucking it.
Keep in mind that if the bottle was sitting for a long time, there might be a layer of sediment. This is considered normal, and shaking the bottle will dissolve the layer.
How Long Does Worcestershire Sauce Last?
Worcestershire Sauces degrades very slowly and takes years to go bad – up to 10!
Now, this number majorly depends on the ingredients in your bottle, as well as production methods and how well the sauce was stored before and after purchase. On average, a bottle of Worcestershire Sauce will last for five years until its best-before date.
Different brands put different “best before” dates on their bottles. As long as the bottle isn’t opened, Worcestershire Sauce will be fine after the best-before date for five years, but you may notice a deterioration in taste. You can prevent that by storing your Worcestershire Sauce properly.
More on that in a bit.
If you want to enjoy your sauce at its best, consume your Worcestershire Sauce within 2-3 years of purchase.
Once you’ve opened it, it will start to go bad faster – but still quite slowly! An open bottle of Worcestershire Sauce will last one year in the pantry and three years in the refrigerator.
How To Store Worcestershire Sauce
You should store your Worcestershire Sauce in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight and heat. That means a kitchen cabinet is a good option – or better yet, a pantry.
Once you’ve opened your bottle, make sure to reseal it tightly. Then, you’ve got two options.
Either put your Worcestershire Sauce back in your cupboard or place it in the refrigerator. The latter’s a good choice if you want to extend the bottle’s life.
The Round-Up On Worcestershire Sauce
Here are the key takeaways:
- Store Worcestershire Sauce bottles in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.
- Unopened bottles should go in kitchen cabinets or pantries.
- Opened bottles of Worcestershire Sauce can be refrigerated for extended shelf life.
- If you’re worried your Worcestershire Sauce has gone bad, check for changes in appearance, smell, and taste (in that order).
