Thread: Ketchup

This might be the wrong subforum, and if so, my apologies-

How come people can leave some ketchup out for days and days in room temperature without it going bad?

What's going on in there...?

If I leaved a mashed tomato out, it would definitely rot.

Is it the salt? Preservative?

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Ketchup has a lot of vinegar in it which makes it acidic, and that kills bacteria. That's how pickling preserves things.

True. There are many condiments that have labels that say "refrigerate after opening" but it is quite unecessary to do so. Ketchup, mustard, salad dressings, etc., all can be left at room temperature after opening. They will remain usable for a long time, although perhaps not indefinitely. Their chemical additives (vinegar, sodium benzoate,etc.) retard spoilage. The closed containers retard oxidation and evaporation.

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