Most condiments have a long shelf life, especially if you store them in the fridge (like ketchup). But mayonnaise is a different story—it contains egg. And eggs aren't known for their lengthy lifespan.
If you're wondering how long is too long to leave out mayo, then we have the answers. Properly storing mayonnaise is key to avoiding foodborne illness.
How Long Can You Leave Mayo Out?
Ideally, mayonnaise is stored in the fridge or served up immediately to reduce your risk of foodborne illness. But sometimes potato salad sits out at a barbecue, leaving you wondering: when should I toss it out? Is it still okay to eat?
Like all items that require refrigeration (including leftovers), mayo has a two-hour rule. The USDA recommends not leaving mayo out at room temperature for more than two hours before moving it back into the fridge. While that potato salad might be fine to eat after a few hours, your risk goes up as the clock ticks on, especially if it's a warm day.
If you can cover the food and keep it chilled in a basin of ice or something similar, you can extend your serving time a bit. Mayo stored at 50°F or more (even if cold but not cold enough) should be discarded after 8 hours. For reference, a refrigerator keeps food at about 40°F.
How to Store Mayonnaise
Most commercial mayonnaises, like Hellman's Real Mayonnaise orSir Kensington's Mayonnaise, are shelf-stable before opening. That's why the bottle or jar can sit unrefrigerated in the supermarket. You can leave the container at room temperature in your pantry until you open it and break the seal.
Once you open it up, you've got tostore mayo in the fridge.Sir Kensington's notes that refrigerated mayonnaise will "be safe to enjoy approximately 2 months after you first open your jar or bottle." The USDA also recommends storing open mayo in the fridge and tossing it after 2 months.
It's the inclusion of egg (typically just the yolk) that makes mayo perishable. "Traditionally, mayonnaise is made with raw egg yolks, and therefore carries a slight risk of salmonella infection," explains food scientist Harold McGee in his bookOn Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. For this reason, homemade mayonnaise and aioli have a short shelf life and should be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week max.
The lessen your risk of foodborne illness, you can make homemade mayonnaise using pasteurized eggs. This is what mass market manufacturers use when producing store-bought mayo. According to the USDA, homemade mayonnaise made with pasteurized eggs can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days. But since homemade mayonnaise using pasteurized eggs is basically the same as store-bought, most home cooks successfully store it in the fridge for 1 month or more.
In general, the FDA recommendstossing perishable foods, including mayo, which have been left out at room temperature for 2 or more hours. Unopened containers of store-bought mayo will keep in the pantry until the sell-by date, and opened mayonnaise will keep for about 2 months in the refrigerator.
If mayonnaise has visible mold, an off-smell, or an unnatural hue, toss it immediately.
A version of this article originally appeared onMyRecipes.com
Potato salad, like most perishable foods, cannot sit out for more than two hours, and closer to only one hour when the temperature is above 90°F and you're dining outside.
With that in mind, food safety experts officially give you two hours to leave anyfood, including mayonnaise, out of the refrigerator. But there's a catch: That's at ambient temperatures below 90°F. Above that, and you're given just one hour before foodborne illness becomes a threat.
According to StillTasty.com, prepared potato salad—whether homemade or store-bought, dressed with vinegar and oil or mayonnaise—will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days if stored properly.
Is it still okay to eat? Like all items that require refrigeration (including leftovers), mayo has a two-hour rule. The USDA recommends not leaving mayo out at room temperature for more than two hours before moving it back into the fridge.
It's actually the potatoes. Being a root vegetable, they sit in dirt for a long time and that dirt often harbors bacteria. When potato salad is served at warm events like picnics or barbecues, the heat can cause this bacteria to multiply, leading to the spoilage of the entire dish.
It's generally best to enjoy potato salad cold, as heating it can change the texture and flavors. If you really want to warm it up, consider gently reheating it in a microwave on low power or on the stovetop over low heat. Keep in mind that the mayonnaise-based dressing may separate or become oily if heated too much.
It all is contingent on how long overnight you have left the mayonnaise out for. If mayo had been left on the table for 12+ hours, throw it out. If it was eight hours or less, you should be fine storing or eating it. Everyone loves this condiment on their sandwiches and on burgers.
Usually, mayonnaise is an off-white color. If you look in the jar, and the mayo appears to be more on the yellow side leaning towards brown, it's most likely spoiled. The mayo smells acidic or putrid. Mayonnaise doesn't have much of a smell, so if you open that jar and are hit with a strong sour odor, it's bad.
We don't recommend freezing potato salad made with mayonnaise or dairy-based ingredients like sour cream. These ingredients don't freeze well, leading to a weird texture when the potato salad thaws. If you do freeze potato salad with mayonnaise, we recommend serving it warm.
Once the dressing is prepared, all that's left to do is add fresh chopped herbs and green onion to the boiled potatoes and combine. This potato salad can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, and even chilled – our favorite being room temperature.
The Verdict. Even Heinz weighed in on the subject a few years ago, stating that “because of its natural acidity, Heinz® Ketchup is shelf-stable. However, its stability after opening can be affected by storage conditions. We recommend that this product, like any processed food, be refrigerated after opening.
According to the American Egg Board, you can leave eggs on the counter about 2 hours at room temperature (or 1 hour if the temperature is 90°F or hotter). After 2 hours, you'd be safer to throw those eggs out and get a fresh dozen rather than chance it.
Do Fresh Eggs Need to Be Refrigerated? Freshly laid eggs need to be refrigerated immediately. Fresh eggs purchased from a farmers market need to be refrigerated as soon as you get home. Per USDA guidelines, eggs should be stored at 40 degrees F or below to help minimize the risk of Salmonella.
Within this temperature range, bacteria can multiply rapidly, increasing the risk of foodborne illnesses. To ensure food safety, potato salad should not be held without temperature control for more than two hours when the temperature does not exceed 70°F (21°C).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides several guidelines and recommendations for salad safety: - Time and Temperature: The FDA recommends not leaving perishable foods like salads at room temperature for more than two hours. If the temperature is above 90°F (32°C), this time reduces to just one hour.
Did the potato salad get made up and then refrigerated right away and you just have some leftover? If this is the case then it should easily last 3-4 days.
Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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