However, should you refrigerate mustard? If you want to maintain the optimal flavors, then yes. According to the official website for French's Mustard, “Dijon and Horseradish mustards will lose their distinct flavors if not refrigerated, so we encourage refrigerating both.”
Condiments such as ketchup and mustard
According to TheKitchn.com, yellow, Dijon, or even whole-grain mustard can be put away in the cabinet for up to two months and as mentioned before, ketchup can be kept outside the refrigerator for up to a month.
Common condiments that don't require refrigeration include soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, honey and hot sauce. Feingold says vinegars and olive oil (stored in a cool, dark place) are pantry-bound; coconut oil is actually best kept out of the fridge since it hardens below room temperature.
Store prepared mustard in the refrigerator and use it as quickly as you can, although it can be used safely up to a year. Opened mustard only keeps about a month at room temperature, so be sure to refrigerate it.
Mustard. Surprisingly, mustard goes hand in hand with ketchup, but it outlasts it in terms of shelf life. If it's in the pantry, mustard is good to use for one to two years after it was bought. If it's in the refrigerator, that gets cut down to one year since it's opened.
So while Dijon mustard won't necessary spoil at room temperature, you'll get more bang for your buck by keeping it in the fridge after it's opened.
Dijon mustard – Because of its higher proportion of vinegar, an unopened Dijon mustard can last for two to three years in the pantry at room temperature and for one year after being opened in the fridge.
As long as the mustard doesn't contain fruits or vegetables, it has enough acid in it as a preservative. Yellow, Dijon, or even whole-grain can be put away in the cabinet for up to two months.
At room temperature, mold and bacteria growth resumes almost immediately, and warmer temperatures can lead to an explosion of growth that rapidly degrades the food product.
An open jar of peanut butter stays fresh up to three months in the pantry. After that, it's recommended to store the peanut butter in the fridge (where it can maintain its quality for another 3-4 months). If you don't refrigerate, oil separation can occur.
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.
The Case for Refrigerating Worcestershire Sauce
According to food safety experts, once you open a bottle of Worcestershire sauce, it's best to store it in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage.
Ketchup is said to be 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. Refrigeration will maintain the best product quality after opening" (via Today). These instructions appear simple.
When going to the grocery store, you buy unrefrigerated mayonnaise off the shelf. So does it need to be refrigerated at all? Mayonnaise is egg-based, which makes it a prime candidate for refrigeration, but it also contains lemon juice, which can help to keep foods from spoiling.
*Never keep your bread in the fridge. The starch molecules in bread recrystallize very quickly at cool temperatures, and cause the bread to stale much faster when refrigerated. *Shop-bought loaves should be kept in an air-tight plastic bag at room temperature rather than in the fridge.
According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), refrigerated eggs should be left out for no more than 2 hours. Ideally, though, we'd recommend not taking them out until you're ready to use them!
Soft cheeses such as cream cheese, cottage cheese, shredded cheeses, and goat cheese must be refrigerated for safety. As a general rule, hard cheeses such as cheddar, processed cheeses (American), and both block and grated Parmesan do not require refrigeration for safety, but they will last longer if kept refrigerated.
Mayonnaise: You may buy mayonnaise off a non-refrigerated shelf, but the second you open it, you must keep it in the refrigerator. In fact, the USDA recommends opened mayo be tossed in the trash if its temperature reaches 50 degrees or higher for more than eight hours.
Condiments like soy sauce, vinegar-based hot sauces and honey shouldn't be refrigerated at all, according to MSN. Meanwhile, ketchup and mustard can be kept in the fridge, but won't be harmful if they're left out overnight, even if they've been opened.
Once you open mustard, it should be stored in the refrigerator to extend its freshness. Dry, yellow, Dijon and honey mustard will all last for 1 year when stored properly in the fridge.
The Bottom Line. Storing soy sauce at room temperature is perfectly fine. However, if you don't plan on regularly using it in your cooking, storing the soy sauce in the refrigerator will keep it at peak quality for longer.