How long does mayonnaise last

Keep an unopened commercial jar in a cool, dark pantry, cap on, out of the sun. FoodKeeper prints the pantry as 3–6 months. The bold number is three months. The fridge cell is Not the usual place. The usual place for a closed jar is not the fridge. A sooner date on the jar wins. Date types are on the use-by and best-before guide.

After opening, keep the knife clean and do not put crumbs back in the jar. FoodKeeper’s note says commercial mayonnaise is safe at room temperature once it is open. The refrigerate-after-opening line on the label is for quality, not safety. That split sits in the use-by and best-before article. The pantry cell is No time is printed for this cell. No opened room-temperature day is printed. The fridge is 2 months. The bold number is two months. FoodKeeper and the FSIS cold-storage chart print the same time, so there is no second line. The chart’s line for commercial mayonnaise is refrigerate after opening, do not freeze. FSIS prints do not freeze. The freezer cell is Do not freeze. Homemade mayonnaise and aioli are not this jar. Their pantry is Not safe and their fridge is 3–4 days. The bold number is three days. The chart line names the commercial jar. The homemade freezer cell is No time is printed for this cell, and this page does not paste do not freeze onto that row as if FSIS had named the bowl. Recipes that call for raw egg belong with pasteurized eggs, on the egg page. If you are still unsure, the still-safe tool asks from the short end of the chart.

Get perishable food into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking it or bringing it home, and within 1 hour if the kitchen is above 32°C (90°F). USDA FSIS and Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry both publish that cutoff. A closed deep pot stays warm; a shallow box cools.

A chart is a window, not a verdict on the container in your hand. A sour smell, a slimy surface, or mould means it is finished, even on day one. This page is not medical advice.

• Oil that will not stir back, or a broken layer past a thin film on top.
• A sharp, rancid, or yeasty smell. The tang of vinegar and mustard is not that.
• Mould on the surface, under the lid, or in the neck. Taking from around it does not rescue the jar.
• A lid that pushes up, or a colour gone dull brown. Gas is not freshness.

Passing the bold end of the pantry range on a closed commercial jar is a quality question. It is not a reason to taste a doubtful homemade bowl.

FSIS prints do not freeze for commercial mayonnaise. The closed freezer cell is Do not freeze. The opened cell is Do not freeze. The chart line reads refrigerate after opening, do not freeze, and it names the commercial jar. Freezing breaks the emulsion. This page does not invent a month for a jar the chart tells you not to freeze. USDA says food held continuously at −18°C (0°F) stays safe. That sentence is about food you do freeze. It does not erase the chart line.

The homemade freezer cell is No time is printed for this cell. No time is printed. This page does not carry the commercial do-not-freeze line onto the homemade row and write it as if FSIS had named that bowl. It does not invent a freezer day for aioli either. A thawing note is for a food with a printed freezer time. This row has none.

Thaw in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Do not refreeze a portion that has thawed. The ministry states the same rule: thaw frozen food in the fridge and take out only what you will eat.

• The refrigerate-after-opening line is a safety date. FoodKeeper’s note says commercial mayonnaise is safe at room temperature after opening. The label line is for quality. The opened pantry cell is No time is printed for this cell. The fridge is 2 months. FoodKeeper and the FSIS chart agree.
• Homemade mayonnaise keeps like the jar. The homemade fridge is 3–4 days. The bold number is three days. The pantry is Not safe. The jar’s pantry is 3–6 months.
• You can freeze the jar, and the same line covers aioli. FSIS prints do not freeze for the commercial jar, Do not freeze. The homemade freezer cell is No time is printed for this cell. The chart line is the jar.

The windows assume a generally healthy household. Pregnancy, young children, older age, or a weakened immune system are reasons to keep the shorter figure, to skip raw or undercooked food, and to reheat leftovers until the centre is steaming. USDA’s figure for reheating leftovers is 74°C (165°F).

USDA FSIS shell-egg guidance says recipes that call for raw or undercooked eggs, including mayonnaise, should use pasteurized eggs. Eggs have their own page. In pregnancy, for young children, in older age, or with a weakened immune system, do not taste a doubtful jar to decide. Heating a mouldy spoonful does not undo mould. This page does not add a day of its own.