[Sca-cooks] oil & vinegar dressings

[Patricia Collum]

There is a standard caution to making flavored vineagars to use them soon
and keep them refrigerated. This isn't because of the vineagar, but because
of the stuff (herbs or flowers,etc.) in it, nasty bacteria can hide from the
vinegar and can grow and multiply enough to make problems over time.
Refrigeration can slow this process. Once you have opened a commercial
product, the company no longer can control what can enter the product
through the air or customer's use; so to limit their liability, they have to
tell you to refrigerate it as this -will- help to cut down on the bacterial
growth. So it is basically the stuff you add (intentionally or not) to the
oil and the vinegar.That and erring on the side of caution for your families
sake means that you should refrigerate your homemade dressings also and use
them within a reasonable amount of time.

Cecily
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Heleen Greenwald" <heleen at ptdprolog.net>

> Question:
>
> My cooking oils are kept on the pantry shelf.
> My vinegars are kept on the pantry shelf.
>
> Why do store-bought vinaigrettes have to be refrigerated?
>
> Does my homemade oil+vinegar dressing have to be refrigerated or can I
just
> keep it on the kitchen table? (air temp around 68 degrees F) and not end
up
> poisoning myself..