Alfredo sauce is a rich pasta sauce that will add some flair to any recipe or dish you add it to. This creamy sauce is a fantastic ingredient that combines with several delicious foods to create rich and creamy dishes.
If you intend to buy or make Alfredo sauce, the question about refrigeration is bound to pop up in your mind if you can make use of an entire jar of the sauce.
How long does Alfredo sauce last in the fridge? A pre-made, unopened jar of Alfredo sauce remains good in the fridge for 6 to 8 months. But when that jar is opened, the shelf life drops to a mere 3 to 5 days in the fridge. If freshly prepared from scratch, Alfredo sauce will also last for 3 to 5 days in the fridge.
Many people can not stop arguing if Alfredo sauce is meant to be made from scratch or purchased at the grocery store. Making this cream-based sauce from scratch can be a lot of work. So, you can make use of whichever kind of Alfredo Sauce works for you, either jarred or freshly made.
How Long Does Alfredo Sauce Last at Room Temperature?
Alfredo sauce is creamy and cheesy. So, how long exactly can this creamy sauce sit at room temperature before it becomes dangerous for consumption? Bacteria love room temperatures; from 40°F to 140°F is the right temperature for them to multiply.
It’s okay if you want to leave your freshly made Alfredo sauce to cool down to room temperature. Still, it should never stay at room temperature longer than 3 to 4 hours. The ideal time for your Alfredo sauce to sit before you get to store it in the fridge is within one hour.
Bacteria wouldn’t immediately change the color of your sauce. Your Alfredo sauce might look great and smell sumptuous, yet it will be filled with bacteria. Once you are done with that freshly made Alfredo sauce, you should be looking to store it within the hour.
If you have jarred Alfredo sauce, it would be better to not let it sit at room temperature. Return it to the fridge as soon as you are done with it.
How to Tell if Alfredo Sauce Has Gone Bad
Alfredo sauce can go bad. It should be fairly easy to tell that it is no longer suitable for use in the kitchen when it does.
There are several ways you can know if your Alfredo sauce can still be consumed.
How Does Alfredo Sauce Look?
This is the first telltale sign. Naturally, if you are skeptical about the sauce being okay or not, you’ll take a good look at it. Try performing this check under a good measure of light.
When it has gone bad, the color of Alfredo sauce will be off. It will no longer have that velvety white look we all think about when we imagine the sauce. If your Alfredo sauce looks suspicious, throw it out!
How Does Alfredo Sauce Feel?
When Alfredo sauce goes bad, its consistency is affected. Instead of looking velvety, it may look partly separated, and you might feel lumps in the sauce if you touch it. If the consistency of your Alfredo sauce is anything else other than normal, you should throw it out.
How Does Alfredo Sauce Smell?
It can’t be pleasant. Bad Alfredo sauce will never smell nice. If you try having a smell of your sauce and an unpleasant smell hits you, please make sure you dispose of the sauce as that is an indication that it has gone bad.
How Does Alfredo Sauce Taste?
Notice how this is the last way to identify Alfredo sauce? Well, it is back here at the end because you shouldn’t try it.
In order to identify any spoiled food, there’s always the taste test, but your taste buds might not be happy with you, and your stomach might go against your wishes, ejecting everything you have down there in a bid to get rid of the spoiled food.
If you haven’t noticed any of the signs of spoiled Alfredo sauce mentioned above, you can taste it. If it tastes weird or sour, please throw it out immediately.
Note that spoiled food will not sit well in your body system. It can make you sick, and the bacteria in the food could cause food poisoning. Before you taste it, make sure you look for other signs of spoilage thoroughly.
How to Make Your Alfredo Sauce Last Longer in the Fridge
Alfredo sauce will last for 3 to 5 days in the fridge, but that doesn’t mean you can handle it anyhow. If you are not proactive about the storage, the shelf life of your sauce in the fridge might fall below expectation.
There are some things you need to look out for and do to keep your Alfredo sauce for longer in the fridge.
Refrigerate on Time
The best time to refrigerate your Alfredo sauce is as soon as it cools down to room temperature. Don’t let it sit at room temperature for an hour. Theoretically, it can sit for 3 to 4 hours, but don’t wait that long.
If you want to make sure your open pre jarred Alfredo sauce lasts the week in the fridge, stick it in the fridge as soon as you open it.
Don’t Place Hot Alfredo Sauce in the Fridge
While you are eager to refrigerate your freshly made Alfredo sauce to preserve its quality, don’t place hot Alfredo sauce in the fridge. You need to let it cool down to room temperature before entering the fridge. If you can’t wait till it cools down normally, try using an ice bath.
Means of Storage
An open container wouldn’t do the trick. Apart from being proactive when keeping your Alfredo sauce in the fridge, you need to be intentional too.
Always keep your Alfredo sauce in an airtight container. A Pyrex dish, mason glass jar, or Tupperware dish would do the trick. Leave a little space in the container for expansion; seal it to be airtight, and voila! It should remain good until you feel ready for some sauce again within the next 3 to 5 days.
Final Thoughts
Alfredo sauce is a diary-based ingredient, so you don’t want to taste it when it has gone bad. It might ruin your memories of the sauce and keep you away from it for a long while. The fridge is the best way to keep your opened or freshly made Alfredo sauce from going bad for the next 3 to 5 days.
If you think you would love to keep it for longer than that, freezing Alfredo sauce is always an option. Frozen Alfredo sauce is good in the freezer for up to four months.
