Condiments & Sauces

Condiments and sauces are the jars and bottles that season food at the table or in the pan: mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, chile sauces, soy sauce, vinegar, oils, pesto and simmer sauces.

How to choose Condiments & Sauces

  • Mustard seed. Yellow seed from the white mustard plant makes mild American mustard, and reddish brown seed makes hotter Dijon. Color alone is no guide, since oriental mustard has yellow seed and is spicy.
  • Mayonnaise. A jar labeled mayonnaise in the US must hold at least 65 percent vegetable oil, egg yolk or whole egg, and vinegar or lemon juice of at least 2.5 percent acidity. Spreads with less oil carry other names.
  • Shelf life before opening. Unopened ketchup keeps about 12 months and prepared mustard about a year in the cupboard. Mayonnaise keeps only 3 to 4 months, so check its date.

About Condiments & Sauces

Condiments and sauces add salt, acid, heat, sweetness or fat to a dish, either at the table or while it cooks.

Some are defined closely by law. Ketchup, for one, is built on tomato concentrate or liquid strained from ripe tomatoes, then seasoned, and US rules accept catsup, ketchup and catchup as its name. Many others are acid foods sealed in the jar with heat, which is how they keep in a cupboard until opened.

Store unopened jars in a cool cupboard, and follow the label once they are open. Put sauces on the table in small bowls with their own spoons, so a dipped knife does not carry crumbs back into the jar.

At a glance

Main types
Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, chile sauces, soy sauce, pesto, vinegar
Label terms
Catsup, ketchup and catchup mean the same
Unopened
Ketchup and mustard 1 year; mayonnaise 3 to 4 months
Once opened
Refrigerate mayonnaise; vinegar and oil stay in the cupboard

Condiments & Sauces questions

Do ketchup and mustard need to be refrigerated after opening?

They keep longer if they are. Kansas State University gives opened ketchup about 1 month in the cupboard and recommends the refrigerator for longer. Opened yellow mustard lasts 6 to 8 months and may go in the refrigerator, and it should be stirred before use. Mayonnaise is different: it belongs in the refrigerator as soon as the jar is opened.

Why does homemade mustard get milder if you use hot water?

The heat in mustard comes from an enzyme, a natural substance in the seed that drives a chemical change, which goes to work when ground seed meets water. Cold or room-temperature water lets the reaction build into a sharp mustard, while water that is too hot damages the enzyme and gives a milder one. Vinegar stops the reaction, so cooks wait a few minutes before adding it for more bite.

Sources: US Code of Federal Regulations, mayonnaise and catsup standards; Kansas State University Research and Extension; Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission; Popular Science.

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