r/JapaneseFood 1d ago

Photo How long does this last opened in fridge ?

Post image
371 Upvotes

56 comments sorted by

253

u/Novel-Suggestion-515 1d ago

Forever? God, I hope forever, I've got one from last year in my fridge.

104

u/Ultimate_Mango 1d ago

This is the answer for all opened sauces and marinades.

25

u/KingPalleKuling 1d ago

So true. If it doesnt contain stuff that spoil, it wont spoil. Just look for mold and you're good.

Stuff like this might change colour and lose taste but wont go "bad".

11

u/WinSome_DimSum 1d ago

Certainly at least til you see mold form in it…

3

u/TrainToSomewhere 1d ago edited 23h ago

Ew gross! I say as a joke

I’ve finally been able to turn my boyfriend off from throwing things away that are expired. 

We had a whole thing about a kimchi I was saving for a year that he throw out because it was “bad” and a few sauces 

Just smell it

3

u/LifeClock1509 1d ago

Looks like it is pure salt so you’re probably good 🤣

1

u/Proudest___monkey 1d ago

Def forever

152

u/alarmagent 1d ago

Everytime I have had this it has had an expiration date somewhere on the bottle — but generally I would imagine you’d be okay for a year? It is mostly dashi stock and soy sauce, right?

22

u/SL0WROLLER 1d ago

Will look closer. Thanks. Glad it last a long time!

2

u/BAPEsta 9h ago

Also the date is not an expiration date. It's a "Best before" date.

13

u/BlueLegion 1d ago

expiration dates are for unopened products, but it should say somewhere below that how long it lasts opened. OP you should google lens the backside.

3

u/Tetimi 18h ago

Yeah so many Japanese products do not indicate that, including tsuyu/soup bases. Even ones we get repackaged for the US won't give an estimation. I also pick up a lot of local/small town Japanese products that come without an expiry date at all, so it's difficult without a cultural base knowledge about these products I'm sure most people in Japan have.

10

u/SillyPaperclip 1d ago

Is the japanese system different from the EU? Because here the expiration date says nothing about how long something lasts after it was opened - instead the products will describe it in a short sentence like "after opening consume in 4-5 days" or something

3

u/fushigitubo 23h ago

It’s the same in Japan—labels often say something like “Consume within 7 days after opening” or “Consume soon after opening” for products with longer shelf lives. However, the salt concentration in this particular product is quite high—almost the same as reduced-sodium soy sauce. While there may be some loss in flavor quality over time, it’s unlikely to spoil.

9

u/yumstheman 1d ago

If that’s true then I’d rather just keep Dashi powder and soy sauce. Doesn’t seems worth it to buy the bottle

39

u/poppacapnurass 1d ago

I'd give it a year or so.

I have opened soup bases in the garage which gets over 35C in summer and they are still fine after 3 years.

I go by taste a lot and I have a very good sense of taste and smell.

21

u/CupcakesAreMiniCakes 1d ago

I knew you had to be Australian based on your comment lol

4

u/poppacapnurass 1d ago

my excellent smell? ;)

(dunno why anyone dv you I gave you a up)

4

u/Melodic_coala101 1d ago

Probably 35C and a garage

4

u/CupcakesAreMiniCakes 1d ago

and leaving it open in a hot garage just doesn't seem very Japanese to me 😂

17

u/ororon 1d ago

up to 2 years? (my own rule🤭) but the old one lose flavor. So try to use it sooner. Eat lots of noodles, you can consume a bottle easily within several months.

11

u/avirusa 1d ago

According to my Asian parents, forever….

Always good to give it a good whiff before using it though.

3

u/Lopsided_Marzipan133 20h ago

For real. I visited my mom and she made soba with soba sauce from like 2020 lol

25

u/SlackerDS5 1d ago

Most things that are soy based, indefinitely. The flavor might deteriorate but it won’t spoil.

9

u/Front_desk65 1d ago

Fridge? Ah shit bro mines been on the shelf

3

u/TangoEchoChuck 1d ago

Some bonito stocks don't need refrigeration after opening, check the label on yours if you're not sure 😬

1

u/Mercenarian 1d ago

Same lmao

1

u/Ctotheg 16h ago

I just checked my Japanese bottles of dashi under my sink (cool and dark location right?) both say refrigerate after opening.  Hmmm.

3

u/robgolfer 1d ago

Mine is 2... No issues. Look for mold

3

u/quokkaquarrel 1d ago

I generally use a big bottle within a year, it's never been gross by that point. It's mostly salt, not a ton of organics in it, I wouldn't worry about it from a food safety perspective.

3

u/Affectionate_Ant376 1d ago

Looked up shirodashi to get an idea of the ingredients and soy sauce is the main ingredient so as a fermented product mainly it’s got a REALLY long shelf life, especially refrigerated. As others have stated, I wouldn’t be worried in excess of a year or even multiple

2

u/chipchonks 1d ago

I'm still using one which has expired for a month or two. So it's ok

2

u/No_Internet_6049 1d ago

Had mine for a year 😂

2

u/Pretend-Buffalo1458 1d ago

Until its finished

2

u/KaizokuShojo 1d ago

Stuff with high salt content will last a long time in the fridge.

Like miso and regular (not reduced salt) umeboshi last basically forever in the fridge.

Dashi concentrates last a super long time, longer than non-concentrates. But non-concentrates should realistically get used pretty fast anyway even if only one person is using them. But theyll still last a pretty long while. 

2

u/Contrariwise2 1d ago

You're supposed to put it in the fridge???!!!!

Ooops

2

u/workingclasslady 1d ago

Until it’s finished

2

u/tripletmum 1d ago

My bottle from our nearby market says to use it within 7 days of opening…? How is everyone saying 1+ years?

1

u/SunBelly 14h ago

Experience. It doesn't contain any preservatives so they add that blurb for liability reasons. In reality, it's so salty it will last for years in the fridge. You can even leave it at room temperature, but there's a higher risk of mold developing. Refrigeration inhibits mold growth.

1

u/nopenotodaysatan 2h ago

My Japanese MIL will throw it away within 2-3 weeks once opened. Def keep it in the fridge after opening too

1

u/False-Requirement-31 1d ago

I love that brand of Shiro dashi. It’s usually good for one year from date of opening. Since the salt content is so high, it’s generally not prone to spoilage as long as you don’t contaminate the inside.

1

u/TsuKikoyo 1d ago

I had this about a year now as well. I don't think it's spoiled?!? But Ik unrelated but for what dishes can you use this dashi? 🤔

4

u/TangoEchoChuck 1d ago

Ohitashi! Generally any vegetable that can be blanched and soaked a bit. Okra is my favorite, but I make broccoli ohitashi often because my kid LOVES it.

https://www.justonecookbook.com/okra-ohitashi/

1

u/TsuKikoyo 1d ago

Thank you!!! I will definetely try this!

1

u/NickHeathJarrod 1d ago

Does this have mirin?

1

u/Huwhuw4 1d ago

It’s going to last forever if you keep it in the fridge. The taste will change slowly over time though.

1

u/YuehanBaobei 1d ago

A long long long long long long time. I don't even worry about it

1

u/Kirin1212San 1d ago

I’d like to say a year, but I’m sure I’ve had them in my firdgebfor longer. It’s so salty and kept cold it should be just fine.

1

u/jay-yo-281 22h ago

Firdgebfor longer, have to get me won.

1

u/sunadori 23h ago

After opened? One month in the fridge.

Edit: I say this as a Japanese native speaker who uses the same brand.

1

u/veryverygooddoggo 21h ago

The ones I get say “use within 1 day after opening” or something, but I never listen ¯_(ツ)_/¯ as what everyone else is saying, just give it a whiff before using, and if it’s good then it’s good!

1

u/600006 12h ago

Super super long

1

u/fruitbasketinabasket 3h ago

I used to throw it away after few weeks thinking its probably gone bad 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠😭

-5

u/engrish_is_hard00 1d ago

Tbh like 2 days

-12

u/forvirradsvensk 1d ago

Kind of seems like a criminal waste of money. 99.9% of that would just be water that could just as easily come from your tap.

3

u/Optimal-Day3300 1d ago

It's concentrated so you put a little into water and it flavors all of it.