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My Caesar dressing contains the following: mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, fresh ground pepper.
How long do you think I should I keep it before I pitch it?
And why is it that bottled commercial dressings last months and homemade do not?
What do they have in theirs that we don't have in ours, and can't we put it in ours?

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    Is your mayonnaise home made or from a bottle? Commented Mar 4, 2012 at 19:33
  • Commercial dressings have very precise measurement & control of the pH, temperature (for sterilization), water availability, etc. Many also have preservatives.
    – derobert
    Commented Mar 4, 2012 at 20:45
  • Mayonnaise I use is just Hellman's from a jar.
    – Tracy
    Commented Mar 5, 2012 at 1:33
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    Commercial dressings are often produced under standard circumstances, which helps predict how fast they'll spoil. Most home prepared food must be thrown out not because it's gone bad, but because we cannot trust it's still good.
    – MSalters
    Commented Mar 6, 2012 at 12:43

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I make a nearly identical recipe for caesar dressing, and have safely used leftover dressing up to a week later. I can't vouch for any "technical" food spoilage rates, only that my friends, family, and I have never gotten sick from eating salad with dressing in this age range.

I can't speak to anything longer than that, as the dressing never seems to last that long!

As a closing note: if you are in doubt, don't eat it!

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  • Ok,Thanks! I usually make about the right amount but sometimes have a little left over for a single serving.. Yes, about a week at the most is what I've kept it in the past, but always wondered if it was going to waste.
    – Tracy
    Commented Mar 6, 2012 at 13:15

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