The dressing contains raw eggs, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire, mustard, salt and pepper. How long can I keep it in the fridge in a airtight container?
7
-
No garlic? Are you sure this is a Caesar dressing?– AaronutOct 27, 2010 at 2:47
-
of course there is garlic! but i don't think this has an effect on how long i can keep it.– SlyOct 27, 2010 at 2:50
-
3Actually it does. Garlic almost always harbours botulinum spores, which are anaerobic; they grow when they are protected from oxygen. Raw garlic in a Caesar type dressing is protected from oxygen and can therefore encourage growth of the spores. (This is the same reason you shouldn't keep raw garlic in oil.)– danielOct 27, 2010 at 7:29
-
It's anaerobic, but it's also got a relatively low ph, which botulism doesn't like. I don't think the garlic matters very much in terms of storage.– SatanicpuppyOct 27, 2010 at 13:45
-
@daniel: I see. I have updated my question with the full ingredients list. There is also lemon juice in the dressing and that certainly affects shelf-life...– SlyOct 27, 2010 at 16:18
|
Show 2 more comments
4 Answers
Up to 7 days (homemade mayo as well). Egg whites/yolks out of the egg (but not combined with the acid) can last 3-4 days refrigerated, and eggs in-shell are good for 2-4 weeks depending on processing.
Hmmm. It's the eggs that have the potential to cause problems. I'd say less than a week, or until the acid kills the egg, and causes the whole thing to de-emulsify.
You can age raw eggs by keeping them in the fridge for 3 days, so I would definitely say more than 3 days, but less than a week. I think the dressing would develop a bad consistency or start to taste too strong before it actually spoiled.
-
Could you explain this please? Keeping raw eggs longer = giving them more time to go bad.– danielOct 27, 2010 at 16:31
-
I don't get this one either. To temper an egg means to add a relatively small amount of hot liquid so as to warm it up without setting it, and allow it to subsequently be exposed to higher temperatures without instant setting. I have never heard of "tempering" an exposed egg by leaving it in the refrigerator for 3 days and would like to see some reference for this.– AaronutOct 27, 2010 at 16:41
-
maybe i used the wrong term? When I make macarons the recipe calls for me to keep the egg whites in the fridge for 3 days, to achieve the appropriate consistency. Yes, that was wrong term, sorry for the confusion.– ManakoOct 27, 2010 at 19:49
Raw eggs last 2 to 4 days in the fridge but only 2 hours at room temp, so I would only make what will be used within 24 hours, just to be safe.