Jarred pasta sauce is a convenient shortcut to a delicious dinner; all you have to do is pop open the lid on that , pour it onto your pasta of choice, add some meatballs, link sausages, and a healthy dose of parmesan to round out the dish, and there you have it — a tasty, simple spaghetti with marinara (or a fettuccine Alfredo or , depending on your preferred sauce). If you don't use the entire jar, however, you might be wondering for how long you have to finish it up. Tomato-based pasta sauce that has been store-bought is good for up to six days in the fridge before it starts to go bad.
Cream-based sauces, like your Alfredos, are only good for up to four days. While most jarred pasta sauces are indeed nonperishable while they remain unopened, once the lid has been twisted off, the clock starts ticking. And not just for its fridge-life; as soon as the lid comes off and the pasta sauce requires refrigeration, you have two hours to get it in there before it starts to become a health hazard.
After two hours, perishables enter what is known by the as the "danger zone," or the temperature range between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, when bacterial growth becomes a major risk. How to tell if your pasta sauce has gone bad Sometimes your spaghetti sauce will go bad before the prescribed period, or you'll open a jar that has been sitting in your pantry for over a year and wonder. There are a few key signs to look for that will clue you in on whether your pasta sauce has spoiled, sta.