Most times, we do not deem it necessary to go looking for an expiry date on a kitchen bouquet bottle. This is partly because we exhaust its content and quickly purchase another due to the small size of the container.
And since they come in quick succession, we tend to be less inclined to know if kitchen bouquets can expire or not.
So, the kitchen bouquet does expire. However, it can be difficult to tell the actual expiration date of a particular bottle since they seldom come with a best-before label. The kitchen bouquet has a long shelf-life. However, it will expire after a duration of three to four years.
Does Kitchen Bouquet Go Bad?
A kitchen bouquet will go bad just before its expiration date. The sauce is acknowledged for its distinct flavor, which many have likened to several other flavors. Some say it is salty; others say it has a beef-like taste, while others assert it is entirely bland and flavorless.
When a kitchen bouquet begins to lose its flavor, it is a telltale sign that it will expire. At this stage, it would no longer be able to thicken sauces, darken meals, or give the meat that roasted look.
Once you notice that the taste of your kitchen bouquet has begun to deteriorate, do not hurriedly pour it down the sink or toss it out.
Instead, you can dilute the remaining quantity with some gravy. Since they both serve almost the same purpose, the difference would not be substantial.
Alternatively, you can make your homemade sauce and mix it with your about-to-expire kitchen bouquet.
You can easily make homemade sauces; all you need are water, salt, and some beef sauce. Then, mix both seasonings and stir thoroughly.
In recent times, kitchen bouquets are gradually becoming rare and uncommon. Moreover, the kitchen bouquet is slowly disappearing, with new and improved brands springing up with more flavors that can serve the same purposes.
Therefore, it would be wise to efficiently conserve your bottle of kitchen bouquet to enhance its longevity.
Luckily, you do not need a large amount of it in a meal. Instead, a small proportion does the trick most times.
Can You Use An Expired Kitchen Bouquet?
You can use a kitchen bouquet even though it has expired. Though You will significantly alter the taste of the kitchen bouquet, it is not unsafe enough to kill you. Nevertheless, an expired kitchen bouquet adds no extra flavor to your meal.
Using a bottle of expired kitchen bouquet on your meal would be like adding a few extra drops of salty water to it. In addition, a kitchen bouquet has some sodium content which acts as a sulfating agent.
These agents are used to enhance the shelf life of the kitchen bouquet. However, they tend to hurt the human stomach. Now, using a kitchen bouquet in its expired form gives way to a higher risk of stomach trouble.
To detect an expired kitchen bouquet, empty the bottle’s content into the bowl and carefully observe its appearance. If expired, there would be a noticeable change in the color; it would be darker than it originally was.
There may as well be tiny particles of mold floating on the surface. In some cases, the smell might even change.
Opened bottles will expire faster than unopened ones. As stated earlier, a kitchen bouquet can last up to three or four years. However, you may not need to mind this. Your bottle of kitchen gravy will long be exhausted before its period of palatability elapses.
How Long Can You Use Kitchen Bouquet After Its Expiration?
Once expired, the kitchen bouquet is of no nutritional value. However, you can continue to use it to make dishes for about a month before finally discarding it. Remember, an expired kitchen bouquet has a higher content of sodium sulfite, and a prolonged intake of this is quite harmful.
Furthermore, consuming expired sauces can cause you to develop mild symptoms of food poisoning(although this seldom happens).
Some of these symptoms may include; nausea, diarrhea, headache, stomach pain, to mention a few. Luckily, these symptoms do not last long.
The affected person should be fine after three days; however, if symptoms persist, You should consult a medic.
Where Is the Expiration Date on a Kitchen Bouquet?
Very rarely can you find either a sell-by date, a best-before date, or an expiry date on a bottle of kitchen bouquet? However, when flipped upside down, manufacturing dates are sometimes found on either the labels or under the bottles.
When ordering kitchen bouquets from online sites, information may be displayed for the buyers, but it would be more challenging to acquire them in walk-in stores.
Not only the kitchen bouquet is guilty of this flaw. Other brands like Gravy master seldom carry these significant dares on their labels.
Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons why people buy about-to-expire products. Nonetheless, you can rest assured that the kitchen bouquet has a long period of validity.
Do You Refrigerate Kitchen Bouquet After opening?
Other sauces can be kept in a cupboard indefinitely as long as they are shut tight, but they have to be held in the refrigerator once opened. On the other hand, the kitchen bouquet wants absolutely nothing to do with the cold freezes of the fridge, even if it has been opened.
It is not a fan of heat or the sun either. A moderate room temperature works best for it. However, a homemade kitchen bouquet does not contain sulfite agents and would have to be placed in the fridge for just a little while to enhance its shelf life.
Bottles of kitchen bouquet should be shut airtight and stored in cool, dry places for optimal retention.
Proper storage can even enable it to retain its best flavor for a more extended period. It is best stored in a cupboard or shelf alongside other kitchen gravies.
Conclusion
Kitchen Bouquet has been around for ages. It is also a chef’s favorite due to its versatility. But, as we all know, nothing can last forever, not even your favorite kitchen condiment.
The kitchen bouquet has a long shelf life, but it will eventually expire. The taste of the sauce begins to alter as a telltale sign of its impending expiration.
Kitchen bouquets are becoming scarce in walk-in stores, and online sites with a ready supply are hiking the price.
Luckily, a few alternatives can suffice without so much of a noticeable difference. These substitutes include Gravy Master, Maggi seasoning, Parisian essence, Worcestershire sauce, etc.
