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I have heard that if vinegar is added to the pot of soup, it will spoil after 2-3 days even in a fridge. Is there any truth to that?

moscafj
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Vorac
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    define "spoil". – moscafj Jan 06 '18 at 21:29
  • @moscafj smell and taste rancid; the meat inside the soup become dangerous to eat. – Vorac Jan 06 '18 at 22:24
  • What's your source for this idea? – FuzzyChef Jan 06 '18 at 23:28
  • @FuzzyChef old wives' tale. But I know nothing about cooking and wanted to ask and be sure. – Vorac Jan 07 '18 at 00:38
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    @MiroslavVitkov the reason you were asked to define it is that there are three possible interpretations. One is what you perceive ("smells bad"), the second is that it actually harbors a large colony of pathogenic bacteria, the third is that it becomes unsafe under food safety standards. Each of the three can happen independently of the other two. The answers will be different for the three definitions in this case. Ah, and then there is "OK to eat", which is a synthesis of gut feeling and social norms, also related. – rumtscho Jan 07 '18 at 19:19

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I think it makes no difference as the vinegar does not contain bacterial spores. If so much vinegar that makes the soup significantly more sour then it can eventually go wrong even later as bacteria don't prefer the acidic environment.

To add a concrete quantitative example: while cooking 3 pieces of beetroots I added 5 tsp 6% acetic acid balsamic vinegar. 7 days later kept in fridge (~4C) is still good. I am quite sure it's because the acidity as meals used to go wrong much sooner than 7 days.

deeenes
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  • Seems likely, given there are a lot of vinegar-heavy condiments that typically last months or years in a fridge. – rackandboneman Jan 08 '18 at 00:41
  • Yes; increasing acidity specifically retards bacteria growth. With sufficient acidity (below pH 3.7), almost all bacterial growth is prevented. http://www.foodsafetysite.com/educators/competencies/general/bacteria/bac3.html – FuzzyChef Jan 08 '18 at 17:03