Cooking question re: vinegar storage

[suegeo]

After I open a new bottle of vinegar, do I need to refrigerate the bottle? Store it in a cool, dark place?? Or what?

Also, how long does vinegar last, before it "goes bad"?

[NMDemDist2]

1. what kind of vinegar sue? vinegar has a long shelf life as it was/is

used to preserve other foods (think pickles)

[suegeo]

2. Various kinds

I have red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, regular old white vinegar, raspberry vinegar, and rice (wine?) vinegar.

Some of the bottles were good 'n tasty. And kind of expensive. Therefore, I put the bottles in the refrigerator, where they tend to fall out and smash my toes, take up tight refrigerator space, and so on.

You get my gripe. If I don't need to put it in the fridge, I don't want to.

[Warpy]

3. As a general rule, I store unflavored white vinegar at room

temperature. Anything flavored goes into the fridge as soon as it's opened. I keep cider vinegar in the fridge, mostly because I use it in salads and I want it cold. I keep wine and balsamic vinegars at room temperature, vinegar being the end point of their fermentation (nothing left to feed the bugs).

Even pickles should be kept cool once they're opened.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. You can keep it anywhere you like ......

........ but it is perfectly safe at room temperature.

[politicat]

5. If vinegar is used as a preservative, then refrigerate. If not, then not.

That's the simple rule of thumb. Anything with an average 5% acidity is safe at room temp for up to 1 year.

The exception is rice wine vinegar, which has a 3.5% acidity, but does fine at room temp.

(Thanks, Alton Brown.)

[calico1]

6. The only kind of vinegar I store in the fridge is

raw,unfiltered cider vinegar. If you get that kind you need to store in in the fridge. Regular vinegar (like Heinz) can go in your cupboard.