Do you know how different a meal prepared with curry tastes? Of course, you definitely will get that superb effect on your taste bud each time. But beyond this, there are other things you need to know about curry powder and paste.
One of the things you need to know is if Thai curry paste can go bad? Well, like every other thing, it can also go bad. But then, this straight answer does not do justice to your curiosity. This is why this post has been dedicated to exploring many grey areas about curry paste and powder.
As a lover of great food, there’s no doubt that you will find this post informative. This is why you should pay optimum attention as we take you on a great ride of discovery.
Can You Use Expired Curry Paste?
One thing we have been told is that expired things are bad. And quite frankly, this is true. But then, it does not spread across all products.
Regarding curry paste, it might not be absolute. The reason is that curry paste may still be used even after it has expired. However, there are certain things you have to know before you begin using expired curry paste.
First, if your expired curry paste was left open before it expired, then you should discard it. The reason being that it might have lost its flavor and taste over time. Also, if not stored properly, it might have started breeding bacteria underneath. Hence, to be safe, kindly do away with expired curry paste if they have been opened before expiring.
On the other hand, you might still be able to use your curry paste if you had not opened it when it expired. Here you are sure that the flavor and taste will still be intact.
In all, for best practice, always take a mile away from consuming expired products- curry pastes or not. This will greatly benefit your health.
How Long Can You Keep Curry Paste?
Ideally, your curry paste should last for about 3 years or even more. This, however, depends on the manufacturers and, of course, how you have used the curry paste.
Usually, whether or not your curry paste will last long will depend largely on whether you have opened it or not. For clarity, let’s consider the different states and conditions under which a curry paste will last.
When Unopened
If you have been using canned items, one thing you would have discovered is that they can last for 3 or more years if you don’t open it. The same thing applies to canned curry paste.
If you don’t open them for an extended period, they can do just fine. The reason for this may be because some preservatives have been added to it. But then, the most important thing is that they are stored at the right temperature.
The temperature of a place has a great way of influencing how long a thing would last. In the case of curry paste, the ideal place you can store it and make it last long is a place with a low humidity level.
When stored here, you can rest assured that your curry paste would last for a long time. On the contrary, where you store your curry paste in a high humidity level, even when unopened, how long it will last will be drastically dropped.
This is why you must always ensure that, though not opened, you are storing your curry powder in the right conditions.
When Opened
There are many times that we open up something, and exhausting that thing will be impossible. In this case, what we do is not to throw the leftover away but to store them for further use.
Where this happens, one certain thing is that the time that the unfinished product or food item will last has been cut short.
Regarding curry paste, this is also the case for it. When you open curry paste, there is no contention that the time it would take to last will drastically drop. The reason is that bacteria thrive mostly in heat conditions.
Aside from this, once you open it and air begins to get in, the curry paste will lose its flavor and taste. Which will defeat the purpose for which it is to be used.
In all, it still does not mean that you cannot store your curry paste. Averagely, you can store the curry paste for about 4 weeks. Within this time, and under great condition, you can still use the curry paste without losing flavor or taste.
Though it can last for an extended time after four weeks, flavor or taste retention cannot be promised. This is why you should stick to the time frame of four weeks to store the curry paste you have opened.
How Can You Tell if Curry Paste Has Gone Bad?
Let’s face it; there are many ways to tell if something has gone bad or not. In most cases, the determining factors are always more than one and are influenced by different things. But then, that’s not what concerns us in this segment; what we want to explore is how to tell if your curry paste has gone bad. If you are ready to know this, then let’s dive in.
In determining if curry paste has gone bad, you should look out for the following;
- Bad Flavor: This is one of the first indicators for curry paste that has gone bad. Generally, curry paste was manufactured to add flavor to taste, so you can see that it has lost its purpose when it loses its flavors. And, as such, not a good fit for use again.
- Flat Taste: Once the curry paste has lost its taste, the next thing is for it to start tasting flat. With time, it gets sour and might begin to give a bitter taste. When you notice this, know that your curry paste has gone bad.
- Excess Moisture: As you might have observed, curry paste has some moisture in it. But this moisture is only enough to keep the content wet and concentrated. Once the moisture begins to get excessively much, you should know that your curry paste has gone bad.
In all, each of the things discussed above is an indicator that your curry paste is no longer safe for use. You might also see a combination of all these; they still point to the fact that your curry paste is bad.
Please note that the things above are not exhaustive. There might be other signs you would see that will suggest that your curry paste has gone bad. The most important thing is to look out for is a fault that is unnatural about the curry paste.
Does Curry Paste Need To Be Refrigerated?
Refrigerating things that we have partially used has been a lifesaver in many homes. In several ways, refrigerating helps to maintain the flavor and taste of what we have. And what’s best? It helps to preserve the content of our product from getting spoilt in a short time. This is why it makes sense to ask if curry paste needs to be refrigerated?
Yes, you can refrigerate curry paste. The logic behind refrigerating that works in keeping other food items in good condition also works here. Once you have opened your curry paste, and you didn’t exhaust it at first use, your best bet is to refrigerate it.
When you refrigerate the opened curry paste, you are not just preserving the flavor and taste; you will also prevent bacteria that survive in heat and moisture from acting on it.
Note, however, that refrigerating curry paste should not take an extremely long time. Ideally, it should be for a relatively short period before you reuse the curry paste.
There should be no reason your curry paste should last months in your refrigerator, all in the name of preserving it. Besides, as times go by and the frozen curry paste begins to thaw, it may begin to lose its flavor and taste.
Difference Between Curry Powder And Curry Paste
Because curry powder and curry paste sound and are often used alike, it is often easy for people to confuse both. But then, there are differences between the two. These differences are what this segment examines. If you are one of those that have always been confusing both, then this is your time to learn the differences. If you are ready, let’s get to it!
- The first thing that marks a difference in both is their respective texture. And this is obvious in their name. Without a doubt, the curry powder’s texture is different from the texture of the curry paste. While the former has a dry and near-smooth texture, the latter has a wet and moist texture.
- When using, curry powder requires that you add water and oil to it because it is a dry ingredient. On the other hand, curry paste is not a dry ingredient. It is already a mixed concentrated ingredient. What is only required is that you dilute it when cooking.
- While curry paste emanates and is used mostly in Thai dishes, curry powder is used mostly in Indian-style dishes in the west.
- There is also a difference if you consider the heat level. While curry paste is often very hot because it is made with red, yellow, or green chilies, curry powder is less hot.
- There is also a marked difference in its availability. While curry powder is widely available, curry paste isn’t. In most cases, Asian Grocery stores are where you can easily find curry paste.
Is It Ok To Eat Expired Curry Paste?
The first thing we think about when we hear that something has gone past its expiry date is how to discard it. This is the natural thing to do, as there have been different accounts of how unsafe an expired product is. But then, is this the same for expired curry paste? Is it ok to eat curry paste even after it has expired? Let’s find out together.
Regarding curry paste, the answer is in two dimensions; yes and no. Below, we will consider what makes this possible.
First, why is it not ok to eat expired curry paste?
It isn’t ok to eat expired curry paste because the manufacturer’s expiry date signifies an important thing. And this is the timeline for the safety of the curry paste.
But then, unlike other products, this expiry date on curry paste only becomes significant to the extent that the curry paste has been opened. If, for instance, you had opened your curry paste before the expiry date and did not exhaust the content, it would be unsafe to consume it after the expiry date. If you do, it will likely give your meal a different flavor or taste, mostly resulting in what you won’t enjoy.
On the other hand, it might be possible to eat your expired curry paste. However, this will only be possible if you have not opened it. This is what makes the difference between eating expired curry paste and not eating it.
Conclusion
Great taste is what many of us will give almost everything to have. And one of the things that help us to have that great taste is curry. Above, we have explored many areas about curry powder and paste, and we believe that this would guide you when dealing with curry henceforth.
