— Char Nolan

It's, uh, I, I think of, uh, food storage questions generally speaking as, um, interesting questions because there's so many variables. So let's take on this question, Char. And, um, I will respond to you with soy sauce in mind, but then, you know, also food stores more generally, it could be condiments that, that hang around longer, for example. And that is to say that, um, soy sauce can go in the fridge or at room temp. I think it really depends on what is going on in your, uh, uh, you know, in your neck of the woods in terms of the warmth of your house or the climate that you live in. Um, you know, one thing that, uh, you know, I find the soy sauce is if, if it sits out in particular at, um, um, you know, at at room temp for some extended period of time, or I should say at, uh, in a warm environment for an extended period of time, is that, uh, you know, flavors can shift a bit. And, uh, I noticed that soy sauce will also evaporate, and that will also cause a, a change in the flavor profile. And, um, so in order to, to maintain some of that freshness, um, if you happen to live in a hot, you know, humid environment, uh, do consider throwing it in the refrigerator. I don't think anything's wrong with that. I'm in a pretty cool environment here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, um, year round. It never gets particularly hot, um, and certainly not inside the house here. So, um, you know, we, uh, usually keep, uh, the soy sauce out, um, you know, in a small container, uh, easily accessible, or the, the larger backup, you know, is in the cool pantry just a few steps away. Uh, I think either, either method is gonna be fine for, um, you know, for, for a lot of people. Um, but pay attention to the, the color concentration, the, uh, the flavor intensity, uh, even the aroma, um, you know, as a product sits around for a long time. And again, this could be something other than soy sauce as well. Um, let's see. Yeah, yeah, I think that probably answers the soy sauce question here. The other, uh, in terms of where to store it, the other part of this bigger, uh, issue is one of buying the appropriate amount relative to your usage rate, um, so that you don't have food items that hang around too long and, you know, too long means something different for each food item, and probably for each person's household because of the variables that we're talking about here. Okay? Um, but if you find that this might be a concern, in other words, you know, how do I store my food? You know, these, the flavors shifting, then do consider buying the smallest pack size, smallest unit size, and just try to use, uh, that product as quickly as you can while it's in its freshest state.