Storing miso--how long does it keep?
Posted by yabbitgirl on Dec 04, 2006 · Member since Apr 2006 · 14266 posts
I bought some miso today (OK, for the first time ever the Asian grocery was totally out of tofu, and I was in a snit). It's a rather large container for one person. How long does it keep in the fridge, and can it be frozen?
Thanks friends
I hesitate to use the term "years," but I go through phases with miso and may have a container in my fridge for months and months and I have never had any issues. Also, early in my vegetarian-hood, I had a vegan mentor and I specifically remember her saying not to worry about the huge containers of miso; it would keep for ages.
That being said, if it kills you, please let me know that I've given you erroneous information. ;) and I'll throw out my contaier.
I know I mention this drink everytime I can, but here I go again.
Measure 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons nutritional yeast in the bottom of a cup. Fill with boiling water. Stir in 1 teaspoon of miso. Mix well & drink.
Very good on an upset stomach & tasty on a cold day.
Isn't there a use-by date? The containers I buy are usually good in the fridge for at least a year.
Well, if there's a use-by date on it, it's in Chinese... ;D I love you folks. Talk of a mine of info! I did some Googling and made some miso-vegetable soup...the miso I bought was pale in colour so it wasn't v. salty. So I got brave and opened that jar of fermented bean curd with rice and whole beans in it. Now THAT is salty, but not at all unpleasant! I think I'm onto something here...
This site is so much fun! Thanks, ALL vegwebbers. And thanks, Admin, for having us...
I've been wondering about this myself. When I open my container of white miso (which lacks an expiration date!), I notice a winey, almost alcoholic smell... does that mean it's gone off? I know I've kept miso MUCH longer, but this fridge is temperamental (it freezes things).
And yes, heh, this community is the bomb diggety!
I've been wondering about this too. I had a jar of white miso that expired maybe a year from the date of purchase...now does mean that it will only keep that long if left unopened? What about if it's opened?
It's all depend on how you store it.
(WARNING: No information here is really scientific. It's just my personal experience and preference. Also, I am talking about Japanese miso, so I don't know about other kinds like Mung miso, Korean bean paste etc.)
If you are storing at room tempreture, you want to use up within a month or two (or less). After the second month, it is still OK to use it (it's not gonna do any harm for you), but the color will be darkened and the flavor also changes.
If you are storing in the fridge, maybe up to three to four months.
What I recommend you the most is storing in your freezer. Miso will not be frozen even if you put in a freezer. It will still keep its soft texture. Also, the koji enzyme (enzyme in the miso) willl not die at the temperature of freezers. Even after four months, it will still keep its great color, flavor, and the texture. If you don't really care about color, it can be store up to a year, I believe (I actually did stored about a year one time :-[, but it still made a great miso soup.)
Oh, I also want to tell you a trick.
When you buy miso in a soft plastic package, put in a freezer first for several hours. This will make your life easire when you try to put the miso into your container. Cut the center of the package vertically, then cut (or tear) the upper and bottom end horizontally to open the package (like in the way you open the cupboad). Miso does not stick to the package as much as at the room temperature.
Pinkorange, Thank You! I was almost sure it could be frozen but when I asked the girl in the Chinese grocery, I discovered that she spoke almost no Spanish, tried French and English to no better effect, and I think I may have scared her just a bit. She just kept looking at me with big, scared eyes and saying "Frigorifico!" over and over. (Spanish for fridge.) I think I will stick mine in the freezer and see what happens. It's a lot less salty than I was led to believe on the Net research I did, but the fermented bean curd I have is the dark red, very salty kind so I tend to combine them.