All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Whenever I want a meal to have a bit of a kick and some added texture without any effort, I turn tochili crisp. I swirl it into creamylabnehand make it a crowd-pleasing dip, or treat it like salsa macha and drizzle it overa luscious bowl of guacamole. And who can resist the call of the spicy, crunchy sauce over aperfectly fried, lacy egg?
Although this condiment has been a staple of Chinese cuisines for centuries, its popularity Stateside has only begun to grow over the past few years. Google search interest for this tongue-tingling sauce hit a record high in the US a few weeks after the initial announcement of the COVID-19 lockdowns in March 2020. At my local grocery store, I can now choose from a widevariety of brands, including S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil, Fly By Jing, andeven one developed by Heinz. If you’ve picked up a jar or made acustomized batchrecently, you might be wondering how long it will last and how to store it. Here’s everything you need to know to keep this topping at its spicy best.
What is chili crisp?
Chili crisp is a spicy oil-based condiment that originated in China with different regional and local variations. Some of the most popular varieties that are available in the US come from the Sichuan and Guizhou provinces. They feature some kind of dried chile peppers as well as additions like garlic, ginger, shallots, scallions, sesame seeds, and sometimes nuts. All the ingredients get frizzled in hot oil, which becomes infused with their rich flavors and gives the sauce its titular crunchy texture.
In 1997, Lao Gan Ma, from producer Tao Huabi in the Guizhou province in Southern China, became the first chili crisp to hit the mass market. Huabi, whose face is depicted on the jars of this famous product, was inspired to bottle her crisp after noticing the popularity of the sauce at her noodle shop. These days this spicy condiment can be found in grocery stores varying in flavors and spice levels.
What makes chili crisp go bad?
While chili crisp rarely goes rancid or becomes inedible, James Park, the author of the upcoming book,Chili Crisp,pointed out two major factors that could jeopardize its longevity. First, the cookbook author emphasizes that prolonged exposure to air can introduce bacteria into the jar, which is why it’s highly recommended you seal it tightly, he explains. When making chili crisp at home, Park says he prefers to use “mason jars or any sort of tightly sealed jars rather than quart containers,” in order to help ensure no air gets in.
Park also noted that moisture and other unwanted stragglers from cross contamination can introduce bacteria leading to the crisp’s downfall. The best way to prevent this, he explains, is by allowing only a dry, clean spoon to enter the jar. “If it has been already used outside of scooping out a portion of chili crisp, you don’t want to use that same spoon because you don’t know what kind of other moisture or flavors will be introduced.”
Additionally, the chiles themselves may assist in fighting off intruders that lead to spoilage. According toan article published in theAmerican Scientist,spices in high concentrations may help suppress food-borne bacteria. Authors Paul W. Sherman and Samuel M. Flaxman found that chiles were particularly effective at killing off harmful microbes. The oil also plays a key role in creating a bacteria-free environment in a jar of chili crisp. Similar to how confiting was used to store and preserve meat in pre-refrigeration eras, all of the fat from the oil in chili crisp creates an anaerobic environment, preventing oxygen from spoiling the crunchy, flavorful bits.
What’s the best way to store chili crisp?
Storage directions for chili crisps vary greatly acrosspopular brands. The Momofuku Chili Crunch explicitly states to refrigerate the product after opening the jar, however, Lao Gan Ma makes no indication of where to store it. Jing Gao’s Fly By Jing jars read “Store in a cool, dry place. For best results, refrigerate after opening.”
When asked about his preferred storage method, Park enthusiastically sided with Team Refrigerate. “I always keep my chili crisp in the fridge because I think that locks the flavors and keeps the consistency longer.” And while a fresh-out-of-the-fridge crisp’s cold temperature is a perfect contrast fora piping hot bowl of congee, he recommends bringing it back up to room temperature or even heating the oil slightly to loosen it up before use and refresh the flavor.
Additionally, Park explains that the use of fresh ingredients can also dictate where a jar of chili crisp can live. The inclusion of “fresh garlic or scallions can cause botulism if it’s set at room temperature for a long time,” he warns. That’s why many companies that produce chili crisp on a large scale often opt for dehydrated or ground ingredients to minimize any risk of bacterial growth while also making their products shelf-stable.
Although storing the condiment at room temperature doesn’t pose any inherent threat of spoilage—so long as none of the ingredients were fresh—the flavor of the unrefrigerated chili crisp will more likely dull over time, according to Park. So if you want to make your favorite jar of chile-laden topping last longer, be sure to stick it in the fridge, no matter what the label says.
And if you have a jar that’s running low on the crisp but has a fair bit of oil left, Park suggests getting creative—he has played around with adding crushed-up potato chips to the remaining chili crisp oil as a fun way to finish off the jar. However, he cautions to not let these mix-ins sit in the oil for too long, as they can spoil fairly quickly.
