Hummus

Opened hummus keeps about 4–7 days refrigerated, and unopened refrigerated tubs should be used by their date.

Keep it in a sealed container in the body of the fridge rather than the door. Smooth the surface flat and pour a thin layer of olive oil over it — this excludes air, slows drying, and genuinely extends its life by a day or two.

Always serve with a clean spoon into a separate bowl. Dipping vegetables or pita straight into the tub introduces starch, moisture, and bacteria, and is the fastest way to cut the window short.

Do not leave hummus out for more than two hours.

Hummus freezes reasonably well for about 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and stir hard, with a splash of olive oil or water, since it separates.

Hummus looks like a preserved condiment and behaves like a fresh food, which is where people go wrong with it.

Its base is cooked chickpeas — a legume that is high in protein and moisture and close to neutral in pH. The tahini adds fat and the lemon juice adds some acid, but not nearly enough to bring the overall mixture below the pH 4.6 safety threshold. Garlic contributes some antimicrobial activity but not preservation. The result is a moist, protein-rich, low-acid food, which is exactly the profile that requires refrigeration and a short window.

Commercial hummus is often high-pressure processed or contains preservatives such as potassium sorbate, which is why an unopened tub outlasts a homemade batch considerably. Opening it ends that advantage.

Hummus has been subject to Listeria recalls in the US, which fits: it is a ready-to-eat refrigerated food, and Listeria grows at refrigerator temperature.

The most reliable spoilage signal is fizzing or bubbling, which means wild yeast is fermenting the chickpea sugars, and it is often accompanied by a slightly domed lid. A sour or alcoholic smell, any mold, and a watery separated layer with an off odor all mean discard.

A little liquid on the surface of fresh hummus, with no off smell, is normal separation.