but I was sure 1 quart of vinegar plus the juice and fruit of 1 lemon would makes it acidic enough. It may be. The point is there is no way to know for sure without testing and since acidity doesn't remain stable on the shelf but fades over time, even if it tested safe now there is no way to know if it would still be safe when opened. And it isn't something you would cook before consuming so you lose that edge of protection too. So it is a do-at-your-own-risk recipe and only you can decide if the risk is worth it to you. I'm willing to take some risks but for me there is no way canned Worcestershire Sauce would be worth any risk even though we use a fair amount of it in our house too. Dave

Colleen I was just thinking about that recipe, and it's true that you don't taste the anchovies at all. They just heighten the flavour. Here it is: (Poached meatballs in lemon & caper sauce.) Here is a German dish which originated in Königsberg, former capital of eastern Prussia, now part of Russia and called Kaliningrad. Having a pleasant, mild flavour, these meatballs are also a low calorie dish as they are cooked in water. They're well known in most German households and are often a family favourite. Ingredients: 1/2 lb finely ground veal (225 grams) 1/2 lb finely ground lean pork (225 grams) 1 large onion - peeled and finely chopped 8 finely chopped + 2 finely chopped later for sauce (total 50 grams) 2 TBS capers finely chopped + 1 TBS whole capers later for the sauce 1 lg egg, beaten 3 slices firm crusts removed, soaked in water juice of 1/2 lemon - or juice of whole lemon if it is very small 2 bay leaves 2 whole cloves (aromatic spice cloves) 1/2 TBS oil for frying onion 2 TBS flour mixed with water salt & freshly ground pepper 1. Sauté onion gently until golden and put aside. 2. Mix the two ground meats with 8 of the chopped anchovies, 2 TBS chopped capers, beaten egg and the soaked bread which has been squeezed dry. Then mix in the cooled fried onion and some salt and pepper. 3. In a wide saucepan put 3 3/4 cups of water and add some salt, the lemon juice, bay leaves and cloves. Bring to the boil. 4. Meanwhile form large meatballs with hands and place on a plate - about 14 meatballs. If water boils, turn off until all meatballs are formed. 5. and bring it slowly back to the boil then lower heat and let simmer gently for 30 minutes. Turn meatballs once or twice during this time. 6. When cooked, remove meatballs with slotted spoon to a casserole and keep warm. Mix flour and cold water to a paste and add to the cooking water, stirring to thicken. Add the last two anchovies, chopped fine and 1 TBS whole capers. Bring to the boil and simmer 2 - 3 minutes. 7. Pour and serve with boiled potatoes and green beans. I actually had more sauce than what appears here in the photo. I kept the rest in the pot on the stove for keeping hot. Note: They turned out very well. My lemon was VERY juice and I used all the juice which was a bit too much. Go easy on the lemon juice if it is a large lemon. SharonCb

A wonderful anchovy-using side dish... Saute lots of garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Add smashed anchovies or anchovy paste & a good amount of either black pepper or red pepper flakes and lots of minced fresh parsley. Add the pasta, and squeeze a whole, juicy lemon over all and toss well. Top with good Parmesan. I don't have a fixed recipe, because all the ingredients are really to taste.

- home made Asian peanut sauce**I would probably freeze it, but I don't see why it wouldn't keep for a week or so. - canned coconut milk **coconut milk freezes quite well, but again, I'd say a week or so. - canned chipotles in adobe sauce **it's pretty easy to tell when they go bad, 'cause mold grows on them (don't ask me how I know this) but as compumom said, it's just as easy to freeze them. - bread and butter pickles - once the bottle's been opened - chicken broth **I should think a week or so, you can extend that by taking it out and boiling it every 3 days or so, but again, it freezes quite well. - canned anchovies **unless they get mold on them or something, almost indefinitely if they're the type packed in salt. - canned tomato paste **it will separate/grow mold/smell sour if it's bad, it's easy to tell...but again, freeze! - jarred roasted red peppers**mold will tell you if it's bad, otherwise maybe a couple of weeks. - frozen chicken breasts once thawed in the fridge -**this depends on the "sell by" date when you put them into the freezer. Generally, however many days were left to the sell by date is the number of days you have left once you thaw them. So, if you froze them on Friday, and the sell by date was the following Monday, you should have 3 days, assuming you used proper sanitation and thawing methods. If you thawed them on the counter instead of in the fridge, the time decreases. - cooked chicken breasts**4 or 5 days, I guess...they won't be very palatable after that whether they spoil or not. - fresh salsa of tomato, cilantro, lime juice**It will lose the fresh flavor fairly quickly, maybe a day or two, but won't really go bad for a few more days. It will smell sour when it's bad. - yogurt sauce with lime juice, honey**That should stay good for at least 4 or 5 days, maybe longer. The yogurt will separate and get watery looking when it starts to go. - fresh chimchurri sauce **You'll lose the fresh flavor well before it spoils...I'd freeze it. - home made gazpacho**oh, 5 days to a week or so. You probably won't want to eat it before it actually spoils as it will start to sour. - home made tomato soup **"Cream Of"-3 or 4 days, no cream, about a week...for either, it freezes well. - opened canned black beans**I can't say that I've ever had canned beans left over from anything, so I've never tried. But I'd imagine they'd be o.k. for a week or so. All of this assumes, naturally, that the food is taken out of the can and put into very clean, sealed containers. There are very few foods, if properly handled and refrigerated, that you won't be able to tell if they spoil by smell, sight or a small taste. And, unless you have a problem with your immune system, even if you do eat something that is slightly spoiled, you should be able to handle it. Most of the time, if someone gets food poisoning it's because food wasn't properly handled or stored, not because properly handled and stored food went bad.