Flac 44.1 16bit level 3. Host with something that meets your needs. I have my files in jellyfin and navidrome and can then access the library remotely either through jellyfin web client, navidrome web client, substreamer, Finamp, kodi, etc. but this way if another amazing format comes up down the line I will always have my library in a good state to transcode from. Tag and sort everything with beets.io (or musicbrainz picard is great, I just like that beets is cli). This results in a library I can access on my phone, laptop, tv, carplay, etc

Technically you could go for 24bit but imo the extra file size isn’t justified. though one could make that argument for flac vs 320cbr mp3, transcoding 320 mp3 is more likely to create artifacts, thus the reason for keeping around flac

Alac may be easier for you if you use mac

Wiping with your finger introduces bacteria from your hands and is not a good idea from a food safety perspective. If you wipe the excess you should do it with a clean towel (like a disposable paper towel/napkin) or at a minimum wash your hands. It’s probably not a huge deal if the sauce is very acidic and the remainder will be used promptly but if it’s like a bottle of a condiment that may be used for weeks probably best practice to keep your grubby fingers out of there

“Uh dude, where’s my car”