peanut butter in the fridge? eww

April 11, 2007 5:31 AM

keeping peanut butter in the refrigerator...yay or nay?

i mean, who in their right mind keeps PB in the fridge? all it does is make it difficult to spread.

granted, the peanut butter i am eating is supplied by my employer and free...i resorted to confiscating and hiding a jar of PB in the cabinet, but it has been found and returned to the fridge. -'/

posted by goldism to food & drink (40 comments total)

Is this a question? Or a short rant in the form of a question?

Let's pretend this is actually a question.

I keep it in the fridge. I buy the just-peanuts kind so keeping it in the fridge keeps the oil from separating. But I like it that way.

Are you less angry now that you know that someone actaully puts peanut butter in the fridge?
posted by GuyZero at 5:38 AM on April 11, 2007

I know, it's awful.

Obtain dollop. Place on plate. Nuke for 5 seconds.
posted by By The Grace of God at 5:40 AM on April 11, 2007

If it's natural peanut butter you should keep it in the fridge because it is perishable once opened. If it's the overly processed crap like Skippy or Jif, you can keep it in the cabinet because it won't go bad.
posted by tastybrains at 5:41 AM on April 11, 2007

I cannot tell you how many arguments I've had about this with people.

I've done both in the past. I've flipped and flopped. Why? Because to me it depends on what kind of peanut butter it is an how quickly I'm eating it. This may seem rediculous, but bear with me.

If it's the natural kind of peanutbutter, meaning just ground peanuts, oil and salt that you have to stir up, I refridgerate it because it will keep better, and it's not that hard to spread cold.

If it's Skippy or Jif or whatever processed type, it spreads a lot easier warm and it's got enough chemicals in it that I'm pretty satisfied it'll keep just fine without being in the fridge. But, if I'm going through a phase where I seldome eat peanutbutter, I'll still chill it, just because I'm weird about it keeping.

I hope this helps you understand why some people will stick it in the fridge. Although, to be honest, I've lived with people who fridged way weirdere stuff.
posted by piratebowling at 5:41 AM on April 11, 2007

If you're asking if it's necessary to keep PB in the fridge, it only is if you're using the natural kind, to keep the oil from going bad. If it's Jif / Peter Pan type, then no, it's not necessary.

But yeah, the way you've worded this comes across like more of a "who's with me?" rant than a question and I'll be surprised if it's not deleted.
posted by boomchicka at 5:43 AM on April 11, 2007

yes it was a serious question...it is the processed jif kind. i can see the point of keeping natural PB in the fridge, but keeping Skippy in the fridge seems strange to me.

sorry it came across rant-like.
posted by goldism at 5:49 AM on April 11, 2007

"Natural/refrigerator" here, too. I use the hand mixer to distribute the oil evenly before refrigeration. If I remember to do it, I put the jar upside down a few days before I open it.

Keep a very tight grip on the jar when you're doing this, or you'll be cleaning up a hell of a mess. :)
posted by lysdexic at 5:57 AM on April 11, 2007

I don't like rancid peanut butter, so I keep it in the fridge. On the other hand, the Nutella says on the jar not to refrigerate it after opening, so I don't---but after a while it goes rancid too, which isn't any fun.
posted by leahwrenn at 6:04 AM on April 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

I keep it in the fridge in the summer, otherwise it develops liquid on the top, which too me is far grosser than trying a little harder to spread it.
posted by drezdn at 6:08 AM on April 11, 2007

Nutella is even worse than PB in the stiffening regard - put it in the fridge and it's completely solid. It gets as hard as butter.
posted by GuyZero at 6:08 AM on April 11, 2007

I never keep it in the fridge even if it's natural. But then, it gets eaten relatively fast.
posted by dobbs at 6:09 AM on April 11, 2007

Edible (i.e. not "natural") PB should be nowhere near a fridge. Re-confiscate and attach a note to it.
posted by DU at 6:16 AM on April 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

I found a jar of opened peanut butter in my cupboard and it had gone all watery and odd. Reckon fridge is the way forward but its a pain to spread.
posted by rey at 6:17 AM on April 11, 2007

Geez, next thing you're going to tell us is that you don't refrigerate ketchup. The horror!

Natural PB user here. I put it in the fridge so 1. I don't have to mix in the oil each time 2. It doesn't go bad.
posted by Constant Reader at 6:19 AM on April 11, 2007

Oh yeah, processed PB like Jif is actually harder to use when refrigerated. It spreads best at room temp.
posted by boomchicka at 6:31 AM on April 11, 2007

Natural pb has to be in the frig, put if you put in Jif or skippy in the frige you won't be able to spread it. Besides it takes a long time for Jif/Skippy to go bad. I have a jar of Jif that I'v had since March 2006 and it's hasn't begun to separate yet.
posted by Attackpanda at 6:45 AM on April 11, 2007

My mother used to keep it in the refrigerator and it made me nuts because it would tear up the bread. Now I see the wisdom because if I keep any peanut butter in the cupboard for a month or longer, it develops a nasty (to me at least) smell.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:49 AM on April 11, 2007

Nuts and nut oils go rancid easily.
Refrigeration slows that.
The more processed things are, the slower they go rancid. Rancid peanut butter tastes like crap.
posted by OmieWise at 7:00 AM on April 11, 2007

Laugh if you will, but for spreading inside a kong toy, chilled is better.

Otherwise, I found warm is best for bread/apples/etc, even if it's the all-natural kind.
posted by O9scar at 7:00 AM on April 11, 2007

Googling tells me about aflatoxin. I am not qualified to assess the source.
posted by pamccf at 7:22 AM on April 11, 2007

Used to do 'fridge.

Wife convinced me that it is silly (processed PB) and so I stopped.

We go through a jar of peanut butter about once a month (kids & PBJs) so rancidness will NEVER be an issue.

If I wanted a jar of PB to last, say, a year, then maybe I would change my mind.
posted by gregvr at 7:23 AM on April 11, 2007

I find that for spreading room temperature is good, but if you are just eating it straight with a spoon then chilled is the way to go. While it's a practical point that it's less likely to spill and you can heap more on the spoon when it's chilled, the fact is that I just think it tastes better that way. Then again I feel the same way about pot roast. The tasting better part, not the spilling part. That would be weird.
posted by frieze at 7:24 AM on April 11, 2007

The answer is that some people are neurotic and put everything in the fridge without thinking about it, including potatoes, tomatoes, onions, boxed dry cereal, etc.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 7:33 AM on April 11, 2007

Natural PB, on the counter; I've never had a jar go rancid in my life. It separates a little bit if it sits for a few days, but it takes about one extra stir with the knife or spoon I'm already using to fix that.

That trans-fatty sugary processed shit is fit only for mousetraps. If I thought the mouse had a chance of survival I wouldn't even use it for that. Wouldn't eat it or feed it to a loved one on a dare.
posted by bink at 7:35 AM on April 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Also, who in their right mind would bother with sugared up kiddie products like Jiff and Peter Pan?

It tastes better and spreads more smoothly. Yum.
posted by tastybrains at 7:48 AM on April 11, 2007

Natural peanut butter, keep it on the counter. It has never gone bad. (neither has my Nutella) It is way too difficult to spread after refrigerating.
posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel at 8:50 AM on April 11, 2007

and yes Nutella just never goes bad, ever, I don't know why
posted by matteo at 8:54 AM on April 11, 2007

geez , next thing you're going to tell us is that you don't refrigerate ketchup. the horror!

There is nothing worse in this world than cold ketchup. Yuck. I don't care if the bottle says "refrigerate after opening" - I've been keeping it opened in the cupboard for my whole life, and never gotten sick (That stuff NEVER goes off! I've got one in the cupboard at home right now that's been there a good 3 months, and I just had some yesterday. Yumtastic!).

I also agree - PB in the fridge is odd. And the sugared up kiddie peanut butters (Kraft Extra Smooth, with the yellow lid/label!) are, in my opinion, the yummiest. Natural peanut butter bores me.
posted by antifuse at 9:03 AM on April 11, 2007

Natural, in the cupboard, kept a jar for at least 4 months with no spoilage.

I, too, invert the next jar when I get close to finishing the current one.
posted by Four Flavors at 9:37 AM on April 11, 2007

Neither: I store it in the trash. Like bottled mayonnaise and ketchup, peanut butter's one of those products I only keep around when I have a girlfriend who requires it. I got no use for that shit.

Anyhow. The nub of your question is really "how do I stop my co-worker from putting the PB in the fridge?" The answer is to lie in wait and, when you see your coworker move the PB into the fridge, inflict repeated cranial trauma, unto death, with a durable, heavy object. Fire extinguishers should be readily available in any office setting for this. The door of the fridge is also an option.

This isn't a wisecrack. Some homicides are justifiable.
posted by solid-one-love at 9:57 AM on April 11, 2007

I do not keep it in the fridge and don't understand people who do, although they might outnumber us. I sympathize with your outrage.

(Since it's your employer supplying the free PB, no point arguing or fighting about it. If you want a suggestion, get a small plastic container, and scoop out your own peanut butter from the source jar every once in a while. Keep it anywhere you like. Problem solved and PB still free! If you don't want to pay for a container, wait till the current jar is almost empty and just grab it.)
posted by lockedroomguy at 10:35 AM on April 11, 2007

I know this isn't answering your question, but if you (or anyone else) is looking for easily spreadable natural peanut butter -- Jif (or maybe it's skippy) actually makes one. I store it in the fridge, and it stays creamy (meaning, there's no need to stir, and it's easily spreadable). I checked the ingredients, it really is all natural, so I have no idea what's going on there except that it's delicious.
posted by echo0720 at 11:59 AM on April 11, 2007

Fridge, sadly, as I don't like discovering my peanut butter's gone rancid. This is why the first PBJ after you open the jar is the Best PBJ of that jar. To ameliorate the spreading problem for cold peanut butter, I like to toast the bread and then spread the peanut butter on one tiny dab at a time.
posted by Sara Anne at 12:09 PM on April 11, 2007

The ketchup bottle does not say "refrigerate after opening." My family once had an argument about whether it was necessary to refrigerate ketchup, so we called Heinz. Verdict: refrigeration not required.
posted by decathecting at 12:26 PM on April 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

lthough, to be honest, I've lived with people who fridged way weirdere stuff.

I put everything in the refrigerator. It is my food closet. Ketchup? Yup. Peanut butter? Of course! Bananas? You bet. Canned fruit? Bread? The occasional box of Wheat Thins? Hells yeah.

Enjoying foods icy cold is the victory lap for man's defeat of nature!

Next you'll be trying to tell us that it's wrong to freeze Charleston Chews, you heretic.
posted by fishfucker at 2:55 PM on April 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

I keep the peanut only type peanut butter in the fridge, but I also take it out camping without putting it in the cooler. I don't usually spread it on bread though.

To answer the puzzle of why someone would put box cereal in the fridge, this may have been a habit developed living somewhere with large aggressive roaches.

I've seen people put their keys in the fridge at my work.
posted by yohko at 2:56 PM on April 11, 2007

Trying to control how your co-workers store pb is like trying to stop the wind. If you love your pb, get a small jar and keep it in your desk.
posted by frykitty at 6:06 PM on April 11, 2007

The ketchup bottle does not say "refrigerate after opening."

I don't have a ketchup bottle handy to check, but the last time I had this argument with a girlfriend, the bottle (Heinz, I believe this was here in Ireland but it may have been in Canada) did in fact say "Refrigerate after opening". So, at some point in fairly recent history this was, in fact the case. But this is a bit of a derail, any way :)
posted by antifuse at 1:05 AM on April 12, 2007

echo0720 writes "I know this isn't answering your question, but if you (or anyone else) is looking for easily spreadable natural peanut butter -- Jif (or maybe it's skippy) actually makes one. I store it in the fridge, and it stays creamy (meaning, there's no need to stir, and it's easily spreadable). I checked the ingredients, it really is all natural, so I have no idea what's going on there except that it's delicious."

It's homogenized like milk and then air is whipped into it.
posted by Mitheral at 3:54 PM on April 12, 2007

Just an update on the ketchup situation/derail: here in Ireland, Heinz ketchup does actually say to refrigerate after opening, and on top of that it even says to consume within 8 weeks and discard. I'm thwarting them on TWO fronts with my current 4 month old bottle of ketchup that's been sitting in the cupboard.
posted by antifuse at 3:40 AM on April 16, 2007