I really love this new Jiff TO GO Peanut Butter. In case you don’t know, they portion it off into single servings.
You see, I have a problem with refrigerated peanut butter. It’s as hard as a rock. And I practically break the knife off when I try to get it out. Yikes!
Jiff TO GO solves the problem, to be sure. But how long will they sell it? Like the proverbial jilted lover, I’ve fallen in love with products before, only to have them discontinued. Supply and demand, I guess is to blame.
So why not just keep the jar at room temperature? Yes, I know that the label always says refrigerate after opening. But do you really have to do that? See what I getting at?
Catsup is so full of vinegar, it surely keeps at room temperature, label notwithstanding. I have to keep my bread out now, because I have no room in my refrigerator (which seems odd, because I live alone). No problems or ill effects have come from that so far.
Anyways, I am using the Jiff TO GO now, as I said. So keep in mind that this is only for a purely hypothetical future scenario.
Thank you in advance for your helpful replies
EDIT: Oh, and I have seen people who do just that, i.e., keep it in their cabinets, for example. And yes, I know you can microwave it or warm it up on the table. But I hate that process even more. What can I say?
Ketchup is also full of sugar, which is a preservative. I keep PB at room temp. Yeah, it eventually gets a bit rancid and has to be tossed, but it doesn’t mold. If you eat a lot of PB, I see no problems for you to leave it out. Many types of bread also have preservatives and sugar that helps retard mold growth. For instance, I’ve never had a Thomas English muffin go moldy, even after several weeks in a baggie on the counter. Artisan breads tend to start molding after about four days sitting out.
PB & Co for a number of years now has squeeze packs to go (scroll to bottom of the page); Dark Chocolate Dreams is the shit!..& I’m not one who usually likes PB & chocolate mixed. In addition to online, they’re in my local supermarkets
When I first got together with my wife she insisted on storing PB in the fridge.
Later she had the kids on all natural organic PB. I started buying Skippy again and kept it on the counter and the kids greatly preferred it. It may have been convenience and spreadability over taste though. I actually preferred the taste and the not having to mix it was the bonus.
Me either. My parents didn’t ever refrigerate it, and I never have either. I’ve never had peanut butter go bad on me, but I don’t ever leave the jar for long with the lid open, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a single jar of peanut butter for too long. (Maybe a year at most?)
Then again, I buy stuff like Jif or Skippy. I don’t buy organic stuff.
From what I’ve read, after a few months unrefrigerated peanut butter (your standard stuff with preservatives) will start to change its flavor, but still be safe to eat. It takes a very long time to get rancid unless it is somehow contaminated. It’s possible that I’ve eaten peanut butter that isn’t “fresh” but really, I’m not a peanut butter connoisseur that’s going to know the difference. Plus, it’s usually being combined with something else so that would probably mask a slight change in flavor.
It takes me a couple of years or so to go through a jar of peanut butter, and I keep it unrefrigerated. Though, as the kind of guy who takes years to go through a jar, I’m maybe not the best authority on what tastes good in peanut butter.
We all need to clarify what kinds of peanut butter we are talking about. Simply mentioning brand names is insufficient, as some brands are made in several styles.
Most typical peanut butter contains hydrogenated oil of some sort. This stuff doesn’t separate, and as far as I’ve ever known, I don’t think it is rock hard in the fridge. (I could be wrong about that?) When I lived in a group housing place in college, there was always an Industrial-Size jar sitting out on the counter, uncovered. Apparently nobody ever died of it.
Still, I’ve always thought anything with partially hydrogenated oil is toxic poison.
Then there’s the “Natural” style PB. (I always get Adams brand, but I think some other Big Name Brands have “natural” style too.) This stuff separates, so when you buy it, all the oil is on top. You have to stir it well. And the label says it must be refrigerated. There are no preservatives. The ingredient list always shows only peanuts. Nothing else.
Once stirred and refrigerated, it remains soft and does not separate again.
ETA: Adams brand is made by Smuckers company, so you know it has to be good. As with all other brands, they make creamy and crunchy style. That’s purely a matter of preference.
Another ETA: If you fail to stir it really well, the loose oil at the top may not get mixed in all the way to the bottom. And then the stuff near the bottom, once refrigerated, really does get rock hard. You really do have to stir it well.
I’ve never refrigerated peanut butter, and I don’t remember ever seeing anything, on the label or otherwise, that says you have to.
I just now checked the couple of jars of peanut butter we have around the house, and neither label said anything about refigeration. (Although one did have a warning: “ALLERGIES: CONTAINS PEANUTS.”)
It doesn’t get rock hard, but it gets harder. If processed peanut butter gets cold, it gets a consistency closer to refrigerated butter. It won’t be breaking your knife, but it won’t spread quite as easily as it will at room temperature. It will take a bit more force to smooth it onto bread, and you risk tearing the bread when using it.
(Although I said I have never refrigerated peanut butter, I meant that I’ve never done it intentionally. I’ve done it a couple of times by accident. You know, you get a bunch of items out to prepare a meal, and you don’t pay attention when putting things back, and accidentally put something in the fridge that doesn’t go there. Maybe that’s just me.)
Okay, yes, I agree with that. When I used that kind of PB (which I don’t any more) I would just put a chunk on a slice of bread and then put the whole thing in the µwave for 15 seconds. Then it spreads more easily (but the bread also tears more easily).
The natural-style PB, once well stirred and refrigerated, has a consistency more like margarine.
I buy the “Natural” peanut butter and store it in the fridge after opening. Although it’s not rock hard when it’s cold, it’s pretty stiff and hard to spread.
I simply pop the jar in the microwave for 1 minute or so on a low power setting. Then it’s easy to spread.
Afterward, the jar goes back in the fridge.
