Do You Put Peanut Butter in the Refrigerator?

[ket_the_jet]

This is one of the most important polls ever posted on this website, and it is a shame that it was posted far later than this website's heyday.
-wtk

[Air Power]

Sometimes: if the brand tends to separate (i.e. the oil migrates out of the mixture and floats on top), then I find that refrigerating slows this process.  Otherwise, no, peanut butter will not go bad on the shelf before I finish the jar.

[Deckhunter]

If it separates, just stir it.

[Phallen Cassidy]

I have never, before this post, heard of anyone ever under any circumstances putting peanut butter in the refrigerator. It's something I might expect out of an elderly couple, but that's just speculation. I even got up to check my peanut butter because I find it hard to believe we're having this conversation. "No refrigeration required,"it says.

[ket_the_jet]

To be clear, if your peanut butter is the way nature intended (ground up peanuts with a dash of salt and nothing else), it is supposed to be refrigerated to prevent separation. That said, the only time I put peanut butter in the fridge is when I fill up the Kong for my dog. Freezing the peanut butter inside gives her a treat that she can lick at for hours.

Traditional brands like Skippy or Jif which might have palm oil and sugars added generally do not need to be refrigerated.
-wtk

[Phallen Cassidy]

To be clear, if your [insert man-made food here] is the way nature intended (insert process) ...

You crack me up

So you put the peanut butter in the kong and then freeze it? That is an idea I can get behind, might even give that a shot next time. I will say, I had a similar reaction to the notion that Oreos should always be kept in the freezer because they are best frozen. They were, admittedly, slightly better, but not enough to make me convert. Maybe refrigerated peanut butter is the way to go... But I doubt it.

So what sparked this discussion?

[Wyrden333]

Oreos in the refrigerator?!  Oh, ok...

[ket_the_jet]

So you put the peanut butter in the kong and then freeze it?

Exactly. Fill it up, throw it in the freezer. It's always nice when you think, "I'll be gone a little longer than usual" and just give her the Kong. She could still be trying to get at the bottom of it when we get back.

The impetus for this discussion is that I normally just get regular peanuts and grind them through a food processor with a dash of Maldon Salt. And that is supposed to be refrigerated because it doesn't have all of the preservatives. But it also usually doesn't last so long that I feel like it needs to be refrigerated.

The other day I went to a grocer next to my office and grabbed a jar of "organic peanut butter" that was just peanuts and salt and the jar clearly says "keep refrigerated." And I wondered how many people really did that.

For what it is worth, I think that a person who puts bread in the refrigerator has real emotional problems. And you wouldn't believe how many people put bread in the fridge.
-wtk

[Air Power]

Bread in the fridge helps in very humid conditions, especially if you don't have AC.  Also, if you want ot have bread on-hand but don't eat it every day, so you want a loaf to stay better longer.

Or I just accept that I'm going to throw out some bread sometimes.

[Wyrden333]

Why the #$&*@! wouldn't you eat bread every day? I mean it's an essential part of food, isn't it?

[ket_the_jet]

Why the #$&*@! wouldn't you eat bread every day? I mean it's an essential part of food, isn't it?

I don't eat bread most days.
-wtk

[Air Power]

Pasta, rice, tortillas, potatoes (boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em inna stew); lots of options out there

[SudenKapala]

Here we have different brands from the ones named. I've been eating it since womb. We never put peanut butter in the fridge. Never even knew that there were brands, anywhere, that actually needed refrigeration. Good to know. One step closer to full global knowledge.

[Legion]

Reviving this as it seems relevant to the sandwich thread. And I want to.

I do not keep peanut butter in the fridge, but I know someone who does through habit from their time living in Bermuda. If it is in a cupboard, rather than the fridge, the ants will get into it.

[JamesCB]

I have never, before this post, heard of anyone ever under any circumstances putting peanut butter in the refrigerator.

Same. Although, I think organic peanut butter is supposed to refrigerated? I'm not sure.