storing pb

Hi I was wondering do you have to store peanut buttter and other natural nut butters in the fridge after opening? I prefer it when it is soft and runny but my mum says you have to store them in the fridge.

is she right? I am tired of having to melt the peanutbutter before eating it because it takes forever. I hate it when its hard because i can't spread it easily.

thanks, liney

I don't know about other nut butters but I have never stored PB in the fridge. I like it runny too! Mine's never gone off, I should think it'd be fine

I've never stored in any nut butter in the fridge. I think it's weird when people store bread in the fridge too.

I've never had any problem, though I'm pretty daring/gross in that if something doesn't smell or taste funny, I'll assume it's ok and eat it.

yay good to know. 2 things came out of this.

1) I now get to eat runny peanut butter

2) I proved my mum wrong. thats an extra bonus for me! she always has to be right.

Natural nut butters are stored in the fridge for the same reason that milk is...they will go bad (especially peanut butter) if they're not kept cold. 

If you're using a peanut butter with preservatives (like Jiff or Skippy), or go through your supply in a week or less, it should be okay.

okay now I am confused. Some are saying it can be kept out and now I've been told it has to be kept in.

I don't eat the peanut butter with preservatives, only natural peanut butter made from 100% peanuts. If I go through a jar of natural peanut butter within two weeks or so should that be okay?

I eat only natural PB - it takes me months (sometimes like...3) to go through a jar and I store it in the cabinet. it has NEVER gone bad! Plus I have a stock of organic natural PB (I don't buy a new jar when I run out) and I keep them unrefridgerated and they're fine when I open them a year later :)

I eat natural PB, and never refrigerate it - and never had it go bad. I store it upside down, which helps keep it mixed.

edit to add: the jar does say to refrigerate, but I never have and it's never been a problem. I eat Smuckers all natural.

I bought a natural peanut butter from Whole Foods and it says right on there to refrigerate so I have. See if it says on the packaging.

i never refrigerate my natural peanut butter and sometimes i have an open jar around for 4 or 5 months and it never goes bad. I think the refrigeration isn't about the peanut butter going bad, but about keeping the oil from separating out again.

+1. I go through a jar of PB in 6 months.  I never refrigerate; it has no added preservatives; it never goes bad.

Fellow pb lover!

I am telling you right now that your natural peanut butter will NOT go bad if its not stored in the fridge.

But I would also reccomend you to store it in the fridge anyways, because I find that the natural stuff actually keeps its consistancy BETTER in the fridge! But maybe I'm crazy...

But yeah, it won't go bad.

wow so much discussion just for storing peanut butter. well it is an essential food group =D.

i'm going with all your advice for storing it in the cupboard nit i'll take the tip from amethysgirl and store it upside down.

thanks to all you guys. problem solved....  unless someone adds something to this thread.....

Can I add that I also have never stored my ketchup in the fridge? 

It seems to horrify all of my friends... but 26 years (yes, from birth) of room temp ketchup has never done me wrong!   

I HATE cold ketchup. In the cupboard it goes. Mustard too.

Peanut butter never in the fridge. Yicky! I don't keep a jar of peanuts in the fridge so why the peanut butter right?

Cheese Whiz says to refridgerate too. I don't. Never have. Then I moved in with the BF, and he'll have none of that. So now. . . COLD cheese whiz. Gross.

Just read the package.  It'll tell you if it has to go in or not.

Original Post by jenningermany:

Just read the package.  It'll tell you if it has to go in or not.

 Peanut butter, Cheese Whiz, Ketchup, Mustard, Soya Sauce, blah blah blah.... most say to refrigerate.

I don't. I'm not dead~yet.

Most jars of PB will say "refrigerate after opening".  I never have, and it has never gone bad on me.

I never used to refrigerate ketchup, but one summer I did have that go bad and I've refrigerated it ever since.

Things that are high in salt, sugar, and oil go bad only very slowly.  Same with highly acetic foods.

I refrigerate everything. I refrigerate my peanut butter and freeze peanuts that aren't going to be used soon.

I don't know if PB molds or anything obvious like that. But I do know that, whether it's only in my mind or not, when I left my peanut butter in the cupboard for a few months, it tasted different.