Things we refrigerate

[Wilfrid]

I love the sound eggs make when you drop them. Sort of a compact "splut."

Okay, so that has nothing to do with anything. 

You go ahead and make funny noise whenever you want, Miss J.

[swissmiss]

Thank you Suzanne!

[mhadam]

Butter -- 1/2lb on the counter (except in the summer), rest in the freezer

Potatoes/onions/shallots: never, in the bottom drawer of the cabinet in the cellar

Herbs: Fridge or freezer or oven to dry (depending on when I plan on using them)

Greens: crisper

Eggs: Used to keep them on the counter, now fridge

Sodies: Cellar

Wine: Cellar

Garlic: fridge (i know, i know)

Flour/sugar: cellar on a shelf

Nuts: Bulked freezer, except for raw unsalted peanuts -- those are in a paper bag in the cupboard or peeled in a tupperware counter in the cupboard waiting to be tossed in something, or toasted almonds: ditto in the cupboard in tupperware (I go through nuts like crazy)

Tomatoes/eggplant/squashes: in baskets on the dining room table/kitchen

Bread: (2lb polish rye) -- one pound in the freezer, half a pound in the fridge, another half on the kitchen table

Bread: (bagels) -- freezer

[Suzanne F]

yup i keep a par sheet and req from the frige when i need it...j/k!

Would someone translate this chefspeak for those of us who don't speak it? Thanks.

I believe the reference is to keeping a par-stock of items (butter) outside of the refrigerator and then requisitioning items from the refrigerator to keep the par stocks filled.

Nick

Par stocks are the amounts of what you need to have on hand of any given item, at any given time, to be able to make what you need to make. A "par sheet" is the list of par stocks, duh. In some professional kitchens, the cooks may keep whatever they need for prep and service on their stations. They can't just go to the "fridge" and pull out what they need when they need it. They have to ask pretty please (requisition) from the person who controls access to the walk-in. A pain in the butt, but in a really big place (like a hotel) it's a system to keep down pilferage. Yeah right.

spqr, if you already knew this: I'm not trying to be condescending It's just that much as I love Nick, he kind of answered chefspeak with more chefspeak

My home version of this is simply to keep a list on the freezer door of what I have in the freezer, fridge, and closet. I try to keep it in chronological order, so that I know what's getting old so I'd better use it first. Before I go food shopping, I look at the list of what I HAVE and compare it against the par list in my head. Do I have enough bread (in the freezer)? Do I have enough chicken stock, or do I need to make/buy more? And so on.

[hjshorter]

(There has undoubtably been a thread covering this topic, but two searches didn't find it.)

I see this on every jar and bottle of stuff in my house. Mustard, ketchup, maple syrup, hot sauce, soy sauce...soy sauce? Does anyone refrigerate soy sauce?

I'm sure this is a CYA measure just in case someone gets food poisoning from 10 year old ketchup. What actually keeps just fine at room temperature?

[Larry]

I have never kept my soy sauce or tamari in the fridge! Then again I do go through it pretty fast. I agree that putting refrigeration requirements is just the companies covering their bases. I keep ketchup in the fridge just because I like it cold.

[AzRaeL]

i've never heard of any one refrigerating soysauce.

[prasantrin]

Does anyone refrigerate soy sauce?

My Japanese friends refrigerate their fine quality soy sauces (the small batch Y2000/litre stuff), but their everyday stuff stays in a cupboard. Someone on rec.food.cooking wrote to Kikkoman about this very topic and this was their reply.

I also refrigerate soy sauce but that's because it takes me years to finish a bottle.

[docsconz]

Does anyone refrigerate soy sauce?

My Japanese friends refrigerate their fine quality soy sauces (the small batch Y2000/litre stuff), but their everyday stuff stays in a cupboard. Someone on rec.food.cooking wrote to Kikkoman about this very topic and this was their reply.

I also refrigerate soy sauce but that's because it takes me years to finish a bottle.

Interesting answer and one that helps me rest just a little easier

[jo-mel]

This is a subject that bugs me. When and why did it all start? Refrigeration doesn't kill bacteria or stop enzyme action. It might preserve the quality of some foods longer than if at room temp, but is the label for that reason or for legal 'coverage'??

I thought that salts and sugars were preservatives in themselves -- so why the caution?

Years ago, when I first started keeping ingredients for my beloved Chinese recipes, I checked each label for storage. One particular ingredient -- "Chili Paste with Garlic" had no such caution on the label. Somehow, over the years, someone got to them and all of a sudden --- there it was on the label-----Refrigerate after opening!!

It is like that tag on pillow cases. I still have problems tearing it off because I've been conditioned to follow directions. So it is with the Chili Paste with Garlic. No one ever got sick on it when it was in my cabinet, but I almost dare NOT put it in the refrigerator. Big brother might be watching!

[KateW]

I refrigerate most things (except flour, sugar, salt, herbs and spices) but mainly because it's easier for me to find things that way. I'm only 5 feet tall and most of my cupboard space is way above my head. Of course things like rice and pasta and canned food don't get refrigerated.

[torakris]

Does anyone refrigerate soy sauce?

I just had this exact same conversation about a week ago with some of my Japanese neighbors.

A lot of people in Japan do refrigerate their soy sauce and the ones that do told me it keep the taste fresh.

I have always refrigerated my good soys, the ones I don't use very much, but my everyday soy is in the cupboard because it is in a 1.8 L bottle and I just don't have that kind of space and it is used up in about a month anyway. It seemed a lot of my neighbors feel the same as I, refrigerating only the good stuff.

I tend to refrigerate anything, just to be on the safe side.....

[TheFoodTutor]

I'm adding my 2 cents as a long-time restaurant worker, because there does happen to be a refrigeration issue with ketchup, and it's not exactly as you'd think if you're not familiar with it.

Every restaurant that serves ketchup must have a "ketchup policy" believe it or not, and it must be rigorously followed. If you keep glass bottles of ketchup and you "marry" ketchup bottles - re-fill bottles with other, partially-full bottles by draining one into another or through a "marrying" machine - you should probably keep ketchup in the refrigerator overnight, then bring them out for service the next day. This also entails going around and wiping condensation off the bottles a half-hour after they're removed from the fridge.

Or, you can use plastic squeeze bottles, which don't need to be, and can't easily be refilled.

Or, you can refill from a plastic bag dispenser on the wall, dumping ketchup once a week - possibly for use in making cocktail sauce - washing the bottles and then refilling with brand-new ketchup.

Why such detail?

Because marrying ketchup and keeping it at room temperature allows the sugars in the ketchup to ferment. Glass bottles can't expand, so occasionally bottles of ketchup literally explode on unsuspecting customers, which is, needless to say, a lawsuit waiting to happen.

So, if you have an old, glass bottle of ketchup and you're not keeping it in the refrigerator, you might want to re-think that.

Other than that, most of the condiments you mentioned don't have enough sugar to make them an issue.

[Suzanne F]

Of course things like rice and pasta and canned food don't get refrigerated.

Oh no? My M-I-L used to keep boxes of spaghetti in the fridge. Likewise crackers, cereal, tuna fish, potatoes. I think she did it -- and may still for all I know-- because she's in Florida and didn't want the bugs to get to them. Well, the buggies wouldn't get to the tuna, but maybe like some folks here she liked it already cold before making tuna salad.

[Mayhaw Man]

(I see this on every jar and bottle of stuff in my house. Mustard, ketchup, maple syrup, hot sauce, soy sauce...soy sauce? Does anyone refrigerate soy sauce?

I'm sure this is a CYA measure just in case someone gets food poisoning from 10 year old ketchup. What actually keeps just fine at room temperature?

Apparently many of you have never taken a fascinating tour of a food packaging facility (don't start with a mayo factory, trust me ). Most of the things on your list and damn near anything that "pops" when you turn, twist, fold, spindle, or mutilate the lid has been packed HOT. Just like you can at home. The theory is exactly the same and that's why they do it.

I think that things that are fairly high in acid content will "keep" for long periods. Pickles, ketchup, etc. are pretty bullet proff as far as how long they will keep, but they will change flavor pretty quickly and I think that this is where the refrigeration part comes in.

But I could always be wrong

[Maliaty]

I sometimes remember to put flour in the freezer. Otherwise, I get moths etc sprouting out. Not a good luck, but I suppose it's just another form of protein....There are a hundred and one jars of mustard, tamarind paste, jams of one sort or another, anchovies etc lurking in my fridge that I really should process through and kill off the dead!

Cheers

Maliaty

[Dave the Cook]

I'm with MM on this one, and I would include mayonnaise, despite his eerie allusion.

If you check Best Foods website (Hellman's in the East, Best in the West ), you'll find this:

Once opened, mayonnaise should be refrigerated to maintain its flavor. Storage temperature affects product quality. High temperatures will accelerate loss of fresh flavor; exposure to freezing or near-freezing temperatures can change the consistency, texture, and thickness.

So it's not a safety issue. Go ahead and leave a jar of mayo on the counter for few days. It won't poison you, but the texture might make you a little queasy.

[Pan]

Good customer service from Kikkoman!

We hope this answers your question.  We will be sending you a set of

recipe materials for your cooking enjoyment.  If we can be of further

assistance, please let us know.

[JAZ]

While I was growing up, my mother kept virtually all condiments in the cupboard, including mayonnaise (Best Foods aka Hellmans). Our family went throught things pretty quick, which may have some bearing on the case, but we never got sick from anything, at least as far as I know.

I've always had limited cupboard space and have stored many things in the fridge because of that, but I had almost all of my condiments in a box in my sister's garage for six months while I was sub-letting last year, and almost everything (soy, fish sauce, chili sauce, mustards, worchestershire, etc) survived just fine. I don't do the mayonnaise in the cupboard thing, though.

[beans]

I thought that flour in the refridge was a no-no. Moisture. I ward of bugs by frequent use and the supplementing of a lowly bay leaf, per Jacques Torres' advice.

It drives me nuts when I visit my family in Alaska. They leave butter out until it is gone (I suspect it may be margarine), jams and jellies too. But then again, they also refrigerate their tomatoes and place their potatoes and onions in the same bin. This is perhaps why I so love shopping whenever any of us arrive into the rainforest homelands and cheerfully do all of the cooking and dish washing.

I'll have to consider the good quality soy in the fridge. I usually take forever to use it all up and will toss the bottle and purchase a new one the next time I am using this ingredient.

[Anna N]

So couldn't we have two different warnings:

Refrigerate after opening or you will die!

and

Refrigerate after opening or this product will die!

that way we could make informed decisions.

[Carlovski]

I know that Ketchup makers (Well Heinz at least) took the preservative out of it several years ago - and that's when the refrigerate labels came on.

I't does infuriate me when things like Jars of pickles say things like 'refrigerate after opening, consume within 3 days' on it - Why even bother with the pickling then?, it's all about covering the companies backs, much like cooking instructions on supermarket meat.

I was comparing two lots of curry paste the other day, a supermarket one which said refrigerate and use within 2-3 days, and a Mae Ploy one (In the big plastic tub) which I have happily had in my cupboard, opened for weeks. Although to be fair, its one brave bacteria that tries to live on that stuff!

[beans]

Okay, that jogs my memory. During the undergraduate years, I worked for a few biggie law firms on the summer breaks. One of which was the insurance defense firm for one pizza maker that was packaged, frozen and sold at a fairly large distribution of grocery stores. One family questionably treated this product and ate it well beyond the use by date. Surprise, they sued as someone became ill. Litigation = [while not at all discounting legitimate claims]

I guess now I can empathise why this warning is printed on nearly every foodstuff purchased (which I tend to see is predominately condiment sorts).

[sammy]

My mother-in-law told me vermouth should be refridgerated. Is that true? I never even thought to put vermouth in the fridge.

[Mayhaw Man]

I thought that flour in the refridge was a no-no. Moisture. I ward of bugs by frequent use and the supplementing of a lowly bay leaf, per Jacques Torres' advice.

It drives me nuts when I visit my family in Alaska. They leave butter out until it is gone (I suspect it may be margarine), jams and jellies too. But then again, they also refrigerate their tomatoes and place their potatoes and onions in the same bin. This is perhaps why I so love shopping whenever any of us arrive into the rainforest homelands and cheerfully do all of the cooking and dish washing.

I'll have to consider the good quality soy in the fridge. I usually take forever to use it all up and will toss the bottle and purchase a new one the next time I am using this ingredient.

Two things,

1) All of my flour, corn meal, etc. is in the freezer. Here in the South, or anywhere warm and damp, flour and other meal left out will soon get a visit from little friends. I prefer my cake and cornbread without bugs, so into the freezer it goes.

2) I have one of those deals that is basically half a globe with a hole cut out of it that is suspended in a little water designed to perform an airlock. It is a butter container, it came from France, and it works great. The butter is always soft, and lasts a long time (at least long enough for us to go through it, and we eat a fair amount of it). Does anyone have any idea what I am talking about?