Things we refrigerate

[tryska]

i know hotsauce always get brownish and yucky tasting if it's not refrigerated.

[tommy]

if ketchup doesn't need to be refrigerated, how does it get that off/sour taste at times. i've had some pretty bad blobs of heinz at restaurants over the years. i can't help but think this is related to the lack of refrigeration, the marrying of old bottles, and that nasty gloppy crap that builds up around the rim of the bottle.

i keep mine in the fridge and i've never felt bad about it. and i certainly don't get angry when others don't.

Edited December 12, 2003 by tommy (log)

[tryska]

i like my ketchup in the fridge too - and yeah i've had that gross ketchup before.

actually i freaked when i had my first server job and my sidework was to marry bottles - i never knew this is where restaurant ketchup came from. actually i still don't really use restaurant ketchup if it's in the glass bottles.

Edited December 12, 2003 by tryska (log)

[prasantrin]

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?

Like a butter bell (link is just an example, there are other shapes and makes, of course)?

I keep whole wheat flour in the fridge because it goes stale more quickly than I can use it.

[Alex]

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

From eGullet's Classic Cocktails Q & A:

"Vermouth, with its lower alcohol content, doesn't last indefinitely. It should last 3 to 4 months unrefrigerated (but kept cool). If you don't go through it quickly, buy it in smaller bottles and store them in the refrigerator. That should increase the shelf life by a couple of months." (JAZ)

[Mayhaw Man]

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?

Like a butter bell (link is just an example, there are other shapes and makes, of course)?

I keep whole wheat flour in the fridge because it goes stale more quickly than I can use it.

That's the thing. Thanks for the link. I believe mine came from France, but it is the same idea. Works great, the butter keeps very well and is always soft.

[Carolyn Tillie]

That's the thing. Thanks for the link. I believe mine came from France, but it is the same idea. Works great, the butter keeps very well and is always soft.

I don't keep my butter in that type of thing, just out on a plate, next to my toaster. I use a stick a week and have no problems.

[Arey]

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.

The cornichons I buy are bottled in France and the label says to refridgerate after opening, and use within a month of opening. I can see the refridgerating but why use within a month?.

[Mudpuppie]

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.

If I remember right, the bay leaf repels critters (esp. weevils), but it doesn't do anything to keep larva from hatching. So if there are any grain moth larvae in the flour you bring home from the store, the bay leaf ain't gonna help. The freezer does, though.

(I know two freezer camps: Those who maintain that 24 hours in the freezer will keep anything from hatching, and those who maintain that flour and grains must be stored in the freezer.)

Anyway, if the flour takes on moisture in the freezer, can't you just adjust the amount of liquid you add to it in a recipe?

It seems to work for me.

[Mayhaw Man]

One plus about the freezer storage is that biscuit and pie dough are turn out better when you cut the butter into cold flour

[Soup]

I bought at a huge (must be a gallon) of dill pickles from Costco. Its the Mt. Olive brand. Good pickles. Don't have the room in the Fridge. As I started thinking about making room, I started questioning why I keep certain things in the fridge and not others. As an example at my home, we keep jam, jelly, and in the fridge but not peanut butter.

So I got curious, what do you not keep in the fridge (I've heard folks say that eggs can be kept out).

BTW, Do I have to keep the pickles I bought in the fridge? I decided against it. Never did make enough room.

Soup

[Radio7]

When I was living in England, I was surprised to find that mayonnaise could be kept in a cool dark cupboard. So that's what I do.

Ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, syrups - all of these I keep in the cupboard also.

It seems to be working fine.

My mom used to keep butter in the cupboard. And bread.

That's all I can think of.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

I never refrigerate soy sauce.

[jackal10]

Cheese.

Refrigeration kills it.

Bread ditto

Eggs, Jams etc

[Chufi]

Cheese.

Refrigeration kills it.

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so do you keep all your cheese outside of the fridge, even in summer? Where do you store it?

If I kept my cheese somewhere in the kitchen (especially in summer, with the sun blazing in from 3 till sundown) all of it would walk away on it's own after a couple of days I think

[SuzySushi]

It's hot here -- all -- year -- long.

So I refrigerate (or freeze) just about everything canned, bottled, or jarred after it's opened, even peanut butter, soy sauce (the brand I use says to refrigerate after opening), and sesame oil. Whole grains get refrigerated, too. Crackers get refrigerated to keep them crisp; bread gets frozen. White rice, dry breakfast cereal, dry pasta, AP and bread flour, dry beans, olive oil, cooking oil, and Worcestershire sauce stay unrefrigerated.

[Milagai]

unless it's going to be several days and risk of rotting,

i never refrigerate:

tomatoes

mangoes

avocadoes

never refrigerate

peanut butter

milagai

[jgarner53]

PB gets refrigerated in my house because it says to on the label (it's natural, so the cold helps keep it emulsified once I've stirred it back together).

Out of the cold box:

soy sauce

ex. virgin olive oil

tomatoes

most other fresh fruit (right now it's peaches & nectarines)

butter (though that's only one stick at a time - the rest is in the freezer)

[M.X.Hassett]

Anybody use one of those cool inverted in water butter crocks I love mine.

Edit: no need to refrigerate it keeps butter at room temp with no problems.

Edited August 28, 2005 by M.X.Hassett (log)

[McAuliflower]

Anybody use one of those cool inverted in water butter crocks I love mine.

Edit: no need to refrigerate it keeps butter at room temp with no problems.

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French Butter Bell... this item always causes raging debates amoung those who make them (potters).

The water keeps the butter protected from air- and a well designed/made butter bell can keep the water and butter cool through evaporation.

jackal10, did I read you right? You don't refrigerate eggs?

I don't refrigerate beer or green onions. The green onions I treat like fresh cut flowers... they keep on growing in their water jar too.

[loiosh]

jackal10, did I read you right?  You don't refrigerate eggs?

I'll butt in and say that eggs are not refrigerated at the supermarket here (in Australia). The theory is, I'm told, that the cycling from cooler to warmer and back that occurs in the fridge causes the eggs to go off faster, and they typically don't spend more than a day or two in the shop. Most people I know refrigerate them at home, though.

[hjshorter]

This topic has come up before.

Things we refrigerate, and things we don't.

"Refrigerate after opening"

Edited August 28, 2005 by hjshorter (log)

[tryska]

i pretty much keep everything that could go off in the fridge - eggs, butter, cheese - ketchup cuz i like it cold, mayo, etc. also most vegetables and fruit - mainly because i want to suspend ripening and spoiling.

my roommate ont he other hand keeps eggs out, and all veggies - which would be fine if she actually used them as opposed to letting them sit for weeks and rot.

you'll have to forgive me - i had a rotten tomato experience just the other day. it was horrible.

[ghostrider]

PB gets refrigerated in my house because it says to on the label (it's natural, so the cold helps keep it emulsified once I've stirred it back together).

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Precisely. If your PB doesn't separate at room temp, then it's got more than peanuts in it. (Probably some form of bean gum or guano gum. Yummy stuff.)

I refrigerate my peaches after a certain amount of windowsill ripening because I buy them once a week at the greenmarket, & otherwise they'd rot towards the end of the week.

[troyml]

PB gets refrigerated in my house because it says to on the label (it's natural, so the cold helps keep it emulsified once I've stirred it back together).

←

Precisely. If your PB doesn't separate at room temp, then it's got more than peanuts in it. (Probably some form of bean gum or guano gum. Yummy stuff.)

I refrigerate my peaches after a certain amount of windowsill ripening because I buy them once a week at the greenmarket, & otherwise they'd rot towards the end of the week.

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I really doubt you mean 'guano' gum. But I'm still off to check the label on my PB!

My guess is you meant to say guar gum.