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I refrigerate almost everything that has been opened. Not peanut butter, my kids eat it fast enough. I do keep my butter out for everyday use. Nothing worse than trying to spread hard butter on bread.I do keep onions in the fridge, they don't seem to rot as fast. I buy Vidalia's in a 5lb. bag at Sam's. Bread i will put in the fridge in the summer so it doesn't mold. I too remember leaving the turkey on the counter all day and we never got sick! We'd all walk by after dinner and grab another bite of turkey, then run outside so we wouldn't get in trouble. Then Daddy would slice it all off the carcass before we left Grandma's then we'd all take a pkg of turkey home with us.
Location: Moved to town. Miss 'my' woods and critters.
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If I have any doubts, in the refrigerator it goes. Don't know what to do with bananas tho'. Everytime I bring them home and put them on a counter, gnats appear! Now where in the world do they come from???? It is just the 2 of us now and we don't use relishes, ketchups, mustards, etc fast enough, so they are refrigerated.
What gets me, is when I was in grade school, my Mom would make lunch meat sandwiches with Miracle Whip, wrapped in Cut-Rite, then brown bagged and left on the shelf in the cloak room at school until lunch time! Never did get sick.
Peanut butter, saltines, and bread get used plenty fast for us out of the fridge. Everything else except for dried beans and such go in the fridge. Canola oil is recommended in the fridge. We often store flour in the fridge to keep weevils out of it. We can keep tomatoes on the counter too. I don't like waste and make use of the fridge. With to of us space is not problem. Safety comes first. I spent 2 weeks with an IV in my arm over food poisoning from egg salad. Never again I hope.
I know people that keep peanut butter and pancake syrup in the fridge, no clue why. cold syrup is nasty on pancakes (and who has the time to heat it in a separate dish? most bottles on the shelf aren't microwave safe) and cold PB is very hard to spread (though all natural PB in hot/humid temps does seem to spoil faster, so I keep that in the fridge until it gets cooler, but leave out at room temp for a bit before eating it). for the longest time, I didn't keep water in the fridge, b/c I developed this weird dislike of cold water (preferred slightly warmer than room temp back then, but I'm over that phase now). along similar lines, when I drink soda, I keep larger bottles out of the fridge b/c I swear it goes flat faster in there
I'll admit that I was one of those people that defrosted meat on the counter or in the sink. only reason I stopped doing that is b/c the dog(s) kept eating the raw meat off the counter! (my itty bitty Pomeranian would open the cabinets with his nose or paw and jump onto the open cabinet door and grab food from the counter that way! and my roommate's mastiff was a major counter surfer). nowadays, I set it to defrost in lukewarm water (not hot water since it almost boils the chicken) and put it in the fridge after a few minutes. probably not all that safe, but I'm alive for now!
Peanut butter, saltines, and bread get used plenty fast for us out of the fridge. Everything else except for dried beans and such go in the fridge. Canola oil is recommended in the fridge. We often store flour in the fridge to keep weevils out of it. We can keep tomatoes on the counter too. I don't like waste and make use of the fridge. With to of us space is not problem. Safety comes first. I spent 2 weeks with an IV in my arm over food poisoning from egg salad. Never again I hope.
Oils can go rancid. I keep mine (except the sesame oil) in the cabinet - but I always smell it first and if it smells questionable I throw it out. I go through my oils pretty quick though.
One time I had a lobster I steamed up and was all excited about eating - but when I started eating it I noticed this strong ammonia smell - and it was coming from the lobster!!! As hard as it was for me considering the money I spent and my anticipation for it - I threw it out. I thought this can't be good.
Then I did a search on line for something 'lobster smells like ammonia' and found out it's a good thing I did. When shell fish break down a chemical reaction occurs that causes this smell - can happen with shrimp too - so if you ever notice shrimp or lobster smelling like ammonia - don't eat it! One post I found in the search was someone who didn't eat the smelly lobster - but their spouse did - refusing to let it go to waste - and they ended up very sick and in the hospital!
i did not know this..... honestly.... this is something I never knew and I am so glad I read this.... I hardly ever use oil. I try and cook very low fat. If I cook with meat I only use the oil from that and add a bit of water for moisture.... I have oil sitting around for a very long time..... THANK YOU for that information..... The only thing I do use is EVOO for veg if needed and hardly any- it lasts me AGES.... how long does oil last? Oh, now I am nervous...... I swear i have Canola for baking (which most of you know I don't do) that I haven't touched in God Knows How Long....probably should ditch it huh?
OH..... just checked.... it expires THIS MONTH.... how creepy is THAT????!!!!!!!
I keep most condiments in the fridge. After Hurricane Ike we had to empty the fridge. The only thing that didn't go in the trash was the mustard. (My grandma never put mustard in the fridge, it was always in her spice drawer) No one got sick and we are still using it. Pancake syrup isn't in the fridge anymore either. Everything else like ketchup stays in .
I keep the peanut butter -- I use organic just-peanuts stuff -- in the fridge in the summer because it stays mixed up better. In the winter, it's fine in the pantry, which is in an unheated mudroom just outside the kitchen door.
For everyone that tosses breads in the fridge -- try a bread tin or bread box. There was a reason every kitchen used to have one: They work!
skbs, don't worry about oil going rancid. It takes quite awhile, and you'll know it when it happens. P-U!
i did not know this..... honestly.... this is something I never knew and I am so glad I read this.... I hardly ever use oil. I try and cook very low fat. If I cook with meat I only use the oil from that and add a bit of water for moisture.... I have oil sitting around for a very long time..... THANK YOU for that information..... The only thing I do use is EVOO for veg if needed and hardly any- it lasts me AGES.... how long does oil last? Oh, now I am nervous...... I swear i have Canola for baking (which most of you know I don't do) that I haven't touched in God Knows How Long....probably should ditch it huh?
OH..... just checked.... it expires THIS MONTH.... how creepy is THAT????!!!!!!!
Whether refined or not, all oils are sensitive to heat, light and exposure to oxygen. Rancid oil has an unpleasant aroma and acrid taste, and its nutrient value is greatly diminished. To delay the development of rancid oil, a blanket of an inert gas, usually nitrogen, is applied to the vapor space in the storage container immediately after production. This is referred to as tank blanketing.
It is best to store all oils in the refrigerator or a cool, dry place. Oils may thicken, but if you let them stand at room temperature they will soon return to liquid. To prevent negative effects of heat and light, take oils out of cold storage just long enough to use them. Refined oils high in monounsaturated fats keep up to a year (olive oil will keep up to a few years), while those high in polyunsaturated fats keep about six months. Extra-virgin and virgin olive oils keep at least 9 months after opening. Other monounsaturated oils keep well up to a high eight months; unrefined polyunsaturated oils only about half as long.
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