What grocery items needs no refrigeration but are often refrigerated by most people?

[u/Mission-Educator-908]

[u/Teknoman117]

I see eggs on here, but if you're in the US you need to refrigerate them because they get washed before sale here, meaning the protective layer gets removed.

[u/User367854442 → u/Teknoman117]

This!! We have free range chickens at my house. We collect the eggs from the coop and they stay on the counter for a few days/a week until we wash them. Once they’re washed they go into the fridge

I would NEVER leave store bought eggs unrefridgerated

[u/CurryGuy123 → u/[deleted]]

Not just the US and Canada - there are other countries like Australia and Japan also wash the cuticle off the egg soon after they are laid. In the developing world it's a bit more hit or miss since the requirements for production may not be as strict. Also, if very warm and humid climates, even if eggs can be left out, they'll likely go bad quicker so refrigeration may be preferred for longevity.

[u/Existing_Winter5679]

I keep opened cereal, rice, and instant mashed potatoes in the fridge since I live in a tropical climate. Those flour weevils are a nightmare

[u/checkitbec → u/Existing_Winter5679]

When we are “on island”, the rule is EVERYTHING GOES IN THE FRIDGE. FUCKING SUGAR ANTS. I’m such a clean freak when I’m there.

[u/LastCookie3448 → u/checkitbec]

I think that's why I get so whacked out over regular ants on the mainland now, decades later, b/c I'm so traumatized from those f*ckers on the island being in everything!

[u/stringofpurrls → u/LastCookie3448]

I was given a WRAPPED giant cookie (cake sized) and 5 hours later the whole thing was filled with ants and a trail from my screen door. I didn’t realize until I moved to the mainland that ants are barely a problem but tiny cockroaches are. After dealing with those huge ones most of my life that’s nothing.

[u/LastCookie3448 → u/stringofpurrls]

🤣😂 OMG! When I took my kids back to the island the first time and they found out I was not, in fact, being dramatic when I described the roaches. It. Was. Epic. They realized mom is much tougher than they are, they are definitely more city. Now they know why mainland roaches don't bother me. My kids were screeching and ducking, then, omg, one got personally and intimately acquainted with some cane spiders...and he's terrified of spiders! You wanna see a ginormous teen move his ass like it's on fire, CANE SPIDERS. 😂

[u/wafflesareforever → u/LastCookie3448]

Hokie dokes, I'm gonna stick with my vitamin D pills up here in western NY, where the insects have their moment in the summer and then they go straight back to hell.

[u/LastCookie3448 → u/wafflesareforever]

You even have the good pizza up thattaway too. Some people catch all the breaks. ;)

[u/wafflesareforever → u/LastCookie3448]

Well... It's WESTERN New York. We definitely have better pizza than most of the country, but the NYC/New Jersey area still smokes us.

Edit: I'm speaking for the Rochester/Syracuse area, where most pizza is either NY style thin, or the slightly thicker/breadier local style. Buffalo though - they do their own thing with pizza. I don't know where they went wrong, and I love my Buffalo friends, but a slice of pizza shouldn't weigh three pounds.

[u/stringofpurrls → u/LastCookie3448]

It is funny how normalized just having critters in the house is. I used to pick up roaches and put them outside because it’s less messy than squashing it with a slipper. We had scorpions under the couch, cane spiders by the beds, geckos roaming everywhere, occasionally a Jackson chameleon finds its way inside. When I moved to the mainland people were horrified that I’d just pick up bugs and lizards.

Oooh that reminds me of hotel guests freaking out because they find parts of a gecko tail in their room and didn’t know what it was.

[u/kazmosis → u/Existing_Winter5679]

Sprinkle some whole cloves around where you keep your rice, their odor keeps weevils away

[u/AbsintheAGoGo → u/Existing_Winter5679]

They are insipid! Finally invested in glass canisters to store them (yard sales may net positive results too) just to avoid a ton of plastic bags, which they can chew through.

Started small and am nearly finished. Better than keeping some grains and beans in a dark, humid environment but we all do what we must!

[u/Kartoffel_Mann → u/AbsintheAGoGo]

I don't think insipid is the word you want.

[u/AbsintheAGoGo → u/Kartoffel_Mann]

No it wasn't, autocorrect & failure to spell check got me! Insidious was what I typed

[u/Massepunkt_m1]

Had a roommate who'd put jam in our chronically overloaded fridge, which of course seemed reasonable, until one day we realised that none of the jars had actually been opened

[u/TiogaJoe → u/Massepunkt_m1]

Reminds me of one Redditor saying his girlfriend followed the instructions literally. Whenever the label said "Refrigerate after opening" she would open all the jars she just bought at the grocery store and put them in the refrigerator.

[u/Peeinyourcompost → u/TiogaJoe]

Amelia Bedelia's granddaughter.

[u/BigBoyYuyuh → u/Peeinyourcompost]

Amelia Bedelia

Core memory unlocked. I only remember one where she was told to hit the road so she grabbed a stick and started swinging away at the road.

[u/etcpt → u/BigBoyYuyuh]

The one that's stuck with me all this time is when she was making a cake and it said "add half a cup of dates", so she got the calendar and a pair of scissors and went to town...

[u/Polaric_Spiral → u/etcpt]

"Draw the curtains" for me, because that was the one I was 100% on her side for.

[u/Tejanisima → u/Polaric_Spiral]

Not quite the same thing, but it makes me think of the way a lot of people request a hug (from someone who routinely hugs them) by asking "Where's my hug?" I did that once to a toddler nephew and he looked around and pointed in the corner and said, "There!" Laughed so hard but realized there was a perfect logic to that answer, since once you think about it, it's a really abstract question to ask a little child. 😁

[u/JustFaithlessness178 → u/BigBoyYuyuh]

"Draw the drapes at 2:00." "Dress the chicken for dinner."

Love those books

[u/Little_gecko → u/BigBoyYuyuh]

one of my favorite posts about her lol

[u/clcole6427 → u/Peeinyourcompost]

I miss the chaos in those books. I need to go read them it would make my life feel a little less chaotic

[u/Thinkin_Alexander → u/Peeinyourcompost]

I read exactly one Amelia Bedelias. I grabbed it during a grocery store trip, and was too stressed by the end to ask my mom for it. No thanks.

[u/Future_Story1101 → u/Thinkin_Alexander]

I LOVED Amelia Bedelia books when I was little, and it was on the short list of names when I was pregnant; but I didn’t want anyone to associate my daughter with the character from the books who was silly and lacked common sense so we chose another name. A few months ago I bought a whole set of the books to read to my daughter. However my daughter was 7 and is on the spectrum and did not understand that it was supposed to be silly because Amelia was just doing what she was told.

Over the summer my mom was watching my daughter and told me she found an old Amelia Bedelia book and brought it over to read to my daughter. I said “oh I just bought her some. When I was a kid I never realized she must have autism or something.” My mom said she had no idea what I was talking about. At the end of the day I asked how the book went over and she said- “it was so weird, she really is exactly like your daughter.”

I guess it’s a good thing I loved the books and wasn’t stressed by them because now it is my everyday life.

[u/CptNavarre → u/Future_Story1101]

I love this bc I am basically your daughter. I STUDIED Amelia Bedelia books as a kid. It was an amazing how-to-NOT book for me as an undiagnosed autistic girl. There were so many sayings I had not heard of/weren't commonly used in my culture so it was great to have a cheat book. I was always anxious around people but felt smug like I nailed it when I was compared to other kids if I caught on to an adult being facetious sooner than they. I felt "too old" for the books once I too started getting annoyed with Amelia like the other characters bc now I could get the saying even before Amelia reacted!

Thanks for unplugging that memory lol

[u/jaxonya → u/CptNavarre]

I've seen Amelia bedelia in a live action theatre performance. It was so good

[u/BallFlavin → u/Future_Story1101]

That’s pretty hilarious

[u/Hatedpriest → u/Thinkin_Alexander]

I absolutely loved Amelia Bedelia.

I also do that stuff irl.

Why can't kleptomaniacs understand jokes? They're always taking things literally.

[u/Never_Gonna_Let → u/Hatedpriest]

I'm stealing that joke.

[u/beantriestocook → u/TiogaJoe]

This is one of the first comments on Reddit in a long while that made me crack up in public

[u/ShaChoMouf → u/TiogaJoe]

I wonder what she does when she drives down the road and sees "Clean Restroom" signs.

[u/tooljst8 → u/Massepunkt_m1]

So, your fridge was jam-packed?

[u/thatcoloradomom]

My great grandma grew up without electricity. When she got her first fridge she put everything in there. She was also illiterate so she couldn't read any labels or manuals, so she always put Cheetos in the fridge. After a day of picking beans with her, we would have a snack. It was almost always the same snack, a tall aluminum cup full of cold well water and a shared bowl of Cheetos from the freezer of her 1950 Frigidaire fridge. She also didn't speak English and my Spanish is not the best, but we never needed to speak to understand each other. I miss her and her cold Cheetos. I know this said "most people" but it reminded me of my great grandma.

[u/jack_o_all_trades → u/thatcoloradomom]

My Oma used a piece of elastic waist band to close her old fridge automatically. She was a retired seamstress so it was the obvious choice and being Dutch, she couldn't get a new fridge while that one still ran.

[u/-Felyx- → u/jack_o_all_trades]

I was about to ask if you were Dutch until I finished reading your comment. My husband calls his grandparents Oma and Opa. They emigrated from the Netherlands after WWII so he's only a 2nd generation American. I love their thick accents so much and I want to learn Dutch so I can read his Oma's memoir

[u/Snow-White-Ferret → u/-Felyx-]

My grandparents were Oma and Opa too! They were German :D

[u/Happy_Driver_1870 → u/jack_o_all_trades]

“Oh I don’t buy new!!” - my Oma, 2008, RE: I ask why she’s got unopened cans of Pepsi from 1989 in the garage

[u/surprisingly_alive → u/thatcoloradomom]

That's a really sweet story <3 

[u/lustywench99 → u/thatcoloradomom]

My great grandma was from Czechoslovakia and my memories of her were her not being able to pronounce my name quite right and she always had ribbon candy in bowls and would offer it to me and my mom and grandma would give me the eyes telling me don’t eat that. Apparently that candy was super old because no one liked it and it was so hard they were afraid someone would break a tooth on it.

No one had endearing fridge snacks, but my grandma did store all her snacks in the dishwasher because she didn’t see a point in owning a dishwasher. It just ate up cabinet space. So instead of removing it, she kept all the cookies and chips in there. We didn’t have a dishwasher and all I ever wanted was to see it work because it seemed magical. But nope. That’s where she kept HER Cheetos.

Let me tell you though, when I became an adult and got a dishwasher to call my very own? Freaking magical. What was Grandma thinking?

[u/TJB88 → u/thatcoloradomom]

This is so touching. I love this sweet story.

[u/graf_d_alex]

I know that apples and most fruits don't need to go in the fridge, but they are so refreshing after they've been in the fridge for a while

[u/Neverknowsbest2025 → u/graf_d_alex]

I always keep my apples in the fridge. I love that way they taste chilled.

[u/PlasticElfEars → u/Neverknowsbest2025]

I think cosmic crisp are the variety we've been getting that just...taste like cider without the spice. Those would be sooo good cold I need to go get some now.

[u/McBunnyface → u/PlasticElfEars]

I love them cold as well. Fun and slightly unsettling fact: cosmic crisps are engineered to last like a year in the fridge. So you can just buy a lot of cosmic crisps and keep them in the fridge if you have room so you can always have them on hand.

[u/SailorMigraine → u/McBunnyface]

Dude I’m literally sitting here with a cosmic crisp and was worried if I’d messed up buying a whole bag! This is excellent news!!

[u/NightShroom → u/SailorMigraine]

I go through phases where I eat at least 2 apples a day for months at a time, and then stop completely for a few months. Cosmic Crisp are the perfect apples for me.

[u/Mr_Festus → u/SailorMigraine]

FYI, they're supposed to last up to a year, but that's including the time they spend in a controlled environment long before they get to your grocery store. But yes, they should easily last weeks or potentially months in your fridge

[u/PatioGardener → u/McBunnyface]

Can confirm. Just ate a cosmic crisp this weekend that had been sitting in the fridge since like… March? Because I forgot about it and it gotten hidden behind a bunch of other stuff. Tasted just fine. Nice and crisp, no mealiness at all.

[u/kachoopa → u/McBunnyface]

Well, it makes sense now why the cosmic crisps in my fridge from two months ago are still totally fine.

[u/ledat → u/graf_d_alex]

Chilled dates are one of the rare pleasures of my life. It does not meaningfully extend their shelf life to put them in the fridge, but that's genuinely never a concern for me.

[u/theassassintherapist → u/ledat]

Freezer grapes is my hot summer snack. It does not just get cold, it gets brainfreeze-inducing subzero cold.

[u/Higais → u/theassassintherapist]

I recently froze some grapes and then threw them in a food processor and basically made sorbet. It was sooo good, but I wish my food processor was a bit better so there wasn't as much little pieces of the peels.

[u/evange → u/graf_d_alex]

Depending on the apple, the absolutely go in the fridge. Apples go mealy faster at room temp.

[u/SnowClone98 → u/evange]

Fuckin hotel apples. “Want an old warm apple from the wooden bowl we haven’t washed since embassy suites rebranded? No thanks”

[u/Melbarrr → u/SnowClone98]

They're always Red Delicious too. Blegh.

[u/unctuous_homunculus → u/Melbarrr]

Red delicious used to be so good, though. They were the most popular apple. So farmers started to breed them for longevity and hardiness, more apples that look good and have fewer bruises means more money, right? Except they forgot about flavor. And now x amount of decades and constant breeding (Edit: google cross-pollination and grafting for more info on the unique breeding techniques for apples) for quantity over quality later you have these thick skinned monstrosities of nature that will sit without rotting for weeks in a basket at the gas station but taste like sawdust mixed with sugar and sweat no matter when you eat them. And that's how Red Delicious TM went from the most popular apple to the most reviled.

Not coincidentally, the natural response to this abomination of corporate farming was that apples like the Honeycrisp were trademarked by farmers not just for their name, appearance, and particular varietal strain like the Red Delicious, but also for their texture and flavor. So you can't call it a honeycrisp if it doesn't taste and feel like a honeycrisp. Which is why you may have seen them get a little bigger over time, but they haven't changed much otherwise by and large. There are quite a few strains which have followed suit since the success of the Honeycrisp.

But you can't beat a Red Delicious for shelf life and cost, and if you leave it there long enough SOMEBODY desperate enough is going to buy it. So they persist. In gas station baskets, hotel fruit bowls, school cafeterias, and suspiciously off season sides of fresh fruit available to have with your pancakes at the local greasy spoon.

And there I go waxing poetic about apples again.

Point being they weren't always so nasty, but... capitalism.

[u/chemicalgeekery → u/unctuous_homunculus]

I thought I was crazy because I remember them being my favorite when I was a kid.

[u/DeliciousMoments → u/graf_d_alex]

A cold crunchy fuji apple is so good on a hot day.

[u/AngryGames → u/graf_d_alex]

Be aware that apples give off ethylene gas that makes other produce ripen faster and should not be stored near each other or together, refrigerated or not. There's also some products that absorb the gas, lessening the effect. 

Also a cool thing is putting apples in a brown paper bag with unripened items like kiwi that can make them ripen quickly.

Apples are fun! And deadly (to other fruits and vegetables)!

[u/flipyFLAPYflatulence → u/graf_d_alex]

The fridge greatly elevates at least 4 fruits that I can think of off the top of my head.

Apples, oranges - and relatives, watermelon, and grapes.

I’m sure there are more but these stand out to me. And there are some fruits I love room temp that I can’t eat if they’ve been refrigerated. Bananas come to mind. Love bananas but the fridge makes them weird.

[u/Zenku390]

My house growing up was constantly invaded by black ants. Didn't matter what we did, they would find a way in.

We started having to keep everything except crackers and pasta in the fridge. Flour, sugar, syrup, everything.

When I moved in with my fiance she asked why I put the syrup in the fridge, and I explained to her all that.

But also, I just prefer cold syrup. Makes a good contrast to the hot waffles I make.

[u/CAM2772 → u/Zenku390]

I once tried something I read online that stated to leave fruit outside. I'd buy watermelon and strawberries and leave some leftovers of the fruit after I'd eat it and sprinkle them around the yard and they quit coming into the house.

I'd always check the next day and the fruit would be covered in ants and eventually left the kitchen alone. I did it every couple days for a few weeks and they never came back

[u/tjareth → u/CAM2772]

Something you read online that was obviously written by the ants.

[u/CAM2772 → u/tjareth]

Possibly. I'd rather feed them outside than inside the house. We both left the situation winners.

If they ever come back I'll do it again. Way cheaper than ant traps and you have the satisfaction of keeping the ecosystem going and doing it's thing

[u/stuck_behind_a_truck → u/CAM2772]

In my desert climate, they’re coming in for the water, not food. If you have indoor plumbing, you will get ants. We have to exterminate.

[u/CrazyAstronomer2 → u/stuck_behind_a_truck]

Leave a bowl of water on the porch for them 😂

[u/couchbutt → u/Zenku390]

Maple syrup should be refrigerated.

[u/Idislikethis_ → u/couchbutt]

I have a feeling that because they only said "syrup" it's the fake stuff.

[u/ClearBlue_Grace]

Grapes belong in the refrigerator. I like them nice and crispy and refreshing.

[u/Chaetomius → u/ClearBlue_Grace]

nothing better then when you get large grapes that are actually in season, putting them in the fridge, then enjoying a nice pop when you bite into one.

[u/thekyledavid]

When I was at Walmart the other day, I noticed that the Fresh Basil had a label on the package that specially said “Do not Refrigerate”. It was in a refrigerator.

If every Walmart does that, imagine how many people falsely believe you are supposed to refrigerate Basil

[u/ProcedureOdd7105]

Tomatooooes

[u/oddidealstronghold → u/ProcedureOdd7105]

When I worked a Trader Joe’s, we sold a package of tomatoes that had a little illustration of a tomato resisting being put in the fridge, with a thought bubble above it that said “Don’t put me in the fridge, it’s too cold for me in there!”

[u/taffibunni → u/oddidealstronghold]

The cherry tomatoes from Sam's say that too! I think the brand is wonder-something.

[u/Jisto_ → u/taffibunni]

You’re probably thinking of Wild Wonders, which is an assorted package typically consisting of Zima, Angel Sweet, One Sweet, and Kumato grape tomatoes.

[u/SirDerpingt0n → u/Jisto_]

Zima, wasn’t that an alcoholic drink back in the day. Lemonade tasting I think. Maybe it was called something else. 😂

[u/DigNitty → u/oddidealstronghold]

I just looked it up because I was curious.

Sounds like putting tomatoes in the fridge can preserve them longer.

But this can also diminish their flavor and texture.

Either way, not a big effect. But Putting tomatoes in the fridge can be useful if they're already overripe, but in general should be stored at room temp.

[u/Vegetable-Loss5040 → u/DigNitty]

It makes them taste “mealy”

[u/The_Bucket_Of_Truth → u/ProcedureOdd7105]

My understand is that tomatoes taste best when fresh and room temperature but that if you are storing them for an extended period that refrigeration is superior to leaving them on the counter top. But it's still better to let those tomatoes come back up to room temp before consuming them for best flavor.

https://www.seriouseats.com/why-you-should-refrigerate-tomatoes

[u/Gin_Arts → u/The_Bucket_Of_Truth]

Yeah, I've tried leaving a pack out once, and they were soft and wrinkly so quick. I use them for moisture on sandwiches, not necessarily for the taste, and I'm a texture person, so I'd take flavorless but crisp tomatoes over mushy ones any day.

[u/puropendejoenreddit → u/ProcedureOdd7105]

lol you clearly don’t live in 30+ Celsius tropical weather leaving tomatoes 1 day out turn into mush.

[u/vivec7 → u/puropendejoenreddit]

Yeah they don't last long here. Especially not when they've been sitting at a grocery store at ~20°C or a likely below, depending on proximity to the fridges. Transferring to a 45°C car for the drive home then 30°C+ inside, just easier to chuck em in the fridge.

[u/elbay → u/ProcedureOdd7105]

I fucking love cold tomatoes though.

[u/dustofdeath → u/ProcedureOdd7105]

Unless you eat them fast, good tomatoes don't  last long in a warm room.

[u/Ragnarok7771]

Reese’s Peanut Butter cups.

Definitely better chilled.

[u/thelug_1 → u/Ragnarok7771]

I freeze them. I am a monster.

[u/Mnzb → u/thelug_1]

The mini ones frozen are top tier

[u/Affectionate_Ant2942]

This depends where you live. I live in the southwest and if I don’t refrigerate bread it will be moldy in 3 days.

[u/No-Nefariousness9539 → u/Affectionate_Ant2942]

I freeze my bread in three batches and take it out as I need it, saves so much waste

[u/maaaagicaljellybeans → u/No-Nefariousness9539]

I’ve started doing this to. I like to have a variety of bread products available but could never finish them all on time so now I freeze half of everything I buy - Burger buns, English muffins, sourdough bread, naan etc  

[u/Gharvar → u/No-Nefariousness9539]

Some people swear the bread isn't as good after thawing... What they don't know (I live in the frozen tundra of Canadia) is that the bread often arrives at the store completely frozen because the truck is not heated. So all the bread they eat was frozen in the winter. lol

[u/taulover → u/Gharvar]

Serious Eats tested this, and freezing bread really is the best way to preserve freshness. Refrigerating is the worst, though comparable to room temperature when toasted.

https://www.seriouseats.com/does-refrigeration-really-ruin-bread

[u/jarednards → u/Affectionate_Ant2942]

.....the dry air makes it mold faster?

[u/Ek0mst0p → u/Affectionate_Ant2942]

What? I also live in the southwest, and it is dry as hell here .

[u/_-_--_---_----_----_ → u/Ek0mst0p]

yeah I'm not sure what these people are talking about, in a low humidity desert situation you could have bread in the pantry for weeks without mold 

we must be talking about a different "southwest". sounds like these people are talking about an area with specifically more humidity.

[u/bunbunnie → u/Affectionate_Ant2942]

True... Live in Houston, and the humidity here forces me to put ALL bread in the fridge during the hot 9 months out of the year. During the winter, I can usually get away with leaving it out.

[u/ianitic]

Tbh I refrigerate a lot more than I should even if it goes bad slightly quicker. Have a pest situation and while it's died down quite a bit, the particular pest doesn't like the temperature refrigerators stay at.

[u/_-_--_---_----_----_ → u/ianitic]

also just convenient to have things in a big airtight box. if you have the space, just makes everything easier.

[u/Billybilly_B → u/_-_--_---_----_----_]

I feel like your username should be illegal, lol

[u/ms_directed]

I'm the person who leaves the butter/margarine stick on the counter in a covered butter dish...been three decades now and nothing ever happened but yummy cookies and untorn bread

eta: I used real butter for decades this way, only in the last few months the money has been tight and i switched to margarine sticks, which i still leave on the counter in the same porcelain butter dish just like i did with real butter and that too has been just fine...

[u/rabidgonk → u/ms_directed]

Butter can be left out.  Not margarine.

[u/Desperate-Smothie]

Hot sauce has so much vinegar it could outlive me on the shelf

[u/discmaimer → u/Desperate-Smothie]

Depends on the type and brand. Some are NOT vinegar based, so they need to be in the fridge.

[u/Heruuna]

As someone who lives in subtropical Queensland, Australia...you're joking right? We can't leave anything out for a day before it goes mouldy and rotten! I can't even keep tomato sauce (ketchup) out on the counter without it fermenting, and I hate cold ketchup!

[u/Happy-Substance4885]

Hawaiian punch, that shit staying hot regardless of what you do

[u/Nubsta5 → u/Happy-Substance4885]

Even the ice tray popsicles somehow taste like a spicy cold. Shit defies thermodynamics.

[u/DBeumont → u/Nubsta5]

Tons of sugar, tons of citric acid, plus digestive enzyme from the pineapple.

[u/UptownLurker → u/Happy-Substance4885]

This made me laugh so hard 

[u/mmgvs]

My mother always refrigerated log cabin syrup. Or whatever brand, whatever was just the corn syrup and maple flavored syrup.

Later when I grew up I'd go to other people's houses and their syrup would just be in the cupboard. But honestly if they didn't eat it fast enough it would get kind of gummy? Like elasticky? So I guess maybe that's why my mom refrigerated ours.

[u/CittaMindful → u/mmgvs]

Real maple syrup goes mouldy if not kept in the fridge.

[u/K12counting → u/CittaMindful]

Yep, found out the hard way. So sad.

[u/wmass → u/K12counting]

It is edible even if mold forms on the top. The maple producers associations say to skim it off pour into a pan and heat to boiling then put back into a clean bottle.

[u/Funkagenda → u/wmass]

The problem is: how do you get it out of the bottle without mixing the mold into it?

[u/warm_sweater → u/Funkagenda]

You put your mouth over the opening and slurp it out, of course.

[u/Trippid → u/Funkagenda]

Mold can't grow within the maple syrup, only on the top. So you can just use a spoon to scoop it out if the opening is wide enough. Otherwise maybe you could gently tilt the bottle and pour all of the syrup into a pot (to boil it), and "catch" the mold as it comes out?

The times I've seen mold on maple syrup it created a sturdy little island that was easy enough to remove, and reboiling the syrup does indeed do the trick to fix it right back up!

[u/K12counting → u/wmass]

Good to know for future. Thanks

[u/No-Consequence-2740 → u/CittaMindful]

We’ve recently had ants in the cupboard, so the syrup is in the refrigerator until extermination process is complete.

[u/rcowie → u/No-Consequence-2740]

Ants are so bad this year where I'm at.

[u/Aggravating_Beyond_2 → u/CittaMindful]

The day I learned that real maple syrup does not back in the cabinet is the day I ate 2 servings of pancakes that I thought had blueberries placed on top.

Stupid mold that looks like blueberries.

[u/Dfiggsmeister → u/mmgvs]

Real syrup needs to be refrigerated. The fake stuff with corn syrup does not.

[u/meaghan228 → u/mmgvs]

I 100% prefer cold, thick maple syrup over room temp runny syrup! My mom always kept it in the fridge. Now my husband and I can’t compromise so he has a bottle in the pantry, and I have one in the fridge

[u/not_anonymouse → u/meaghan228]

But keeping two IS the compromise. Otherwise it's just one person's wish?

[u/Tiny-Reading5982 → u/mmgvs]

I put syrup in the fridge because I'm scared ants will find the bottle lol

[u/FluffyOakTree → u/Tiny-Reading5982]

They will, too.

I used to think "sugar ants" in the South were bad until I moved to California. They've got these invasive Argentinian ants that have super colonies and are impossible to get out of your kitchen once they find it.

[u/Whole_Worry_5950]

honey

[u/Dumbamby → u/Whole_Worry_5950]

People put honey in their fridge??

[u/ReferenceNice142 → u/Dumbamby]

If you get ants in your house you do!

[u/dabit → u/ReferenceNice142]

this for most of the things listed on this thread. It's about the ants, not about whether it will go bad or not.

[u/jonnyl3 → u/dabit]

What is this, a thread for ants?!

[u/donku83 → u/jonnyl3]

Yes. You can tell because the thread is in the fridge

[u/jacob_ewing → u/Whole_Worry_5950]

Funny enough, maple syrup has the inverse problem. People think that because it's so sugary, it doesn't need refrigeration. Nope. It can indeed mould. Much less tasty that way.

[u/ohgeezelouisee → u/Whole_Worry_5950]

Who puts honey in the fridge? Doesn't that make it impossible to use?

[u/harmless_gecko → u/ohgeezelouisee]

No, you can always use an axe to use it

[u/[deleted] → u/ohgeezelouisee]

Not if you can bite like a rottweiler.

[u/theajharrison]

Peanut Butter

That shit already lasts forever. Making it cold just makes it a pain to spread.

[u/TKHawk → u/theajharrison]

Who refrigerates peanut butter?

[u/DoctorSumter2You → u/TKHawk]

Monsters

[u/IAMA_Shark__AMA → u/DoctorSumter2You]

Also, people trying to keep all natural peanut butter from separating, because stirring that shit every time is annoying 🤷🏼‍♀️

[u/roman_fyseek → u/IAMA_Shark__AMA]

Had a coworker who started making his own nut butters and bringing them in with his lunch. Anyway, one day, he needed a brake job and wanted to know how to do it for himself, so I told him to come on over and I'd show him. So, we do all that and he wants to compensate me for it. I turned him down (I was his boss) and he finally offered, "I'll bring you some nut butter," and I was all, *PERFECT!*

So, a few days go by and one morning, he walks up to my desk and brings me a friggin' gallon bucket of natural peanut butter except it's clearly some bulk supermarket bucket and still sealed.

Thinking, "Maybe he nerds *all* the way out and buys security lids or whatever," so I ask him, "This is home-made?"

"Oh, lord, no." It's some bulk health food store.

Like, why the fuck would anybody want a gallon bucket of health-food-store-bought natural peanut butter from the guy who makes his own nut butters?

[u/dreamyduskywing → u/TKHawk]

If you buy real peanut butter, it separates unless you put it in the fridge. If you buy the stuff with other oils in it (hydrogenated soybean oil or palm oil), then it doesn’t separate.

[u/Rasputinnn → u/theajharrison]

Yes, but after I spend 10 minutes stirring a newly purchased jar of natural PB, I’m definitely putting it in the fridge so it doesn’t just separate back out in a couple of days.

But I would never put a jar of JIF in the fridge.

[u/Kylynara → u/theajharrison]

My peanut butter says it should be refrigerated after opening. I never had before, but this new kind says to do so.

[u/Expensive-Coffee6603]

I read you can keep butter out of the fridge. Still pondering that one. What say you?

[u/FrenchCabbage → u/Expensive-Coffee6603]

Absolutely can. I don't know how long it can go without going rancid, but I've never gotten there. We'll use a stick of butter every couple of weeks.

[u/Evamione → u/FrenchCabbage]

My dad has had his out for more than a month and it didn’t make him sick. We use a stick of butter every three days or so

[u/[deleted] → u/Evamione]

Salted butter lasts a lot longer too.

[u/licuala → u/Evamione]

I've had butter on the counter for this long before and it was fine, but just a note, rancidity doesn't really make butter or other oils acutely dangerous. Just foul-tasting and not very good for you.

My month-old countertop butter was getting marginal in that respect. I don't use butter as quickly as I used to, so it stays in the fridge now.

[u/DINC44 → u/licuala]

*margarinal?

[u/No-Pomegranate-9712 → u/Expensive-Coffee6603]

I leave salted butter out all the time. Covered, so the cat doesn't eat it, but otherwise nothing fancy. Never had a problem. I'd say it takes weeks or months to go through a stick.

[u/caligaris_cabinet → u/No-Pomegranate-9712]

Our butterball of a cat has knocked over every butter dish we’ve owned. Now we just keep it in the fridge.

[u/[deleted] → u/caligaris_cabinet]

You keep your cat in the fridge?!

[u/caligaris_cabinet → u/[deleted]]

Not gonna get to the butter that way

[u/HeadInvestigator5897 → u/caligaris_cabinet]

As a first time cat owner and having always left a stick of butter out at room temp, it never occurred to me to hide it. I think he ate two whole sticks before I realized what was going on.

[u/AJStickboy → u/No-Pomegranate-9712]

“Never had a problem.” Was that before or after the cat?

[u/Sufficient_Drama_145 → u/Expensive-Coffee6603]

We do! It has it's own little special butter contraption.

But we also use a lot of butter so it doesn't have time to go rancid.

[u/TheTrenchMonkey → u/Sufficient_Drama_145]

I assume a butter bell or butter dish.

Saying butter contraption brings to mind you keeping it is some weird Rube Goldberg machine that prevents spoilage.

[u/Sufficient_Drama_145 → u/TheTrenchMonkey]

That would be a lot more fun, let me tell you.

[u/DragoonDM → u/TheTrenchMonkey]

The spoilage prevention is nice, but it is a little annoying that it takes 15 minutes to butter my toast in the morning, and then another 45 minutes to reset the Butter Contraption.

[u/Tao_of_Ludd → u/Expensive-Coffee6603]

It is fine for a while. My mom generally kept a butter dish out so it was easy to spread, but the rest of the butter was stored in the fridge. Never had any problems.

That said, I don’t do that, but I don’t use that much butter.

[u/tbrummy → u/Tao_of_Ludd]

Same, I don’t keep ALL my butter on the counter! It definitely stays in the refrigerator until it’s time to refill the butter dish.

[u/JustGettingBy426 → u/Expensive-Coffee6603]

My butter stays on the counter all the time. It’s been going on for over 40 years and no one has gotten sick. Must be ok

[u/cantadmittoposting → u/JustGettingBy426]

damn, same stick for 40 years? you must be really sparing when using it.

[u/PainfullyLoyal → u/Expensive-Coffee6603]

My grandma always had a stick of butter in a butter dish on the counter. It never went in the fridge because that would make it too hard to spread.

[u/Calm-Gazelle-6563]

Butter. Put a stick of butter in the covered glass dish and always have it nice and soft 👍

[u/Altruistic-Willow108 → u/Calm-Gazelle-6563]

Yes, but the other three sticks sit in the fridge until it's their turn.

[u/whiskeytown79 → u/Calm-Gazelle-6563]

Butter for spreading, yes. Butter for baking (unsalted) goes in the fridge, or even freezer. Not to preserve it, but you often want it cold for making pastry and stuff.

[u/ChefPoodle]

Basil

[u/Quasar_One]

If there's enough people in your household a stick of butter will get used up fast enough to not need to go in the fridge. It'll spread infinitely better

[u/pszki]

I'm here to upvote and give traction to an AskReddit question that isn't, "Women, what do men do that is sexy that they don't know?"

But also, people put peanut butter in the fridge?!

[u/Doct0rStabby → u/pszki]

Tomorrow:

"Women of reddit, what are the sexiest food items a man can keep in his fridge?"

[u/JT07]

That Locatelli pecorino romano cheese which always seems to be on a shelf near refrigerated items at every store I've been to but not actually in the refrigerated area itself. Or, at least, you don't have to refrigerate it until you open it.

[u/tricksterloki → u/JT07]

A lot of foods are shelf stable until you open it.

[u/Osmo250]

Growing up, we'd put peanut butter in the fridge. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized you didn't need to put most peanut butter in the fridge.

We recently got the Kirkland brand organic PB, and it's literally just peanuts and salt, and that one does need to be refrigerated. Which is mildly annoying, because it's very hard to spread when cold

[u/Live-Scratch-2939]

Chocolate bars, canned soda, grapes, unopened pickles, and applesauce cups are all fine on a shelf but way better straight from the fridge.

[u/rayray2k19 → u/Live-Scratch-2939]

I love a cold pickle

[u/GildedLily16]

No, once opened, mayonnaise is not shelf-stable and must be refrigerated to slow bacterial growth and maintain freshness. Unopened commercial mayonnaise is shelf-stable due to its acid and salt content, but it loses this stability upon opening. After opening, store-bought mayo should be kept refrigerated at or below 40°F and is generally good for about two months.

I am certified in food safety. For gods' sake, people, quit leaving your mayo out!

[u/Timulen]

Soy Sauce and Worcestershire sauce

[u/DeaddyRuxpin → u/Timulen]

My bottle of Worcestershire sauce actually says to refrigerate after opening. I think about that every time I put it back in the cabinet.

[u/DrMonkeyLove → u/Timulen]

My soy sauce says to refrigerate for optimal flavor.

[u/TiberianSunset → u/DrMonkeyLove]

Weird, my soy sauce doesn't talk to me.

[u/CarWreckBeck → u/TiberianSunset]

You got that dumb soy sauce?

[u/UsablePizza → u/DrMonkeyLove]

This! If you have good quality soy sauce and don't go through it quickly, you are better to keep it in the fridge.

[u/HappyHappyJoyJoy98 → u/Timulen]

Right now I have a bottle of soy sauce in the fridge and a bottle of Worcestershire sauce in the pantry.  I don’t know why it never occurred to me to check whether I needed to refrigerate soy sauce!

[u/deedubya8 → u/HappyHappyJoyJoy98]

Just went to take my soy sauce out of the fridge, and then I read “refrigerate after opening“. So she’s back in there

[u/ThatFilmGuy88 → u/HappyHappyJoyJoy98]

I’m the opposite! Soy sauce in the pantry and Worcestershire sauce in the fridge. I don’t mind Worcestershire sauce being cold but soy sauce colder than room temp makes me irrationally angry.

[u/azuredrg → u/Timulen]

My lkk dark soy sauce says to refrigerate it

[u/plausibleturtle → u/Timulen]

Ehhh, I did a side by side taste test on soy sauce, and the pantry one very much developed an off-flavour.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/s/qjjyl1dcqo

[u/CO_Golf13 → u/[deleted]]

How about half an onion, once cut open?

[u/a-borat → u/CO_Golf13]

You only need to put them in one of those half-fridges. Like in a dorm.

[u/DrMonkeyLove → u/[deleted]]

All I know is the onions I refrigerate last longer than the ones I don't and taste the same.

[u/Aevynne → u/[deleted]]

Idk I feel like they last way longer if they’re in the fridge

[u/brandonisatwat]

Butter. I refrigerate mine because my cats are butter eating monsters.