Peanut butter, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Peanut butter is such a classic American comfort food, be it chunky, creamy, or even powdered. I, and most other people I know, keep our delicious peanut-y spread in the cupboard or pantry. But others, chose to go to the dark side. Well, at least it's the dark side when the door is closed.
Some people decide that it's somehow OK to keep their peanut butter in the fridge. When I found this out, I was shook to say the least. There are some foods that everyone knows not to keep in the fridge, so why is peanut butter a valid choice? Newsflash: It's not.
When you Google search "peanut butter," any and all results will tell you that it's a paste or a spread. How are you supposed to spread something cold? Think of all the times you've ruined a perfectly good piece of toast or a cupcake or a cookie by dragging some cold spread on top of it, whether it's butter, cream cheese, or frosting.
Plus, there's no real need to refrigerate peanut butter. According to the "ultimate shelf life guide" StillTasty, a jar of processed peanut butter will keep for months without refrigeration. The only plausible way one would keep PB in the fridge to keep it fresh would be if your pantry was super humid. Or, if you're a total amateur and can't finish a jar within months.
With no scientific need to keep peanut butter in the fridge, is there any reason at all to keep it in there? If your excuse is "for taste," then I'm not buying it. From what I can see, keeping peanut butter in the fridge would only make it thicker (although it'd still be delicious, I guess).
The number of fridge-haters online heavily outweighs the number of people who prefer their peanut butter ice cold.
At the end of the day, peanut butter is a sacred ingredient and should be given the utmost respect. There's no real need to keep peanut butter in the fridge, nor does it improve taste.
Therefore, I urge everyone to reach out to all PB lovers in their life and keep them from going down this dark path. Peanut butter should be just as warm as the feeling it gives you when you eat it.