Something I realized after lunch with coworkers yesterday: at home, I refrigerate ketchup – as I always have. But restaurants never (well, in their dining areas) refrigerate ketchup. Why?
It turned out not to just be something I did because my mom & dad did. Heinz actually recommends it:
Because of its natural acidity, Heinz® Ketchup is shelf-stable. However, its stability after opening can be affected by storage conditions. We recommend that this product, like any processed food, be refrigerated after opening. Refrigeration will maintain the best product quality after opening.
Wow, though… any processed food? Are there refrigerators big enough for that?
I’m not sure I really need to refrigerate ketchup, in the end. Do you?
Posted in Food and Beverage
COD August 7, 2010, 2:33 am
I have always refrigerated ketchup. Restaurants go through a bottle every day or two. I go through a bottle every 3 or 4 months.
jk August 7, 2010, 3:15 am
I don’t because I don’t want it to make my scrambled eggs cold. Or cool.
Ryan August 8, 2010, 3:42 am
I do.
And until recently, I always refrigerated my peanut butter, too (like you, because my parents always did).