Who knew tomato sauce was so divisive?
Do you store it in the fridge or pantry? Pantry all the way for me, but apparently that exposes me to germs, mould and a possible, painful early death, according to the in-the-fridge diehards.
As someone who makes their own tomato sauce, I know the amount of sugar, salt and vinegar I tip in will mean only the fittest germs survive, and I have to admire that and honour that by firmly leaving it in the pantry.
However, and it’s a big one, Heinz has weighed in firmly on the fridge side.
In a statement on its website, Heinz states: “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,”
The sceptic in me says this is to avoid possible litigation from food poisoning cases, but apparently Heinz has also lowered the salt content, which in turn decreases its preserved life.
But what about your other groceries? Check our quick guide.
Vegemite: pantry. The amount of salt and small amount of water in Vegemite means it may very well outlast religion. Just make sure you don’t leave butter tracings in the jar – the detritus of poor spreading technique – because that will go off if it’s in sufficient quantities.
Other sauces: pantry. With mustard, barbecue sauce, soy, let the packaging be your guide, but generally, the high salt and/or vinegar content of most sauces means they can be kept in the pantry.
Jam and peanut butter: jam in the fridge if it’s been opened – especially if it’s homemade – peanut butter in the pantry at all times. Jam will grow mould and yeast, and if your jam is looking a tad furry, don’t be tempted to be like everyone’s nanna and scrape it off and crack on. Quite often the mould will send spores you can’t see down into the jar.
Potatoes: pantry. In a dark part of the pantry in either a paper or cloth bag or basket, something that lets in a bit of air.
Onions: as above for potatoes.
Butter: on the bench in southern states, in the fridge for warmer states. I live in Victoria and my Queenlander sister constantly puts it into the fridge when she visits. Then I spend too much time softening it in the microwave to make it spreadable. Infuriating.
Eggs: fridge. I went to the source and Australian Eggs says the fridge and that’s good enough for me.
Do you have a pantry/fridge regime? Where do you store your tomato sauce? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?
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I’m sorry Jan but I cannot agree with you about the eggs I grew up with my grandmother having them in racks on the bench and I do this myself, by putting them in the fridge you cause the whites to go runny and the moisture from in the fridge waters down the protective coating that the chooks put on the shells as they are being laid which in turn allows bacteria into the eggs.
Hi Jan, my brother (who is 80 so should know something 😅) is also in the ‘Eggs in the Pantry’ camp and he has his own hens so is an egg enthusiast, but I agree with everything else.
I think I put them in the fridge more out of habit than anything else. My sister who has a science degree gets a bit cross with me, but I notice now she lives in Brisbane her eggs are in the fridge as well.