Does peanut butter need to be refrigerated?
Unopened and opened jars of peanut butter may be stored at room temperature. Keep the jar tightly closed and store in a *cool* place. Storage temperature affects product quality. Excessive heat will accelerate the loss of fresh flavor and cause oil separation. Cold temperatures, even above freezing, can change peanut butter’s consistency, texture, and thickness. Peanut butter may be refrigerated to retain the product’s optimum flavor, but it will not be as easy to spread. Freezing is not recommended. References For more info: http://homecooking.about.com/…/pbutterstorage.
Peanut butter that lists among its ingredients “partially hydrogenated oil”, “hydrogenated oil” ,”palm oil”, need not be refrigerated. Those that are “natural”, with only peanuts and salt must be refrigerated. For health reasons, one needs to avoid anything with hydrogenated oils..worse than butter in terms of clogging up the arteries.
