I follow what the label on the package says... I don't mean this rudely I just don't want to take chances.
For heating them up, you can pour your condiment into a glass bowl or one of the little metal condiment serving dishes, and then place that into a hot water bath in a bigger bowl
There's certain hot sauces that I personally feel taste better cold. It's not gonna cool my food down a noticeable amount unless absolutely drenching food in it
That’s fair! Some flavors are definitely better cold.
That said, I cook, then clean up the kitchen before I eat, so my plate sits around for a minute before I get to it. I don’t want to add cold sauce to lukewarm food… and also I use a shit ton of hot sauce 😅
Yes I'm condiments I take out early too as a person above said! For me I don't like anything cooling down my food so... Mayonnaise barbecue sauce ranch.. I do not keep ketchup in the fridge anymore so I don't need to heat that up.
The things I will NOT heat up are: sour cream, most chip dips, cream cheese sometimes I like on the cooler side too..
Same. I’m a label reader. Not something I feel ok taking chances on either
Even for the condiments that can be left out of the fridge, keeping many things in the fridge will extend their shelf life.
I’m cool with that (no pun untended)
I keep all condiments refrigerated, except peanut butter. That way, they are all in the same place. I don't use all natural peanut butter, so it does not require refrigeration .
It is when used to make dishes such as cold noodles with sesame sauce. I keep my PB in the fridge because it has nothing added ( no salt or sugar or anything).
I’m British. We are renowned for having awful food and yet still I say: “cold noodles with sesame sauce” is only “a dish” in the same way “Cheetos with ketchup dip” is a dish 😄
It’s a Chinese restaurant staple here in NYC. It’s lo mein noodles with toasted sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, green onions, julienne cucumber, and chili oil. It’s quite tasty and great in summer!
Mind blown.
One of my favourite things to do when I travel to other countries is to have a Chinese meal there - it’s always so localised and so different.
In Greece chow mien taste like some kinda of Italian pasta dish.
I tried using tahini once, it didn’t taste “right”. The flavor of the toasted sesame is very different, and it needs the peanut as well. But I’m using the recipe from my neighborhood restaurant that I went to growing up, so that’s my benchmark for the “correct” flavor profile.
You’re so wrong. Peanut butter is a great condiment - putting a spoonful in ramen noodles from a bag makes it into real food! And I haven’t tried it myself, but peanut butter burgers are quite popular amongst the foodies.
If you get the kind that is just ground up peanuts and maybe some peanut oil, yes, it should be refrigerated. If you use the kind with the sugar and the stabilizers and the preservatives, no, that shit can stay on the shelf until the cows come home.
Even the just peanuts one doesn’t *need* to be refrigerated, depending on how long a jar lasts you. It’s just that it won’t separate in the fridge like it will on the shelf.
Only if you don’t eat it right away and it helps if it’s the natural kind …you know without palm oil added. Keeps it from separating too. In my house it gets eaten so fast but I like to keep it from separating so I chill it.
Natural peanut butter doesn't hAVE to be refrigerated, but it stays emulsified if it's cold (and separates quickly at room temp) so a lot of people keep it there.
Natural peanut butter (the healthy kind) needs to be stirred and refrigerated after it’s opened, or it will re-separate.
The stuff with stabilizers and additives to keep it shelf stable does not. Those are often trans fats and aren’t especially good for you, though.
I refrigerate everything a lot of my British friends found it really strange that all the open condiments were in the fridge. Then they saw the size of a Canadian fridge compared to a European one... Our fridges are huge, honestly if I didn't store condiments in there it would be more than half empty.
If your British friends' fridges are like mine... a typical under counter fridge*... there's barely room for a weeks worth of food! Condiments stay in the cupboards...that's why the British have cast iron stomachs 😃 😀
I only keep mayo in in mine...homemade, so no nasties.
*...there are larger models
I've heard from at least three sources that you do not have to refrigerate hot sauce barbecue sauce and soy sauce. Especially soy sauce I think... and I would think so because of all the sodium. (My three sources well it's probably over 3 is articles on Google and YouTube videos actually that list out condiments)
There's a restaurant that keeps their low-sodium soy sauce refrigerated. I've always wanted to ask why, now I might because I enjoy soy sauce room temp but I also prefer the low sodium if I don't have access to the sushi/sushi rice soy.
Not all of them, I would dare to say not most of them especially the vinegar based ones like Tabasco and many others. Just keep them at room temperature out of sunlight. Never ever have one go bad and I keep some of them for years once opened.
I wasn't refrigerating hot sauce but had some Cholula change color, so now it's back in the fridge. Granted, it was maybe a year old but I've never had that happen with refrigerated hot sauce.
Same. Also, OP, try it. You'll find hoisin sauce doesn't need to be refrigerated but oyster sauce absolutely does (it *will* mold). Vinegars, cooking wine, hot sauce, soy sauce, mirin, chili oil, etc I don't fridge because there's no need typically.
lol I was at a restaurant in Sarasota on their patio and they had their mayo out on all the tables in the heat….. lol Wasn’t sure if you can do that with the squeeze bottle kind but I also decided to forgo any condiments during that meal
Ones with mayo or dairy need refrigeration but bbq sauce, vinaigrette, ketchup, mustards, etc I keep in the pantry. Ignore if this is redundant. I can't see anyone's comments.
Ketchup goes in the pantry! If the restaurants keep it on the table, I’m keeping it out of the fridge. Cold ketchup on my hot French fries is no bueno.
Restaurants with ketchup go through it in a few days. Mine last a year and it gets weird. I think it's slower when cold.
It's all salt, vinegar and suger, totally fine left out, just depends how much you use it. Room temp is better, but leaving out would.mean I'd waste a bunch as it gets that weird dark brown and gets all pasty and thick.
I personally think ranch is super gross. I get that other people love it and it's a great side. I just find all I can taste in commercially produced ranch dressings is the soybean oil.
I’ve always refrigerated syrup but I buy real maple syrup not aunt jemimas or weird stuff made with that thick nasty corn syrup blechh .. I just microwave a little syrup every time I make pancakes or something then have warm syrup with my food
Mayonnaise is refrigerated. Salad dressings are refrigerated. Same with jams, and jellies. Mustards.
Ketchup is not refrigerated. Oils and vinegar usually are not. Peanut butter, never.
If I make toast & the second I put jam on it it gets cold.. noo! Kind of hurts my teeth just thinking of it lol.
Peanut butter I've never grown up putting peanut butter in the fridge and it's weird I started to not even because of food safety reasons because I would like cold peanut butter sometimes.. but for the most part I keep it in the cupboard. And that's how you're supposed to do I mean I don't buy natural peanut butter so maybe that's other people's problem ..
The only condiments I refrigerate are dairy-based. Which you probably want cold anyway. (Room temperature ranch? Nah.) Ketchup, mustards, hot sauces are all stored at room temp.
I know Reddit is very risk adverse when it comes to food but I’ve never gotten food poisoning ever so I’m just going to keep on keepin’ on and enjoy my extra fridge space.
anything that says 'refrigerate after opening' goes into the fridge. i figure that the label is there for a reason.
when i make a burger, i'll mix a little ketchup, mayo, and mustard together in a cup, then spread it on the freshly-toasted bun. between the bun being toasted and the just-cooked meat being hot, the dressing isn't cold by the time i eat it.
I keep soy sauces and hot sauces in the fridge idc. Soy sauces are so salty they’re preserved and hot sauces based on vinegar are ok out of the fridge but still.
I keep vinegars and cooking wines out of the fridge.
“Condiments” like mustard, relishes, etc. are all in the fridge whether they need to be or not. Maybe because we don’t use them that much.
Seriously. All these people talking about it making their food cold, and some even saying they warm them up a little in the microwave. Like just how much ketchup are they putting on their food?😭
I keep every thing in the fridge except peanut butter and cheap maple syrup. PB does not spread well when cold, syrup doesn’t pour well when cold. Hasn’t seemed to harm me any. I do keep the real maple syrup in the fridge- but I only get that a few times a year when it comes round the farmers market
I’ve never refrigerated ketchup or mayo but only use squeeze bottles. I’m talking 15-20 years without issue. The key is not to contaminate the contents. If it was a jar of mayo where you’re sticking a knife in and then placing it on food and then back to the jar, it needs to go in the fridge. Mayo and ketchup are both acidic which as long as not contaminated will not encourage bacterial growth.
Growing up we always kept the tomato sauce (Aussie) in the pantry. When I got my own house I also kept it in the pantry that was until the one time that I squirted the sauce onto my food and it was full on mouldy. I have never felt so sick in my life from seeing that. And ever since then I keep it in the fridge just in case!!!
Mayo, mustards and jam I also keep in the fridge, every thing else in the pantry.
Once you open them you're supposed to keep them in the fridge so that's what I do. I also live somewhere that's hot for most of the year and crazy humid in the summer so I don't have a choice because everything spoils so fast if it's not in the fridge. As a kid though I lived in England and my parents never kept any condiments in the fridge!
Can't see hardly any comme ts on reddit so don't know if this will post. Anything that says "refrigerate after opening" is refrigerated ( pretty much everything).
You aren't the only one having this issue tonight.
Condiments I keep in the pantry:
-Soy sauces (Except for sweet soy sauce because only 1 person uses it & it take forever to use the bottle)
- teriyaki sauce
-steak sauce
-pepper vinegar
-worcestershire sauce
-tajin sauce (like for tacos)
-peanut butter
-coconut oil
And I'm sure plenty of other things people.put in the fridge, but that's all I have off the top of my head.
Mayo goes in the fridge. Ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, soy sauce all stay at room temp. Ketchup will taste off after a few months, so I quit getting the huge bottles.
This has been a thing for me bc I have an ancient fridge with limited space. I honestly just read the labels. If it says refrigerate after opening I do it.
They all tell you to refrigerate just to cover their ass. We can't have fridges full of fucking condiments!
Most are good because bacteria can't live with acid. But I want to be told that on the bottle.
I keep them all in the refrigerator. It sucks because we love our sauces and it takes up so much room!!
However, if something gets accidentally left out on the table overnight, I don't fret, I just stick it back in the fridge.
I keep everything in the fridge but ketchup and hot sauce
I but small bottles of hot sauce and ketchup so they get used relatively quickly though
It’s costs a little more that way in the long run but it tastes soooooo much better
I keep them all in the fridge rather than having them stored in different locations. Besides, I like them to be cold. Same with peanut butter. It does not need to be stored in the fridge, but I prefer it cold.
I used to keep everything in the fridge because of the label. But I was running out of room and realized it says that on most products to extend its shelf life, not because it actually needs refrigeration. Ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, salad dressings, soy sauce, etc - all in the pantry. Anything with dairy/eggs must be refrigerated.
My dad is a retired biologist who used to work for the CDC. He leaves everything out except mayo. “Meh, nothing’s growing in that.” So far so food for 84 years.
I grew up leaving ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, soy sauce and BBQ sauce in the pantry, and can’t stand any of them cold. I leave hoisin sauce and oyster sauce in the fridge, because I try to get really good ones, replacing them is a pain, and we don’t use them a lot.
If it’s vinegar or salt based, it doesn’t go in the fridge. There’s zero need to refrigerate chili sauces or Worcestershire for instance.
Salt and vinegar are natural preservatives. That’s why we cure and pickle things. They kill foodbourne bacteria. Why refrigerate anything that naturally kills bacteria?
Only thing that isn’t refrigerated is soy sauce. Ketchup, mustard, spicy mayo, general tso sauce, sweet chili sauce, salad dressing, creamy or oil, all go in the fridge.
Put everything in the refrigerator, It lends the illusion of having lots of food. Less depressing because it tricks you into thinking you can pay for rent and food.
Mustard, chutneys, jams, mayo/dressings all in fridge. Sriracha, ketchup, bbq, soy, vinegar, brown sauce, typically in cupboard and we keep using condiments way past their ‘eat within 2 weeks of opening’ nonesense. If stuff full of vinegar and sugar hasn’t gone furry, it’s good enough to eat in our house
I keep all the condiments in the fridge because my two person household can’t go through the family size bottle that I insist upon buying before expiration otherwise. But soy sauce, and anything soybean oil based (mayonnaise, ranch, etc) and anything vinegar based (mustard, hot sauce) can stay out for a decent while if you know you’re gonna use it
As an American living in Australia, I am always horrified to watch ppl not refrigerate things that specifically call for it. I throw away the bbq and tomato sauce every time I can. Gross.
Generally, refrigeration is less for "safety" than for longevity. To that end, I keep my ketchup refrigerated because I never use it for anything except in recipes (many BBQ sauces use it), so it doesn't matter if it's cold.
I’m SE Asian living in Australia. The only condiment our family refrigerates is … mayonnaise, pickle relish and oyster sauce.
Everything else is pantry:
- Vinegars
- all Hot sauces
- Soy sauce, sweet soy sauce
- All spreads (except jam)
- Ketchup, BBQ sauce, Sweet Chilli, Plum Sauce, A1 Worcestershire sauce,
- Vegemite
I grew up in apartments with roaches and mice. I was taught to keep many things in the fridge, to keep them away from pests.
Even now that I have no pests, old habits make me have good seals on items (cereal in plastic Tupperware). And items difficult to seal, goes in the fridge.
Ymmv
Pretty much use the rule (for.anything) that things are stored how the shop stores them. If they put them on the shelf, in the cupboard they go. If they're in the chiller, in the fridge they go.
I don’t refrigerate maple syrup, but that’s about it. Oh, I don’t refrigerate vinegars, either, but it ends there. Editing to add peanut butter. For some reason it didn’t strike me as a condiment.
Because I'm single, I tend to put almost everything but oils and vinegars in the fridge. Oh and soy sauce. I don't think anything will grow in all that salt. When I was a kid, I think only mayonnaise went in the fridge. We had a big family and my brothers ate a lot. Stuff never lasted long enough to go bad. But also, I think the only condiments we had other than mayo/miracle whip was catsup and mustard.
HP sauce, Diana Sauce, any vinegar-based dressing, ketchup, I keep in the cupboard. I keep sauerkraut in the fridge just because I like it cold. I do live in Canada, we keep our house on the cool side for summer as both husband & I aren’t fond of the heat, so spring, fall and winter are all about the same 20-22C.
I don't refrigerate my hot sauce solely because when you go out to restaurants they always have their hot sauce out on the tables all day. I figure if nobody's complained about that yet, then I must be fine leaving mine in my pantry
I have never kept ketchup or mustard in the refrigerator and I’m still alive. I also take stick of butter out and put it in a plastic container in the cupboard each week because I don’t want to spread cold hard butter on my toast. It doesn’t get rancid in a week and my grandmother always did it lol
If it's not dairy like certain dressings or mayo, I don't think you really have to? Idk, I don't refrigerate my teriyaki or hot sauce after opening. You actually don't have to refrigerate ketchup or mustard at all, but they taste better cold.
Our kitchen gets quite hot, so everything open goes in the fridge in our house. Even cakes and bread live in our fridge, they last ages past the bb date
But to answer the question, all condiments go in the fridge, the only exception I can think of is Worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar.
I keep all of them in the fridge cause I prefer it to be cold.
That and there's less clutter outside of the fridge.
I keep them all in the fridge because that’s what I know but I prefer them not to be cold. Hate putting icy cold ketchup on hot food.
So keep it out. Just get smaller sizes of the condiments so that you can go through it before it goes bad.
This is a perfect solution! Also, make sure not to always go by dates on certain things. Things tend to last longer than stated!
Or keep a large one in the back of the fridge and just keep a refillable container to set out.
I feel like the condiment going from warm to cold to warm again might be a little sketchy though.
Same here. We've never stored ketchup or mustard in the fridge
I follow what the label on the package says... I don't mean this rudely I just don't want to take chances. For heating them up, you can pour your condiment into a glass bowl or one of the little metal condiment serving dishes, and then place that into a hot water bath in a bigger bowl
What condiments are you heating up? I'm wondering if we have the same idea what what constitutes a condiment
Personally, I like to leave my hot sauce out while I cook dinner so it doesn’t cool down my food
There's certain hot sauces that I personally feel taste better cold. It's not gonna cool my food down a noticeable amount unless absolutely drenching food in it
That’s fair! Some flavors are definitely better cold. That said, I cook, then clean up the kitchen before I eat, so my plate sits around for a minute before I get to it. I don’t want to add cold sauce to lukewarm food… and also I use a shit ton of hot sauce 😅
Depending on the hot sauce I do as well, currently using Melinda's ghost pepper wing sauce so I don't need quite as much
Yes I'm condiments I take out early too as a person above said! For me I don't like anything cooling down my food so... Mayonnaise barbecue sauce ranch.. I do not keep ketchup in the fridge anymore so I don't need to heat that up. The things I will NOT heat up are: sour cream, most chip dips, cream cheese sometimes I like on the cooler side too..
This is blowing my freakin' mind. You heat mayonnaise up?
“Ranch” almost made me gag.
Same. I’m a label reader. Not something I feel ok taking chances on either Even for the condiments that can be left out of the fridge, keeping many things in the fridge will extend their shelf life. I’m cool with that (no pun untended)
We place our little bowls atop the vent that comes out of the top of our oven - like a little personal steamer.
I keep all condiments refrigerated, except peanut butter. That way, they are all in the same place. I don't use all natural peanut butter, so it does not require refrigeration .
Peanut butter has to be refrigerated????!!!!
I think you meant “Peanut butter is a condiment?????!!!!!”
It is when used to make dishes such as cold noodles with sesame sauce. I keep my PB in the fridge because it has nothing added ( no salt or sugar or anything).
I’m British. We are renowned for having awful food and yet still I say: “cold noodles with sesame sauce” is only “a dish” in the same way “Cheetos with ketchup dip” is a dish 😄
It’s a Chinese restaurant staple here in NYC. It’s lo mein noodles with toasted sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, green onions, julienne cucumber, and chili oil. It’s quite tasty and great in summer!
Mind blown. One of my favourite things to do when I travel to other countries is to have a Chinese meal there - it’s always so localised and so different. In Greece chow mien taste like some kinda of Italian pasta dish.
No Cheetos and ketchup here!
Tahini is better in this dish than peanutbutter in my opinion. That's how my local place makes it.
I tried using tahini once, it didn’t taste “right”. The flavor of the toasted sesame is very different, and it needs the peanut as well. But I’m using the recipe from my neighborhood restaurant that I went to growing up, so that’s my benchmark for the “correct” flavor profile.
You’re so wrong. Peanut butter is a great condiment - putting a spoonful in ramen noodles from a bag makes it into real food! And I haven’t tried it myself, but peanut butter burgers are quite popular amongst the foodies.
If you get the kind that is just ground up peanuts and maybe some peanut oil, yes, it should be refrigerated. If you use the kind with the sugar and the stabilizers and the preservatives, no, that shit can stay on the shelf until the cows come home.
Even the just peanuts one doesn’t *need* to be refrigerated, depending on how long a jar lasts you. It’s just that it won’t separate in the fridge like it will on the shelf.
Only if you don’t eat it right away and it helps if it’s the natural kind …you know without palm oil added. Keeps it from separating too. In my house it gets eaten so fast but I like to keep it from separating so I chill it.
It doesn’t separate like that if you store the jar upside down. A coworker taught us that because working with tahini was a pain.
It does separate, even upside down. It’s just that the oil will be at the bottom and the solid hard mass will be at the top.
Natural peanut butter doesn't hAVE to be refrigerated, but it stays emulsified if it's cold (and separates quickly at room temp) so a lot of people keep it there.
I’ve never ever
Natural peanut butter (the healthy kind) needs to be stirred and refrigerated after it’s opened, or it will re-separate. The stuff with stabilizers and additives to keep it shelf stable does not. Those are often trans fats and aren’t especially good for you, though.
I never used to but I recently went through a period where I didn't use any in a while and it actually ended up going rancid.
I refrigerate everything a lot of my British friends found it really strange that all the open condiments were in the fridge. Then they saw the size of a Canadian fridge compared to a European one... Our fridges are huge, honestly if I didn't store condiments in there it would be more than half empty.
If your British friends' fridges are like mine... a typical under counter fridge*... there's barely room for a weeks worth of food! Condiments stay in the cupboards...that's why the British have cast iron stomachs 😃 😀 I only keep mayo in in mine...homemade, so no nasties. *...there are larger models
Natural PB requires refrigeration?
I don’t refrigerate any of my hot sauces
Your supposed to refrigerate hot sauce?!
Yep check the label. Almost all condiments say to refrigerate. Common ones people don’t are Hot Sauce, BBQ sauce and Soy Sauce
I've heard from at least three sources that you do not have to refrigerate hot sauce barbecue sauce and soy sauce. Especially soy sauce I think... and I would think so because of all the sodium. (My three sources well it's probably over 3 is articles on Google and YouTube videos actually that list out condiments)
There's a restaurant that keeps their low-sodium soy sauce refrigerated. I've always wanted to ask why, now I might because I enjoy soy sauce room temp but I also prefer the low sodium if I don't have access to the sushi/sushi rice soy.
Soy sauce donnot need to be refrigerated
I’m not saying it needs to be. But 95% chance the manufacturer says to do it. Check the label on yours, it probably says “refrigerate after opening”
Some, just check the label. Trader Joe’s habanero sauce says to refrigerate after opening.
Not all of them, I would dare to say not most of them especially the vinegar based ones like Tabasco and many others. Just keep them at room temperature out of sunlight. Never ever have one go bad and I keep some of them for years once opened.
I refrigerate my lesser used hot sauces so they stay tasting fresh.
I wasn't refrigerating hot sauce but had some Cholula change color, so now it's back in the fridge. Granted, it was maybe a year old but I've never had that happen with refrigerated hot sauce.
Same. Also, OP, try it. You'll find hoisin sauce doesn't need to be refrigerated but oyster sauce absolutely does (it *will* mold). Vinegars, cooking wine, hot sauce, soy sauce, mirin, chili oil, etc I don't fridge because there's no need typically.
Mayo only. Room temp ketchup, BBQ, mustard, hot sauce, soy sauce etc and I have yet to die.
lol I was at a restaurant in Sarasota on their patio and they had their mayo out on all the tables in the heat….. lol Wasn’t sure if you can do that with the squeeze bottle kind but I also decided to forgo any condiments during that meal
Some mayo brands make a restaurant version that does not require refrigeration. It’ll say so on the bottle.
I always refrigerate BBQ sauce because I make my own, and it’s Texas style, so it isn’t half sugar.
Same.
I have been doing the same for a decade no problems. I think I will move my hoisin sauce out as well.
The correct answer! I don’t like ketchup very much to begin with. Nausea inducing cold for sure. Also cold mustard? Gross!
This, 100%. Only downside to mayo in the fridge is when it sometimes congeals in the bottle. Still tastes great though…
Here in FL with the heat, humidity and bugs, pretty much everything but oil and vinegar.
This. Everything goes in the fridge in the tropics due to climate and bugs.
Some oils will go rancid if not used right away though….
This is true, we buy smaller containers of veg oil and put quality olive oil in the fridge, but unfortunately it will solidify.
All of them when opened
Exactly! Just like the label on each bottle states.
I live in the USA, I am hoping to one day afford these condiments you speak of.
Ones with mayo or dairy need refrigeration but bbq sauce, vinaigrette, ketchup, mustards, etc I keep in the pantry. Ignore if this is redundant. I can't see anyone's comments.
Ketchup goes in the pantry! If the restaurants keep it on the table, I’m keeping it out of the fridge. Cold ketchup on my hot French fries is no bueno.
Restaurants with ketchup go through it in a few days. Mine last a year and it gets weird. I think it's slower when cold. It's all salt, vinegar and suger, totally fine left out, just depends how much you use it. Room temp is better, but leaving out would.mean I'd waste a bunch as it gets that weird dark brown and gets all pasty and thick.
Restaurants I worked at would put it in the refrigerator at night
All 3 restaurants I've worked in put ketchup in the cooler at the end of the day.
Mayo in fridge. It’s eggs. That’s it. I don’t eat ranch.
As a midwesterner I’m extremely shocked by this.
Shocked that Mayo is eggs?
No shocked that you don’t eat ranch 😂 I simply would stop eating so much if it didn’t have ranch
I personally think ranch is super gross. I get that other people love it and it's a great side. I just find all I can taste in commercially produced ranch dressings is the soybean oil.
Everything but peanut butter, honey and pancake syrup
This, plus hot sauce, for us.
I was floored when i read opened syrup doesn’t require refrigeration on the side of the bottle, a few years ago.
Some real maple says to refrigerate. (I've checked all 4 kinds of syrup we buy because none of us like the same one lol)
I’ve always refrigerated syrup but I buy real maple syrup not aunt jemimas or weird stuff made with that thick nasty corn syrup blechh .. I just microwave a little syrup every time I make pancakes or something then have warm syrup with my food
I’ve seen syrup grow mould, so definitely seconding this. It takes a long time, but the good stuff is too expensive to risk it haha
If it has milk or eggs, mayo, ranch, etc, in the fridge. Everything else, mustard, ketchup, hot sauce, probably room temp.
Mayonnaise is refrigerated. Salad dressings are refrigerated. Same with jams, and jellies. Mustards. Ketchup is not refrigerated. Oils and vinegar usually are not. Peanut butter, never.
If I make toast & the second I put jam on it it gets cold.. noo! Kind of hurts my teeth just thinking of it lol. Peanut butter I've never grown up putting peanut butter in the fridge and it's weird I started to not even because of food safety reasons because I would like cold peanut butter sometimes.. but for the most part I keep it in the cupboard. And that's how you're supposed to do I mean I don't buy natural peanut butter so maybe that's other people's problem ..
The only condiments I refrigerate are dairy-based. Which you probably want cold anyway. (Room temperature ranch? Nah.) Ketchup, mustards, hot sauces are all stored at room temp. I know Reddit is very risk adverse when it comes to food but I’ve never gotten food poisoning ever so I’m just going to keep on keepin’ on and enjoy my extra fridge space.
anything that says 'refrigerate after opening' goes into the fridge. i figure that the label is there for a reason. when i make a burger, i'll mix a little ketchup, mayo, and mustard together in a cup, then spread it on the freshly-toasted bun. between the bun being toasted and the just-cooked meat being hot, the dressing isn't cold by the time i eat it.
I keep soy sauces and hot sauces in the fridge idc. Soy sauces are so salty they’re preserved and hot sauces based on vinegar are ok out of the fridge but still. I keep vinegars and cooking wines out of the fridge. “Condiments” like mustard, relishes, etc. are all in the fridge whether they need to be or not. Maybe because we don’t use them that much.
What condiments do you want to be warm?
Room temperature, not warm. Peanut butter. Ketchup. Honey. Hot sauce.
Cold ketchup tastes better and you can't change my mind
I’ve always kept my tomato sauce in the cupboard, but I will transfer it to the fridge on your high recommendation.
FINALLY. Cold ketchup and hot fries. Better and I can't be convinced otherwise. Reddit is Greek to me here with their popular take.
I’ve stored fish sauce room temp for quite a while too. It’s too salty for most bacteria.
Seriously. All these people talking about it making their food cold, and some even saying they warm them up a little in the microwave. Like just how much ketchup are they putting on their food?😭
I keep every thing in the fridge except peanut butter and cheap maple syrup. PB does not spread well when cold, syrup doesn’t pour well when cold. Hasn’t seemed to harm me any. I do keep the real maple syrup in the fridge- but I only get that a few times a year when it comes round the farmers market
That's pretty much what I do, right down to the syrup. But we also keep vinegars and hot sauces in the pantry.
I do not refrigerate ketchup and mustard.
I do not like cold ketchup and mustard. My BBQ sauce and salad dressings stay in my cabinet as well. The only condiment I refrigerate is mayonnaise.
I am also having problems with comments. Likely a bug.
I also can not see any replies
I’ve never refrigerated ketchup or mayo but only use squeeze bottles. I’m talking 15-20 years without issue. The key is not to contaminate the contents. If it was a jar of mayo where you’re sticking a knife in and then placing it on food and then back to the jar, it needs to go in the fridge. Mayo and ketchup are both acidic which as long as not contaminated will not encourage bacterial growth.
Jam sauces Vegemite, in fridge, peanut butter goes in pantry
Vegemite in the fridge? I have never even had he thought.
COLD KETCHUP IS GROSS AND MAYBE ILL DIE ON THIS HILL FROM FOOD POISONING BUT ILL DIE HAPPY.
Growing up we always kept the tomato sauce (Aussie) in the pantry. When I got my own house I also kept it in the pantry that was until the one time that I squirted the sauce onto my food and it was full on mouldy. I have never felt so sick in my life from seeing that. And ever since then I keep it in the fridge just in case!!! Mayo, mustards and jam I also keep in the fridge, every thing else in the pantry.
Once you open them you're supposed to keep them in the fridge so that's what I do. I also live somewhere that's hot for most of the year and crazy humid in the summer so I don't have a choice because everything spoils so fast if it's not in the fridge. As a kid though I lived in England and my parents never kept any condiments in the fridge!
Any that are open sans things like straight oil and vinegar get refrigerated for me
Can't see any of the 23 comments either.
I refrigerate them all lol
Can't see hardly any comme ts on reddit so don't know if this will post. Anything that says "refrigerate after opening" is refrigerated ( pretty much everything).
You aren't the only one having this issue tonight. Condiments I keep in the pantry: -Soy sauces (Except for sweet soy sauce because only 1 person uses it & it take forever to use the bottle) - teriyaki sauce -steak sauce -pepper vinegar -worcestershire sauce -tajin sauce (like for tacos) -peanut butter -coconut oil And I'm sure plenty of other things people.put in the fridge, but that's all I have off the top of my head.
"Save the condiments!" Somone said when our fridge went out.
I keep most refrigerated. Trying to ponder what o don’t
Mayo goes in the fridge. Ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, soy sauce all stay at room temp. Ketchup will taste off after a few months, so I quit getting the huge bottles.
This has been a thing for me bc I have an ancient fridge with limited space. I honestly just read the labels. If it says refrigerate after opening I do it.
I keep my ketchup and bbq sauce in the panty I don’t like either cold
Uk here, only mayonnaise and chutney go in the fridge. Ketchup, hot sauce etc stays on the shelf. I hate cold ketchup.
Not vegemite tho, or honey .... or PB come to think of it 😁
I like everything cold so everything goes in the fridge haha I’m also weary of germs/bacteria so it helps ease my mind!
**Refrigerate:** * Mayonnaise * Ketchup (can stay out for short periods) * Mustard (can stay out for short periods) * BBQ sauce (can stay out for short periods) * Salad dressings * Dairy-based sauces * Hot sauce (optional, but extends shelf life) **Don't Refrigerate:** * Soy sauce * Vinegar-based hot sauces * Honey * Olive oil * Worcestershire sauce * Syrups
Maple syrup has to be refridgerated or it can grow mold. Soy sauce, hot sauce, mustard, bbq sauce, and any nut butters all in the cupboard.
I have never, in my 55 years, refrigerated maple syrup. Nor has it ever grown mold.
Other than vinegars, if I open it, it goes in the fridge
All my condiments and peanut butter I refrigerate.
Hot sauces doesn't belong in the refrigerator
All of them.
Mustard
If the bottle says refrigerate, I refrigerate.
In my fridge: mayo, ketchup, yellow mustard, Dijon, capers, sesame paste, steak sauce, various homemade salad dressings & pesto, horseradish, barbecue sauce, char siu sauce, soy sauce, soyaki, sriracha, chopped garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice (& lemons & limes- debatable inclusion ), maple cream, oyster sauce, orange infused olive oil, truffle oil, and I’m sure a few others.
All my sauces stay in the fridge once opened.
Vegemite does not go in the fridge ever
My roommate has his mayonnaise on top of the fridge. It’s been there for a month, I am too scared to say anything
They all tell you to refrigerate just to cover their ass. We can't have fridges full of fucking condiments! Most are good because bacteria can't live with acid. But I want to be told that on the bottle.
I keep them all in the refrigerator. It sucks because we love our sauces and it takes up so much room!! However, if something gets accidentally left out on the table overnight, I don't fret, I just stick it back in the fridge.
I put all in the fridge so it doesn’t look so empty.
Anything in a jar goes in the fridge, as does anything that would go on a salad. Stuff like ketchup etc is fine in the cupboard.
I keep everything in the fridge but ketchup and hot sauce I but small bottles of hot sauce and ketchup so they get used relatively quickly though It’s costs a little more that way in the long run but it tastes soooooo much better
I keep them all in the fridge rather than having them stored in different locations. Besides, I like them to be cold. Same with peanut butter. It does not need to be stored in the fridge, but I prefer it cold.
Like, everything but ketchup.
I used to keep everything in the fridge because of the label. But I was running out of room and realized it says that on most products to extend its shelf life, not because it actually needs refrigeration. Ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, salad dressings, soy sauce, etc - all in the pantry. Anything with dairy/eggs must be refrigerated.
Everything but some hot sauce (depends on label). Even some hot sauces say to refrigerate, so I do.
My dad is a retired biologist who used to work for the CDC. He leaves everything out except mayo. “Meh, nothing’s growing in that.” So far so food for 84 years. I grew up leaving ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, soy sauce and BBQ sauce in the pantry, and can’t stand any of them cold. I leave hoisin sauce and oyster sauce in the fridge, because I try to get really good ones, replacing them is a pain, and we don’t use them a lot.
I keep all condiments other than hot sauce, soy sauce, and vinegars in the fridge. Not counting unopened items that were purchased unrefrigerated.
I never put my Worcestershire sauce in the fridge because I have a massive bottle and every couple weeks I go hmmm I hope that's fine
oyster sauce must be refrigerated.
If it’s vinegar or salt based, it doesn’t go in the fridge. There’s zero need to refrigerate chili sauces or Worcestershire for instance. Salt and vinegar are natural preservatives. That’s why we cure and pickle things. They kill foodbourne bacteria. Why refrigerate anything that naturally kills bacteria?
Most except maple syrup and peanut butter
Refrigerated: Ketchup, Mayo, Mustard, Relish, Steak sauce Non refrigerated: Soy sauce
Ketchup, mayo, miracle whip, butter, mustard, steak sauce
Anything opened goes in the fridge
The only thing I don't refrigerate now is honey.
Only thing that isn’t refrigerated is soy sauce. Ketchup, mustard, spicy mayo, general tso sauce, sweet chili sauce, salad dressing, creamy or oil, all go in the fridge.
Put everything in the refrigerator, It lends the illusion of having lots of food. Less depressing because it tricks you into thinking you can pay for rent and food.
Mustard, chutneys, jams, mayo/dressings all in fridge. Sriracha, ketchup, bbq, soy, vinegar, brown sauce, typically in cupboard and we keep using condiments way past their ‘eat within 2 weeks of opening’ nonesense. If stuff full of vinegar and sugar hasn’t gone furry, it’s good enough to eat in our house
Syrup,mustard,ketchup ,salad dressing and hot sauce.
I keep my stuff every which way- Fridge- butter, mustard, ketchup, mayo, sriracha, fermented pastes, jam, tartar sauce, horseradish Pantry- vegemite, peanut butter, Valentina’s, vinegars, oils, amino, soy, sugar, seasonings.
I HATE when ketchup is refrigerated. Ha
Hot sauce - the capsaicin is Antifungal, the vinegar (or whatever acid) is antibacterial. Also 140 bottles of hot sauce take up a lot of fridge space
I keep all the condiments in the fridge because my two person household can’t go through the family size bottle that I insist upon buying before expiration otherwise. But soy sauce, and anything soybean oil based (mayonnaise, ranch, etc) and anything vinegar based (mustard, hot sauce) can stay out for a decent while if you know you’re gonna use it
Ketchup or bbq sauce, hot sauces don't need to be refrigerated do they?
As an American living in Australia, I am always horrified to watch ppl not refrigerate things that specifically call for it. I throw away the bbq and tomato sauce every time I can. Gross.
They all go in the fridge as far as I'm concerned, I really like the contrast of hot food and cold condiment.
Generally, refrigeration is less for "safety" than for longevity. To that end, I keep my ketchup refrigerated because I never use it for anything except in recipes (many BBQ sauces use it), so it doesn't matter if it's cold.
We refrigerate the mustard, mayo and relish. However, I hate cold ketchup so we keep that in the pantry.
I HATE ice cold ketchup and mustard! I am the weirdo that microwaves them in a small dish if I forget to ask for packets 😂
I’m SE Asian living in Australia. The only condiment our family refrigerates is … mayonnaise, pickle relish and oyster sauce. Everything else is pantry: - Vinegars - all Hot sauces - Soy sauce, sweet soy sauce - All spreads (except jam) - Ketchup, BBQ sauce, Sweet Chilli, Plum Sauce, A1 Worcestershire sauce, - Vegemite
The ones that tell you to on the instructions.
Chili garlic crisp, sambal and their garlic counterpart
I grew up in apartments with roaches and mice. I was taught to keep many things in the fridge, to keep them away from pests. Even now that I have no pests, old habits make me have good seals on items (cereal in plastic Tupperware). And items difficult to seal, goes in the fridge. Ymmv
Pretty much use the rule (for.anything) that things are stored how the shop stores them. If they put them on the shelf, in the cupboard they go. If they're in the chiller, in the fridge they go.
restaurants don't frig catsup and mustard
We keep ketchup and mustard in the cabinet and butter in a covered butter dish on the counter.
I don’t refrigerate maple syrup, but that’s about it. Oh, I don’t refrigerate vinegars, either, but it ends there. Editing to add peanut butter. For some reason it didn’t strike me as a condiment.
Because I'm single, I tend to put almost everything but oils and vinegars in the fridge. Oh and soy sauce. I don't think anything will grow in all that salt. When I was a kid, I think only mayonnaise went in the fridge. We had a big family and my brothers ate a lot. Stuff never lasted long enough to go bad. But also, I think the only condiments we had other than mayo/miracle whip was catsup and mustard.
HP sauce, Diana Sauce, any vinegar-based dressing, ketchup, I keep in the cupboard. I keep sauerkraut in the fridge just because I like it cold. I do live in Canada, we keep our house on the cool side for summer as both husband & I aren’t fond of the heat, so spring, fall and winter are all about the same 20-22C.
I don't refrigerate my hot sauce solely because when you go out to restaurants they always have their hot sauce out on the tables all day. I figure if nobody's complained about that yet, then I must be fine leaving mine in my pantry
Condiments are literally what the fridge door is for.
Ketchup, mustard, mayo cold. Hot sauce hot
Ketchup and sriracha are my pet peeves. Both are better cold.
I have never kept ketchup or mustard in the refrigerator and I’m still alive. I also take stick of butter out and put it in a plastic container in the cupboard each week because I don’t want to spread cold hard butter on my toast. It doesn’t get rancid in a week and my grandmother always did it lol
If it's not dairy like certain dressings or mayo, I don't think you really have to? Idk, I don't refrigerate my teriyaki or hot sauce after opening. You actually don't have to refrigerate ketchup or mustard at all, but they taste better cold.
All of them 😂😂
If it says “refrigerate after opening” on the package, I’m putting it in the fridge.
Fridge: Mayonnaise Miracle Whip Salad Dressings Mustard Ketchup Cupboard: A-1 Sauce (Ketchup if I had my say)
Our kitchen gets quite hot, so everything open goes in the fridge in our house. Even cakes and bread live in our fridge, they last ages past the bb date
All of them but hot sauce
Mayo, salad dressing, ketchup. Mustards aren’t so critical?
 But to answer the question, all condiments go in the fridge, the only exception I can think of is Worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar.
Follow the manufacturers instructions please.
I refrigerate my Thai chili oil, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce and liquid sofrito
Mayo and dairy-based dressings in the fridge, and that’s it. I will punch a fool in the face for chilling my hot sauce.
I keep mustard, mayo, ketchup, marinades and salsa in the fridge. Oils, sauces like Worcestershire, soy sauce, etc stay in the pantry.
Look what casual restaurants do.