PEEVE ››
People who put ketchup in the refrigerator.
Ketchup does not belong in the refrigerator. First, it does not spoil. Second, nice hot food with ice cold ketchup on it sucks. Restaurants have room temperature ketchup.
— jerry t. from tampa,florida | Household | 9.11.2009 | Comments (41)
COMMENTS ››
so your peeve is "all people"...because all people put ketchup in the fridge.
— Stu
Ketchup has a high turnover rate in restaurants, that's why it can be left out. You must eat a lot of ketchup.
— Biffy
idiot
— p
The bottle clearly says "Refrigerate after opening". At least on the ones that I buy.
— Budgyrl posted 9/11/2009
Ketchup will mold and go rancid, especially in warmer and humid climates. If you don't eat it all in a short time, you have disgusting glop on your hands. If you like your sugary tomato gloop with mold spores, rock on. I don't like it when it's fresh. But don't assume everyone lives in the same climate as you, consumes condiments at the same rate you do, and can store food exactly as you do.
— ewKetchup posted 9/11/2009
Um, yeah. Ketchup will ferment if you leave it out all the time. Haven't you ever gone to a "hole in the wall" restaurant and had some funky tasting ketchup? That's because they, like you, think it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Oh, it so does.
— MeginSing posted 9/13/2009
Ketchup goes in restaurant refrigerators at night. Having had to do crappy ketchup sidework for 5 years as a waitress, I am certain of this.
— jmc posted 9/14/2009
i keep my ketchup in the refrigerator and have NEVER known anyone who has done otherwise! it's called being safe and healthy.
— KC posted 9/15/2009
I agree with MeginSing - tasting fermented ketchup is just the worst thing ever!
— Sara's Whimsy posted 9/16/2009
I don't like cold ketchup either, but I keep mine in the fridge because it most certainly does go bad. I also have a drawer full of ketchup packets from restaurants so that when I MUST have room temperature ketchup, it's available.
— brandi posted 9/17/2009
I know as a fact that ketchup does not spoil. It will last in the cubbard for months. The vinegar and sugar contained in it prevent it from doing so. It will not even go stale. Try it and you will see. Not all people keep ketchup in the fridge.
— jerry t. posted 9/18/2009
If you don't put the ketchup in the fridge it will go bad and explode all over you if you open it. I worked at a steakhouse where they never took the ketchup off the tables and it didn't get used much in some sections and people would get exploded on all the time.
— Lisa posted 10/3/2009
Jerry T, ketchup lasting in the pantry for months does not qualify as "ketchup does not spoil." and yes, it does say you should put in the fridge after opening. plus, how does a vegetable product go stale?
— nicholas posted 10/13/2009
I have been keeping ketchup in the pantry all my life,never any problems with it going bad or explodeing or anything. People I know never complained about my room temperature ketchup.And I never heard anyone in a restaurant complaining that their ketchup is room temperature.
— jerry t. posted 10/16/2009
Oh eew. Ketchup does go bad; we had a very old bottle (in the fridge) that went way past its use-by date, and when I pulled it out to see if it was still edible, the smell almost made me puke. It spoils and goes rancid and is disgusting.
— Lynn posted 10/20/2009
yeah right!!!
— jerry t. posted 10/29/2009
What kind of weird ketchup are people using that spoils and how long is said ketchup not being used? Ketchup usually last in my house about 2-3 months. Ketchup does not belong in the refrigerator. It's acidic.
— thedaffodils posted 12/24/2009
condiments are all meant to be stored in the fridge for safety reasons these days, even soy sauce. however, in certain climates ketchup can be stored at room temp (or like opening hours at restaurants, the manufacturing company...) and in fact the changes in ketchup before/after the Heinz style focused on room temp storability. that in no way implies that it does not ripen or spoil, it obviously does and will like everything but non perishables and honey.
— L posted 2/12/2010
@jerry t: Pure vinegar will only kill about 82% of mold spores, so the amount of vinegar in ketchup isn't going to stop colonization. Sugar will accelerate mold growth, not stop it. You can pretty much guarantee that one or more tomatoes used to make the ketchup were moldy. The Howard Mold Count is used by the FDA to determine "how much mold is too much", but even a mold-per-test-field over 20% is allowed. (See http://www.centralhudsonlab.com/tomato.shtml) Since you can count on there being mold in the ketchup when it was made, refrigeration slows down the rate at which it can colonize. Regardless, you're going to have mold spores in your ketchup. The only way to truly minimize mold will be to hand-pick your own tomatoes, make your own fresh ketchup, and eat it immediately.
— Mark posted 4/7/2010
I don't care whether or not ketchup spoils or how to make it last longer... I'm just actually thrilled that there are other people out there who DON'T put their ketchup in the fridge. I've been informally polling people around here for a while, and it seemed like I was the only person who didn't object to cold ketchup. For reference, the bottles of ketchup I've checked - Heinz, Hunts - haven't said anything about refridgerating. I'm not saying that none of them do, but not the ones I've checked. And I've never really found it necessary to keep them cold. Heck, if it goes bad, so be it; there will always be more at the store. Still, while I acknowledge that most food is perishable on some timeline or another, it's never gone rancid on me, and so I'll take my chances.
— Googol posted 7/8/2010
I used to work at a resturant in a mall and our ketchup would actually get moldy on occasion and I was told to scrape off the mold and place the bottles back out. I haven't eaten ketchup since.
— henry posted 8/18/2010
we had this debate when my girl friend was moving out. She kept her ketchup in the cupboard, everyone else there kept it in the fridge. It doesn't say that you have to refridgerate it (at least her bottle didn't) but not doing so, imho, is gross.
— melly posted 2/16/2011
Jerry- Honey is the only food product that does not spoil. Please continue to enjoy your bacteria filled ketchup with delight.
— Bryon posted 5/27/2011
I happen to like cold ketchup, which is why I store it in the fridge. I love the stuff and use it often so I've never had to worry about spoilage. I give a bottle of Ketchup a lifespan of about 2 months with how much I use it.
— Taylor posted 6/3/2011
Ketchup & mustard should be refrigerated. Despite their acidic ingredients, neither condiment is sufficiently acidic to kill bacteria and microorganisms, including mold, that may be introduced to the containers after opening. Refrigeration does not kill bacteria and microorganisms either, but does slow the growth. Refrigerated, ketchup should keep for up to 6 months; mustard, 1 year.
— posted 8/4/2011
Google "Heinz FAQ." You will see that Heinz recommends refrigerating ketchup after opening. Although it can certainly be left out in mild temperatures for a number of months due to its' acidity, it will lose it's freshness much faster this way, and can eventually ferment and develop other nasty qualities. Restaurants go through a great deal of ketchup(and the glass bottles most use are small), so they can leave it out during the day, but refrigeration is the best policy for freshness.
— Matt posted 8/30/2011
Yeah seriously, fuck people who eat brown eggs. Freaks.
— The Dude posted 12/17/2011
I use Heinz and don't keep it in the fridge. I would sooner not use it than have cold ketchup on hot food. I use the it within a few months. I have never had ketchup go bad and I haven't taken a sick day in work for over 2 years. Safe to say there is NOTHING wrong with keeping it in the cupboard, unless you life cold ketchup in which case keep it in the fridge.
— Sam Jay posted 1/2/2012
I wouldn't take any notice of what they put on the bottle due to health and safety either. They also warn that there might be trace of peanuts in a packet of peanuts. This is because the world is paranoid about health and safety and these warnings are for 0.0001% of the population. Its fine in the cupboard for months, 100%.
— Sam Jay posted 1/2/2012
I totally agree! Pisses me right off! Had friends over this weekend and someone put it in the fridge! I hate cold ketchup on my freshly prepared meal.
— Toytrk posted 1/16/2012
I use cold ketchup to cool down hot food
— chr. posted 1/17/2012
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