Have you ever read the back of the bottles on your condiments. Some condiments may surprise you because they suggest for best results refrigerate after opening.
1.Peanut Butter – This surprised me, but the back of the peanut butter says “Refrigerate to reduce oil separation.” Most peanut butter is probably fine without being refrigerated, but we buy natural organic peanut butter and it does need to kept refrigerated.
2. Soy Sauce – The bottle states “Refrigerate After Opening,” but soy sauce is made from fermented soy beans and many people still do not refrigerate it, but if it takes you a while to go through the bottle completely, you should refrigerate it for best results in fact the sauce may keep its flavor longer.
3. A.1. Steak Sauce – Bottle reads “Refrigerate After Opening for best quality.” Refrigeration for this sauce is probably optional as well but like soy sauce, purchase smaller quantities if you don’t want to store it in your refrigerator.
4. Duck Sauce – Stir fries are a staple in my home and so duck sauce comes in handy when we make Asian themed meals. I was surprised that this condiment also said, “Refrigerate after opening.”
5. Bottled Lemon Juice – Last but not least the bottled lemon juice from concentrate states to “refrigerate after opening.”
I keep all five of these condiments in my refrigerator, but i grew up in a home that did not. I believe that to reduce allergies to certain bacterias and stay healthier I rather place these items in the refrigerator. If you notice that the condiments look, smell, and have a different consistency, most likely it has started going bad. For “best results” keep the bottles closed tightly in your refrigerator.