More importantly, what about mustard?

It’s still March and it just snowed. While grilling is a year-round activity for me, recent bouts of warm weather have delectable barbeque aromas seeping into our open windows. This prompted a discussion on what to grill for dinner, which led to preferred condiments, which led us down the path of where to store said condiments.

I have 3 or 4 types of mustard, all stored in the fridge. I rarely have ketchup on hand, except for when my friend John sneaks some in and hides it in my house! 

When I find it, I store that in the fridge too. 

Heinz, one of the largest producers of ketchup and mustard, has run several polls asking where their buyers prefer to store these: pantry or refrigerator. Surprisingly, the answer is fairly split down the middle.

So does it come down to preference vs safety?

According to Heinz, ketchup is shelf-stable due to its natural acidity, but they recommend storing it in the refrigerator once it’s opened to “maintain product quality.” Their bottle labels are even marked, “For best results, refrigerate after opening.”

So why do restaurants store these on the table at room temperature?
Volume. They go through it quicker. 

If you decide to snub the fridge, it’s recommended to only store ketchup for 1 month and mustard for 2 months unrefrigerated.

Bring on summer because this condiment controversy has been solved.

Tell me, is this going to change where you store your condiments?

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