Tuesday
Jul032007
A clear issue of black and white (and red)
Tuesday, July 3, 2007 at 12:38AM
Q: Do you keep your ketchup in the fridge or the pantry?
A: You put it in the fridge. However, you are wrong.
Probably eight years ago, when Cason and I were roommates, we got to talking about ketchup. Both of our mothers kept it in the fridge, so we did too. We realized that it never tasted as good at home as it did in a restaurant. Because it's not cold. It's room-temperature. Doesn't put cold all over the hot of your burger or your fries. Very important.
We worried that maybe something was amiss. Stuff like ketchup is supposed to be refrigerated, right? It didn't say anything on the bottle. So Cason called Heinz. No lie. He picked up the phone, dialed the 800-number he saw on the back and pushed buttons until he got somebody.
"Hi, am I supposed to keep my ketchup in the fridge?"
"No. You can, but you don't have to."
And our lives were changed forever. Farewell heat-lessening tomatage!! I will never keep you in the fridge again.
Your thoughts??
A: You put it in the fridge. However, you are wrong.
Probably eight years ago, when Cason and I were roommates, we got to talking about ketchup. Both of our mothers kept it in the fridge, so we did too. We realized that it never tasted as good at home as it did in a restaurant. Because it's not cold. It's room-temperature. Doesn't put cold all over the hot of your burger or your fries. Very important.
We worried that maybe something was amiss. Stuff like ketchup is supposed to be refrigerated, right? It didn't say anything on the bottle. So Cason called Heinz. No lie. He picked up the phone, dialed the 800-number he saw on the back and pushed buttons until he got somebody.
"Hi, am I supposed to keep my ketchup in the fridge?"
"No. You can, but you don't have to."
And our lives were changed forever. Farewell heat-lessening tomatage!! I will never keep you in the fridge again.
Your thoughts??
Reader Comments (23)
Andy, you just changed my life. Thank you sir (and Cason!)
I had a very similar life changing experience when I got married and moved from Canada to the good ol' USofA. If I'm not mistaken, Canadian Hienz says "Refrigerate after opening" while American does not (I'll double check this when I'm in Canada next week). I could spout off with "Give me Liberty (and warm ketchup) or give me death" but I won't. I will say that warm ketchup rules!
that's so funny. I always keep mine in the fridge ( my mom did as well) but have never noticed a difference in taste. It seems like maple syrup is the same way.
My mom always kept ketchup (catsup?) in the fridge. However, when I got married, I found out that Becky keeps it in the pantry. I have learned to adjust. Actually, I like the ketchup better at room temperature - it just took me a while to remember to put it back in the pantry instead of the fridge!
"Heat-lessening tomatage?" Andy, you'rr the bestest.
Here's another one, chocolate milk syrup says to refrigerate after opening, but it's too stinking hard to squeeze out once it's cold.
Ha ha! Brilliant! Never even thought of this.
What a great analogy for our other handed-down assumptions...
you must refrigerate ketchup, wear ties and hats on Sunday, keep women out of decision-making, and stay away from the earth's edge...
Ketchup doesn't belong in the fridge. However, mayonnaise does. And you shouldn't eat it after it's opened and sitting out for a few days.
You pagan! You violated the ketchup tradition! It must go in the refrigerator! It MUST! Tradition must rule supreme! You shall pay for your heathenistic indiscretions!
Bwaahaahaahaa!
isn't mustard also like ketchup? I mean... I still keep it in the fridge, but in my college days... I am pretty sure I would leave it out a lot
also, (Another) Josh, if the mayonnaise is hermetically sealed, you do not have to refrigerate it. BUT, once the seal is broken, it MUST be moved there lest it spoil...
After I got married, we used to have one bottle in the fridge and the other in the cabinet, to suit our preferences (I prefer the cabinet, of course). I've since pretty much given up on ketchup and decided that mustard and hot sauce is the way to go in life.
Pretty sure my life is forever changed. This does mean, though, that our bottle that is now designed to easily keep in the fridge is quite misleading...
really? you don't refridgerate ketchp? here is one, though: you are supposed to refridgerate opened soy sauce. I think my family did this, but at the group home I work at, several staff would forget to put the open soy sauce back in the fridge
Well DUH! After all, restaurants don't refrigerate their ketchup. Most places just leave the bottle on the table the whole time, and many of the fast foodies have it out in one those squirt dispensers.
Of course I say "duh" now, but it naturally I've never noticed or thought about it before! ;-P But then I hate ketchup, so I'm using that to prop up the delusion that, if I did like it, I too would have made this realization!
But I have "discovered" another thing you (usually) don't have to refrigerate, but most people do:
Margarine!
Parkay, Blue Bonnet, etc. (margarine, not butter). I discovered this at the favored grad student grocer in Charlottesville, VA, when they had a huge sales display stack of it -- sitting out in the middle of the aisle!
my parents keep their parmesan cheese at room temperature, which is in clear violation of the instructions on the container. but i'll be honest, it doesnt go bad. in fact, i think it ages more at room temperature, which makes it taste better. perhaps refrigerators are a big farce and everything can be stored at room temp including milk, eggs, cheese, and beer.
This is hilarious! I remember when my husband told me (while we were still dating) he didn't refrigerate his ketchup, and he was with my family, and we were all kind of horrified, as if he'd broken some supremely important unspoken rule. Then I had some of his crazy room temperature ketchup and realized that it tastes just like restaurant ketchup, and I was converted. I've never looked back, and our ketchup and mustard stay out of the fridge. :)
We dont refrigerate because of you. Thanks for showing us the light.
...and they say you dont learn anything in internships
that's crazy. but that makes complete sense.
I have never refrigerated fresh tomatoes for the same reason. they taste so much better not cold.
Eureka!
Thank you! Thank you so much for this information! :)
Neighbor Paul: Which grocer in Charlottesville? I'm curious!
Yeah, my family never kept the ketchup refrigerated, always room temperature; my friends thought that was so weird when they came over! I, however, do not understand how people leave butter lying out (no, not margerine, BUTTER!) room temperature, all the time. That can't be good for your health, can it?
I was at a church in Pittsburgh one time and the guy there showed me the Heinz's pew and a stain glass window they dedicated. It would have been helpful if, on the little plaque, instead of "to the Glory of God" they instead put "no need to refrigerate". It might have actually brought more glory to God, come to think of it.
My mother kept margarine on the counter and I always thought it was weird - I didn't get the "margarine isn't milk-based" memo. As for the ketchup, I keep mine in the fridge... and haven't had a second throught about it until now. When I get home, that bottle is going to feel the toasty warmth of the pantry for the first time. The mustard is staying in the fridge. Nothing better than nice cold mustard on a hot dog... mmm.
I realize this is long after anyone will actually read this post, but I feel burdened to say that I actually enjoy cold ketchup, in fact, it is an essential component of cheeseburger enjoyment for me. You see, I am a dipper, and to me there is nothing quite like dipping a hot cb into well-chilled ketchup. The salty, the sweet, the hot, the cold - it brings balance to my life. So, my ketchup is staying in the fridge. But thank you for the insight.