Pointless host Alexander Armstrong has had his say on where to keep tomato ketchup (Image: BBC/PA)
Pointless host Alexander Armstrong has tried to settle the age-old debate on whether you should keep tomato ketchup in the fridge or the cupboard.
It’s one of those divisive issues everyone has a view on like whether milk goes first in tea, but the presenter of the hit quiz show has waded in to try and put the argument to rest once and for all.
Speaking on an episode of the teatime TV show, Xander, as he prefers to be called, was drawn into the issue after a question about ghee, which is a type of butter originating from India but now popular in many British dishes.
Pointless host Alexander Armstrong finally settled the debate (Image: BBC)
Telling Alexander how it’s made, co-host Vick Hope, sat in ’s old seat, told him: “You pass it through a muslin or strong kitchen roll and that removes the milk solids, so it doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge! So there you go.”
said: “You don’t need to keep ghee in the fridge? No, I suppose you don’t.”
She replied: “No I keep mine in the cupboards.”
Alexander added: “Yeah… and the same by the way goes for tomato ketchup. If any of our children are watching. Or marmalade. Doesn’t have to go in the fridge. And eggs. Just the cupboard.
“Maybe some people like cold tomato ketchup or cold ghee.”
Vick continued: “But you always put tomato ketchup on something hot.”
Alexander continued: “Well exactly. You don’t want it to be cold. Exactly. And every time you open the door, ketchup falls out. Cos it’s next to all the mayonnaise. Really, honestly.”
Heinz prints a warning on every tomato sauce bottle which tells its customers: “Once opened, store in the fridge and consume within eight weeks.”
But do you really need to heed the manufacturer’s advice?
According to Dr Sarah Schenker, a food expert who spoke to Which? Magazine, Alexander Armstrong is right, and you don’t need to refrigerate ketchup.
This is because not only does it contain vinegar, which is a natural preservative, but tomatoes are acidic, which means they don’t rot in ambient room temperatures.