One food that surprisingly belongs in the fridge – despite nobody ever keeping it there

The debate of whether to refrigerate ketchup or that box of eggs is a tale as old as the device itself, but there are far more ingredients that have gone under the radar that should be kept cold. One shocking discovery comes in the form of jarred food that has fooled households across the country.

According to tech experts at CNET peanut butter should have a home in your fridge, despite it being firmly in the cupboard of many households. This is because at room temperature the natural oils from the butter will separate and over time can become rancid.

The smell will be escpcially distinct – a mix of metallic, bitter, and stale odours, almost like old cooking oil, with a sharp or unpleasant aroma that is distinctly not like fresh peanuts.

If you still have a hankering for a peanut butter sandwich, and the smell hasn’t put you off, eating the spoiled food could have some dire health consequences.

People can expect stomach upset, diarrhoea, or vomiting, all the hallmarks of mild food poisoning, although due to the higher fat content of the spread will generally not have such extreme impacts.

Not only can peanut butter go rancid before you know it, but all nut butter should be kept in the fridge – so whether you are more fond of almond butter or you tend to grab a jar of hazelnut butter it should all be kept cold.

Natural, unprocessed nut butter is most at risk of turning bad, with ingredients mostly consisting of just nuts, once the oil separates it’s only a matter of time before turning past its best.

These products should generally be consumed after a few weeks of opening the jar but it’s recommended to always check the best-before date.

According to , around 9.5 million tonnes of is wasted in the UK every single year which amounts to 60 per cent of throwing away ingredients.

The one simple change to refrigerate the spread increases the shelf life by eight times and could last up to six months after opening.

More processed and artificial peanut butter is generally okay to be kept in the cupboard due to the addition of preservatives and stabilizers, these nut butter can last between six and 24 months left in a cupboard or around two to three months once opened.

However, for those who will make the switch to the fridge, it does come with a drawback, keeping the spread cold will keep the butter firm and hard to spread – similar to chilled cow’s butter – so it’s suggested to take the jar out of the fridge roughly and hour before you want to use it.