If you're down to the bottom of a jar and the nut butter is dry and crumbly (you didn't store it upside down, huh?), a surefire way to give it life is by adding some oil. Just put in a few drops of a neutral oil (like canola or peanut) and stir to get it all incorporated.
When using peanut butter only, the key is heat. Peanut butter is naturally high in fat, but that fat is nearly solid at room temperature. In order to soften it up, you need some heat. In my case, I heated two tablespoons in a heat-proof bowl and then stirred like crazy.
Health-wise, however, rancid peanut butter is not something to really worry about. “It won't hurt you if you eat it — it will just taste bad,” says Maribeth Cousin, a professor of food science at Purdue University in Indiana.
Storing it upside-down will force the oils at the top to travel back through the butter, mixing right in themselves. And if the oil all travels to the bottom of the jar, just store it right-side-up until you use it again.
A small amount of added fats will also make the peanut butter creamier and prevent oil and fat separation from happening because it helps to emulsify the spread. Process for 1 to 2 minutes until a smooth and warm pourable peanut butter forms. Once the nut butter cools down, it will be spreadable with a knife.
Once opened, it should last five to eight months past the best-by date. If your peanut butter has been in the fridge for a while, it might be time to create an excuse to eat more peanut butter!
Because of the addition of stabilizers and preservatives, commercial peanut butters may last 6–24 months in the pantry if left unopened, or 2–3 months once opened. Placing it in the fridge can extend its shelf life beyond this (4).
Past this date, if it's unopened it's still perfectly good. Opened, peanut butter will slowly develop off-flavors of rancid nuts over the next five or so years before it'll taste so bad not even the most peanut butter-obsessed child will go near it. But it's still very unlikely to make you sick.
Store your peanut butter container upside-down. Yes, it really is that simple. See, the liquids that separate from the solid body of peanut butter rise to the top. Storing it upside-down will force the oils at the top to travel back through the butter, mixing right in themselves.
An open jar of peanut butter stays fresh up to three months in the pantry. After that, it's recommended to store the peanut butter in the fridge (where it can maintain its quality for another 3-4 months). If you don't refrigerate, oil separation can occur.
Place the peanut butter in the microwave, and heat it for 30 seconds. Once the 30 seconds is up, stir the peanut butter to makes sure it's melting evenly. Place the peanut butter back in the microwave for another 30 seconds, and stir again. This will probably take a few rounds to get to your desired consistency.
How separation of oil occurs. Since natural peanut butter is made without the use of added stabilizers (such as, hydrogenated oil), the peanuts' natural oils separate and rise to the top of the jar.
The Upside Down Method: Store a jar of natural peanut butter upside down for one to three days, then shake for 20 seconds before opening it. Apparently storing the jar upside down enables the oil to rise back up through the peanut butter and essentially mix itself.
Aside from the pungent taste of rancid peanut butter, the spread will also emit a foul odor. If the butter gives off a bitter, metallic, or soap-like scent, it is time to part ways. Additionally, if the color darkens, the texture becomes dry, or there are signs of mold growth, the peanut butter has gone bad.
According to The National Peanut Board, an unopened jar of peanut butter can last six to nine months at room temperature. Once opened, they say that it can last two to three months in the pantry before you should move it to the fridge, where it can maintain quality for another three to four months.
Place the peanut butter in the microwave, and heat it for 30 seconds. Once the 30 seconds is up, stir the peanut butter to makes sure it's melting evenly. Place the peanut butter back in the microwave for another 30 seconds, and stir again. This will probably take a few rounds to get to your desired consistency.
Yes, melt it. Just scoop a few tablespoons into a microwave-safe bowl, and nuke for 15 second intervals until it reaches a warm, sauce-like consistency. Then comes the real fun. You can pretty much eat it any way you'd like, but we listed eight of our favorite uses for melted peanut butter below.
If your store-bought peanut butter looks hard or dry, it is possible that it does not contain added oils. Peanut butter manufacturers add extra peanut oil (or other oils) to the already oil-rich butter to make it and keep it soft. It is a bad practice because the natural fat content in peanut butter is already 50%.
If unopened, both smooth and crunchy peanut butter will keep for one year past its best before date whether stored in the pantry or fridge. Once it's been opened, both are good for three to four months in the pantry or six to eight months in the refrigerator past that date.
Information. You can keep peanut butter in the pantry for six to nine months (unopened) and two to three months (opened).
Yes, provided it is properly stored and the package is undamaged - commercially packaged peanut butter will typically carry a Best By," "Best if Used By," Best Before, or "Best When Used By" date but this is not a safety date, it is the manufacturer's estimate of how long the peanut butter will remain at peak quality.
It will be fine - peanut butter lasts months or so after the date on them. It is not an expiry date by the way, it is a best before date - that it will taste better before that date. Peanut butter is made with a lot of preservatives so that it has a shelf life of years - so no worries.