Please help me settle a minor dispute with myself and one of my roommates

Alright...so someone buys a container of Kraft grated Parmesan cheese ( most of you people have had this here, I'm assuming ). Well, I grew up eating the stuff, and there seems to be a problem with just how the stuff is supposed to be kept! It IS a dairy product, and as such should be refrigerated ( it says ON THE FUCKING LABEL refrigerate after opening ). Well, my one roommate suggested that this was a stupid, irritating idea, because growing up, his family always kept the grated cheese in the cabinet, along with the other spices and shit....I say...FUCK HIM!!!!! it's a fucking dairy product that needs to be refrigerated, especially after being opened! I won't allow myself to be contaminated with his idiotic upbringing...sorry.

Then again, I have the same problem with peanut butter. I'll go out and buy a container of Skippy, and I PREFER to have it refrigerated, but a couple of my roommates insist that it should be room temperature....like it's some kind of red wine.......FUCKERS!! NO!! Anyone else here have to put up with this bullshit? I know it's petty, but it's just plain irritating to me.

and the peanut butter in the cabinet.

I can't stand cold stiff peanut butter.

peanut butter, I have always refrigerated...as long as I can remember. I just can't figure out what his fucking problem is with that? Is it because it's cold? Uggh

Maybe it's just me, but I was brought up in a household where most of these food products should be kept cold ( it's almost like someone keeping butter in the cabinet....unheard of ). However, I understand that peanut butter doesn't really NEED to be refrigerated. There is an unopened jar right here in the pantry.

Butter at room temperature is amazing. Glides so beautifully onto toast without tearing the bread. Nice, smooth, even layer - no clumps. I'm a big keep-the-butter-in-the-cabinet guy. Enclosed in a butter dish of course. One of my college roommates thought that I was fuckin' crazy for doing it. Then he discovered the simple joys of soft butter, and now he'll never go back to keeping it in the fridge.

By the way, parmesan cheese definitely belongs in the fridge, and peanut butter? Sure, that's purely preference. Not mine, but I wouldn't knock someone for it.

and keep butter at room temperature also. A butter bell creates an airtight seal which helps keep the butter bacteria free.

http://www.butterbell.com/index.php?cPath=1

so, of course, I keep it in the refrigerator.

Kraft also sells the parmesan cheese that we all grew up with which does not have to be refrigerated.

It's as if (your roomates think) the real estate in your refrigerator was more valuable than a pre-war apt on Park Ave.

parenthetical remark added on edit

Oh, wait....you were saying? Did you mean to click on another thread? Sorry if the title mislead you

I don't get their beef with the fridge. It's like they think your cheese is occupying valuable real estate

in the fridge, instead of the kitchen cabinet ( which is "where his family always kept it" )

Well, screw his family....I won't live with his habits

edited to add: Just like I won't live with the fact that his family thinks it's OK to have the cats litter box located in the fucking kitchen...and I have asked MANY people about this, and they think it is disgusting, like I do. I don't need any reassurance of that..no sir.

Thats even weirder. And the kitty box...ugh

the cat box in the kitchen war is at a stand-still right now....

I'm determined to win that battle...by any means necessary

combine the two, put the resulting mix in the freezer. Thaw and use as needed.

Never fight again.

Parmesananutabutter Grated Super Smooth Spread

my roommates don't understand that it will keep for a very long time, but instead, they will take it out of the freezer and let it sit on top of the fridge ( to collect mold )

It needs to be refrigerated.

I always had my own food, anyway, when I wasn't married.

Saves a lot of headaches.

Roomates... :eyes:

and then, freedom and privacy. That's what I miss! :D :hi:

where the rest of it belongs, to begin with

My sister works for Kraft...

keep it in the fridge......

the label says it for a reason.....
duh


lost

Now I don't feel quite-so-insane :hug:

simple, no?

there are three other people who share this apartment, and very little of what is in the fridge is strictly for one persons use. What DOES sit on top of the fridge is bread and potato chips, and things of that nature....

Simple, yeah

sheesh :eyes:

sheesh :think:

:shrug:

but more especially when I have one in my kitchen

fridge in the kitchen.

other items which certain individuals purchase, are in there ( but two of my roommates have fridges in their bedrooms for items that are strictly theirs ). Obviously, those items are off-limits to anyone else. I do not have a separate fridge in my room.

Why?

Even in the height of summer I wouldn't store eggs in the fridge.

Peanut butter is worthless out of the fridge.

you keep yours how you want and they keep theirs how they want.

Quite frankly, cheese should always be in the fridge, imo. Peanut butter varies - if you buy the kind without preservatives then that should be refrigerated too, but everything else I keep in the cabinet.

:hi:

like it says on the label

:shrug;

and store them the way you want. Tell your roomate to use the other stuff they haved stored their way.

just this thing that came up today that just pissed me off

I suppose now it is just a matter of opinion, and partly a matter of ones upbringing.

You can't win either way

:shrug:

You?

in my family we keep the peanut butter on the counter (easy access) and the parmesan in the fridge - not the same kraft brand which i grew up on, and would probably be okay in the cupboard for 100 years or so - real parmesan! now that i'm the boss of the house i buy real parmesan and keep it in the fridge - usually grate and warm it up to room temp before using in various recipes.

"Please help me settle a minor dispute between me and one of my roommmates." or if you want to be polited "between one of my roommates and me."

although I think most people have gotten the point by now

Funny thread, though!

here amongst the lint...here it is!!


not very impressive, is it? :pals: at least you spotted that, though :D

when you point one finger...

:scared:

Don't worry - we'll just laugh it off!

in the fridge and the roommate keeps it out.

Voila....no more issues.

and food items seem to vanish without anyone knowing about it...just like dirty dishes are a mystery around here...who dirtied them, and who should clean them? It's getting aggravating, man

Butter -- no fridge. Ketchup -- fridge. I've got a Scottish friend who thinks Americans are wacky for keeping eggs in the fridge instead of at room temp. :shrug: It's funny how we carry our habits from childhood with us isn't it?

for what it's worth, I think cheese = fridge and PB = cupboard

because they don't put the eggs in the fridge?

They don't need a fridge for anything.

wow, about 40 years ago (time does fly), the people I with whom I stayed had no fridge. No problem, milk, eggs, produce kept wonderfully well just in the kitchen. But we are also talking about local shops and daily shopping. They didn't store "fresh" things as we do. The last time I saw them, they did have a fridge. The weather hadn't improved, though.

fine...I understand. Some people like it that way, others don't ( although I know I'm not the only person who keeps peanut butter in the fridge, not by a long shot )! Ketchup and butter have belonged in the fridge ever since I've been a kid...that's not going to change now.

Weird habits...damn them

Friend of mine did a study on eggs when she was in food science school, and no, eggs don't need refrigeration.

although they do go off after a while.

The best way to test how fresh the egg is this, put the unbroken egg in a pan of cold water, really fresh eggs lie horizontally on the bottom of a pan - as they age the blunt end rises up until after a few days it will bob to the surface.(but by that time it's unsafe to eat).

something that's lasted a year on a store shelf isn't going to go lethal on you for being out overnight.

Still, if it's that big of a deal, I'd put it in the fridge. Or the cabinet. Whatever, man.

*Has proper tantrum* That's plain-long NASTY.:scared:

Personally, I've never ever seen Kraft Parmesan cheese go bad, I don't think it's even possible.

Fresh stuff, yes, sure. Anything in a green plastic 'can'? Nope.

I will take that seriously, and do so

:crazy: in that amount of time..holy shit

I buy the organic peanut butter from Trader Joe's (the kind you have to stir the oil into) and that needs to be refrigerated.

I've always refrigerated mine...and I seem to be in the minority, here. Well, at least I'm in the majority of people who think that grated cheese should be kept refrigerated! :P

Same setup for the peanut butter. Personally, I think both should be refrigerated, since both contain fat.

we all work different shifts....I could go out food shopping one day after spending $150.00 on groceries for things that were just for me, and things that were for the house ( we all do that, from time-to-time ). Things like bread, eggs, butter, cheese, hot dogs, and maybe the occasional delicacy like Hot Pockets. If someone goes out and buys some steaks, we cook them up on the grill and chip in money for the cost. When I go out and get a couple cases of beer, everyone chips in for that, too.


This dispute is all about preference and ones upbringing....and some things just get on my nerves, is all

your roommate shouldn't be that averse to it, I know I wouldn't be bothered over taking the extra 5 seconds to open and close a fridge door :)

and I wouldn't even try...believe me...he happens to be a hard-core Republican

change to them is cell-phone photos to you

:P yeah, that has stopped since I've been going to the HIGHER CLASS bar two doors down from my job....

Sure, I'm paying at least five bucks a lager, but I know that there is nobody there with cell-phone cameras ( just a bunch of local, drunken business-owners )

the one in the refrigerator will be the cold one and the one in the cupboard will be the room temperature one? If it's a dispute over whether the items should be refrigerated or not, why not just make both options available, then the dispute should go away...

At least, I'm guessing you do not

edited to add: I understand the grievance with the whole peanut butter thing now ( I feel like I've been crucified ) but everything I buy like that I refrigerate after opening it....been doing that for years and everything has been FINE AND DANDY on that front.....

Refrigerate after opening - that settles it. His family are boneheaded morans. I have some of the same prodiuct and it is on the door of my refrigerator. I used some last night on my spaghetti.

I knew someone who insisted on keeping the ketchup in the cupboard - even though it too says to refrigerate it -- They acted like it was some sort of crazy idea to follow the directions... Then, one day, after a nice hot week... they opened it up and they had ketchup all over the kitchen -- BECAUSE IT WENT BAD AND EXPLODED...

The cheese will not explode but it will taste ultra funky and may turn green

I've always kept it refrigerated, but now I feel like some kind of freak ( I know I am, already )


Go on....I can take it!!!!!

is in the cupboard...
Where it belongs.

I toss it out if it has been there too long.

this reminded me of 'bread wars' on a vacation years ago.
I don't like bread that's in the fridge, it must be room temp. cold bread is icky.
but my traveller friend kept sticking the bread in the fridge
and I kept taking it out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinogen


The snooty, cheese-loving part of myself would be surprised to learn that there's actually any dairy product to be found in a can of Kraft alleged Parmesan. But a rational, scientific mind would have to conclude that if there is indeed some part of a cow, or a goat or a horse involved in the manufacture of that...product, it too should be refrigerated.

WHAT is the big deal with that? Peoples mouths cant stand eating something cold? Or cant the peanut butter warm up a bit? Cold parmesan cheese on spaghetti? How odd! I think not....

When I was growing up, my mom always kept the parmesan cheese in the cabinet. Ever since I left home and started cooking for myself, I have kept the parmesan cheese in the refrigerator. (been over a decade now) It tastes better and fresher if you keep it in the fridge.

Peanut butter is a toss up. I think it is better if you refrigerate it, but it becomes harder to spread on a piece of bread. (kind of like butter)

kudos to you....a cheese product being kept in the refrigerator ( at least I'm not the only psycho ) peanut butter? Well..maybe I can understand that it's not as spreadable if its kept in the fridge, but I'll be damned if someone tries to tell me that it will keep longer in a room-temperature cabinet.

Cheese should definitely be in the fridge. And, for what it is worth, I had a microbiology teacher tell me to keep the peanut butter in the fridge as well, since certain microbes tend to grow in room temp peanut butter.

You're starting to sound like a creationist :P

now it should

!#!#@#!@$!@$!@$!@$!@$@%@

cheese in the refrigerator, as well as peanut butter. It's nice to know that I'm not a freak. Although, most people I have spoken to about this agree with me on both points...maybe it's a regional thing? Who knows....

It's mostly oil, and oil doesn't go bad, and seems to protect the myriad other chemicals (including peanuts) in the substance. Organic PB needs refrigeration though.

The cheese is technically already curdled milk, and is thus already bad, but needs to be refrigerated. It can get worse. Just because no one in his family has died of food poisoning yet doesn't make it alright.

and I keep bread frozen ( it will stay good for months if you keep it that way ) but peanut butter I have always kept refrigerated...and have never had a problem with spreading it..

I agree with your assessment on the grated cheese....most people here seem to be missing the fact that it is ( and has been derived from ) a "dairy source". So, keeping it in a cabinet for long periods of time is not my idea of .....safe eating.

Buy two. Freeze one. If any of the first loaf goes bad, your "family" obviously needs to buy one instead of two.

And do you buy crunchy or creamy? Because I find that creamy spreads well no matter what, but crunchy -- which I prefer -- doesn't enjoy refrigeration. It just doesn't taste right unless you leave it on the counter for a couple of hours first.

Freeze it if you want to, but that's an aesthetic, gourmet decision, not one backed by science.

Actually, my 11 year old prefers creamy AND likes it refrigerated, but she's 11. I buy it, I pick it, and I like CRUNCHY. If I buy it and it's not crunchy enough, I add extra peanuts. If she doesn't like it, she can buy her own. In five years, when she's old enough to get a job, which I probably won't let her get because then she'll spend her money on pot, or, worse yet, creamy peanut butter. Until then, this is a crunchy household. Crunchy, and unrefrigerated.

depending also, on the situation that particular week...freezing two loaves will help, yes. I figure one thawed loaf ( will will last about four days, before going stale, sitting out ) will be good for a few sandwiches for myself any my fellow roommates. I don't have an actual "family" situation here...I'm just trying to make it economical for everyone.

I like crunchy and creamy peanut butter...it doesn't matter which one I get, it depends on my mood.

Enjoy your crunchy, un-refrigerated household. :hi:

Since I'm always buying the all-organic yadda yadda, the oil floats to the top. So I mix it up once really good and chuck it in the fridge, otherwise it will continue to do so. ;)

I've always wanted to give it a shot, but one friend of mine told me he had a natural peanut butter that was really nasty tasting....

I've seen one or two brands on the shelf..I'm curious as to what I may be missing

Actually tastes like peanuts, for one thing, and has a much nicer texture, IMHO.

That said, I've run across some unpleasant "natural" peanut butters in my day--I'm not sure why, but sometimes the really expensive all-organic stuff comes out nasty. I usually just buy the generic "Just Peanuts" stuff that leaves out the added salt, sugar :puke:, and emulsifiers.

As crispini observes, you do need to stir in the oil that rises to the top, then refrigerate so it doesn't separate again. :hi:

I always get crunchy, and they do a good job of making them super-crunchy. Aside from that oil separation thing there's no taste difference I've noticed. I like to buy organics whenever I can, and I love me some peanut butter! :D

but I'm willing to go with natural peanut butter, just to give it a shot!

I've tried a few others that I can't remember, they were good too but a bit more expensive than the store brand. :)

I am a biochemist and nutritionist.

Contrary to what some may think, the oil in PB can go rancid. PLEASE, refrig!

thanks :D I thought I was brought up this way for a reason

ARE preserved. That is one of the reasons they exist - as a way of safely storing milk.

Now as a somewhat typical american I store cheese in plastic in the fridge, but man does it drive my German friends nuts, especially during cooler weather.

Green can parmesan isn't going to go bad very fast out on the table - unless you are living in a hot very humid place??? All the pizza places I have ever been to left it out all the time.

Skippy goes in teh cupboard in this house, and when I have bought green can parmesan I too kept it in the fridge, but never stressed if it got left out overnight or all day.

stresses about it being in the fridge at all...

That's my problem, here....the product is labeled to be refrigerated after opening...

I REALLY don't think the way I've been brought up on this one is so.....strange

It's clearly defined, and apparently, my parents read the label...and followed the directions on said label.

so, apparently, the stuff doesn't go bad after months of sitting out...but I won't be Krafts guinea pig in that experiment

It's not food.

It's a processed cheese food product.

My suggestion is that if you go to a bar that has table shuffleboard you use it as table wax.

Refrigerate your peanut butter - it goes rancid.

HE IS A F***ING IDIOT

:toast:

It's a trillion times better and there is no ambiguity--it definitely should be refrigerated after the first use

From other folks comments I'm guessing that this parmesan isn't produced according to the specific rules of Italian Parmesan (which means it couldn't legally be sold in the U.K. as parmesan)...but cheese should be served at room temperature. Compare especially a cheese like brie, there is no real comparison - but if you're talking about something to throw on the top of Italianesque food, then it will be heated by the food pretty quickly anyway.

And you're a weirdo if you refridgerate your peanut butter. :P Seriously, how can you spread it if it's cold?

:shrug:

I think wherever you keep the Fluff is the same place you should keep the PB. I assume there is no controversy about jelly/jam being in the fridge?

Cheese definitely goes in the fridge.

You could probably google that. I think the bacteria is a carcinogen.

it's a fungus, and it's present in every single jar of peanut butter in the world- refrigerated or not. Refrigeration may slow the growth, but whether or not it's a significant slowing is a toss-up.

Peanut butter in the fridge is a fucking abomination. Cold peanut butter is not only the shits, it's totally un-fucking-spreadable.

x(

Cheese is better eaten at room temp, but that doesn't mean thats how you store it.

Cold peanut butter?! :puke:

:hi:

You're having it with one of your roommates.

and I can't believe this thread is still going...I almost forgot about it

Refrigeration is safer.

keep it in a cool dark place.

I say (and the label says) to refrigerate after opening, but he stored open ketchup and mustard in the cupboard. How many bottles of ketchup and mustard did I throw out during that relationship? Don't ask.

Whisky=stomach. Next?

6 of one, half-dozen of the other on the peanut butter- assuming you're eating it within a month or so after opening, and it's not one of those "natural" peanut butters....

But back to the cheese.... Seriously- with that stuff, you might as well be sprinkling little bits of sand on your food. Do yourself a big favor and go buy a block of REAL parmesan or romano cheese and grate it as needed.

but the stuff is just too damned expensive anymore :-(

fortunately, a little goes a long way.

One of my favorite convenience dishes is pasta tossed with a little butter, fresh parmesan reggiano, and fresh-ground black pepper.