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Be A Cow
Senior Member
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Posted: 1 May 2006 05:43 pm |
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Ok, so, I just opened a jar of natural (Adams, unsalted) peanut butter 4 days ago. I was in a hurry, and didn't want to deal with stirring in the oil that sits on top, so I poured it off into a little container (almost 1/4 cup of oil). And then I stirred (quickly :)) the pb, and stuck it in the fridge.
Anyway, here is my question(s):
Does anyone know if what I poured off would be all fat??
and then also,
Since being in the fridge, the pb isn't nearly as hard/stiff as the last jar that I stirred all the oil into . . . could that be because of the fat/oil I poured off? (I know that olive oil gets hard if you refridgerate it, but would the oil make the pb even more stiff??
If pouring the oil off does make the pb softer, and have less fat/calories--I thought this would be a good/interesting idea/thing to share w/ everyone :)
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Peter
Founder of this forum
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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| Posts: | 4180 |
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Posted: 2 May 2006 04:38 am |
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I didn't think you needed to put peanut butter in the fridge. Does the jar say to?
Peter
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Be A Cow
Senior Member
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Posted: 2 May 2006 05:50 pm |
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| The natural pb says to refridgerate after opening :)
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NevD
New Member
| Joined: | 26 Oct 2005 |
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| Posts: | 1536 |
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Posted: 2 May 2006 06:38 pm |
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I'd guess that what separated out would have been just about 100% oil. Can't remember from my Chemisty whether oil emulsifies when colder, but it certainly becomes more viscose (which is why the maximum damage to your car's moving parts is just after starting it up). Oops, that should have been 'auto' for most of you - I forget I'm going Transatlantic sometimes...
You probably need to refrigerate natural PB because it's not pumped full of preservatives.
First time I've ever heard of anyone giving their favourite spread an 'oil change', though.
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wm
Senior Member
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Posted: 2 May 2006 07:44 pm |
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Saturated fats (butter, lard, coconut oil) harden when chilled. Most remain fairly firm even at room temperature, which is what makes them ideal for so many culinary creations. Unfortunately, saturated fats also tend to become rancid quite readily, which is why manufacturers embraced trans fats (hydrogenated oils): they behave like satured fats without going rancid; they are also much cheaper.
Most commercial manufacturers add partially hydrogenated oils (among other things) to peanut butter to prevent it from separating and becoming rancid at room temperature. They also add sugars to disguise the bitter taste of the low quality peanuts they use.
The oil in natural peanut butter is not highly saturated, which is why it separates out as liquid at room temperature. Keeping it chilled slows this process, and also prevents the the peanut butter from becoming rancid.
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KICKIN_IT_IN_MI
Member
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Posted: 5 May 2006 11:40 pm |
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| A dietitian I was going to once said to pour off about half of the liquid but keep the other half.
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Be A Cow
Senior Member
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Posted: 8 May 2006 10:28 pm |
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Do you know/remember their (your dietitian) reasoning for that ??
Oh, and my peanut butter is still a lot softer than that last jar where I didn't pour off the liquid :)
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KICKIN_IT_IN_MI
Member
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Posted: 9 May 2006 12:35 am |
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| If I recall it was to cut down on the fat content. The brand I used once was not as fluffy soft when you got down to the second half of the jar so I would not get rid of all the liquid until you are sure you don't need it.
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