Thread: peanut butter

Originally Posted by Jodi

The canning process itself preserves them.

I don't work at Smuckers so I don't know. They probably do add stuff to it. Either way I don't see how "The canning process" adds preservatives to something unless something is put in there. My parents have been canning green beans and things like that for years. Set them on a counter and they will go bad to. Seal them in an air tight jar and they last forever. I've seen this done a million times, and when they can something such as green beans nothing goes in the glass jar but green beans, and water. That's it...

Originally Posted by Jodi

The canning process itself preserves them.

I doubt the little bit of salt in there makes it be able to last several months on a shelf.

Get a blender, add peanuts to it and salt and grind it up. Put it in a jar and leave it on the counter. See how long it lasts. I'd bet only a few days. Once the oils are separated it makes it perishable if it doesn't have preservatives.

I get my PB from the store where they grind it when you buy it. Just plain peanuts. I usually go thru it in 3-4 weeks. I do not refrigerate it either, just put it in the cupboard. I never have noticed any significant separation of the oil. Although a slight amount collects at that top, it is nothing like the natty PBs that are in the jars. Nor have I noticed any spoiling or unusual growths in the PB.

I figure the peanuts have a long shelf life, so how would grinding them shorten the shelf life of the PB? Unless the grinding process adds heat and some how creates a bacteria friendly envirionment.