Do you refrigerate your ketchup?

Question

I don't.... i keep it in the cupboard. I don't like cold ketchup on hot food!

And just as an FYI; i grew up in a house where the ketchup and syrup was kept in the cupboard. Neither one went bad and i am healthy. So all of you saying "GROSS" or "It has to be refrigerated"... you are incorrect. :o)

Answer 1

I am like you, I don't like to put cold ketchup on hot food. We have never put ours in the fridge. I have never had any of it go bad either.

Answer 2

Yes...and this is strange too because I just heard a couple of days ago that you should (they were discussing the E Coli situation). I never worried about leaving it out on the counter for a while before. I do not like cold ketchup on hot food either...so I guess I will have to find a way of taking the chill off before I use it.

Answer 3

In order to ensure it's kept safe for you, it needs to be refrigerated. Instead of typing this all out, I'm copying an article that explains it well enough.

Why Refrigerate Ketchup?
Q: Why does my ketchup bottle say to refrigerate after opening? When I was a child, we used to keep the ketchup in the cupboard.

Good question! And it's not only ketchup. The same thing applies to soya sauce and a bunch of other items.

There are four possible reasons for the change. The first, and most cynical, is perhaps because manufacturers don't like to be sued. Warning you to keep the ketchup in the fridge is one way to prevent such problems. If you were to get sick with something that can be traced back to the ketchup and you didn't refrigerate it, the problem is yours, not theirs.

A second reason is that the preparation of many foods has changed. Because of the availability of refrigeration, it is possible to keep foods longer with lower levels of the preservatives. Pickles can be made with less salt and vinegar, which makes them taste less harsh and gives a nicer texture, but the trade-off is that they don't keep as well. That's why some brands of pickles tell you to always keep them refrigerated, even before the first time they are opened.

Which leads us to the third reason - consumer awareness and health. Reducing levels of some of the chemicals typically used to keep foods, such as salt, improves their healthfulness. With increased consumer attention to salt, sulphates, nitrates and other preservatives, which can now be found listed on food labels, consumers are demanding more healthy products. Products change to meet these demands.

And finally, regulation. Through various regulations and agencies, the government is responsible for maintaining a safe food supply. This has brought about dramatic changes in the way foods are prepared and handled. The instructor of the meat-cutting class which I took opined on the first day that we are handling food with such care, and reducing so many risks, that we may be killing off our tolerance to the occasional stray bug. Certainly, the way foods are stored and displayed in many countries varies hugely from what we are used to in North America. At the same time, allowable levels of those same chemicals, mentioned above, used to preserve foods have been reduced, as we learn more about their impact on the body.

All of these changes suggest that keeping your ketchup in the fridge is the best option for food safety.

Answer 4

Yes, I refrigerate the ketchup so it'll stay fresh longer, but I usually set it on the table long enough before serving the food that it's room temperature by the time the burgers (or whatever) hit the plates.

Answer 5

I so rarely ever use ketchep. The last time I bought some was 4 years ago and it stayed in the refrigerator until I moved and threw it away. I've only bought maybe 2 bottles in the last 8 years because I only use it on my scrambled eggs

Answer 6

Ketchup I keep in the fridge; syrup I keep in the cupboard.

Answer 7

Sure, leave it in the cupboard. After 3 or 4 months, try to enjoy it on your hot dog or whatever.
You'll be keeping it in the refrigerator after that for sure.!

Answer 8

Yes

Answer 9

Yes

Answer 10

Mostly,but if i leave it on the counter for a couple of days i don't worry about it.If it sits in your cupboard to long it will start too ferment.It makes great jail moonshine.