FoodBozo.com

An unopened bottle of soy sauce can last years on the shelf, but some things need chilling.

You like to keep your peanut butter in the fridge. Your spouse says it’s fine on the shelf. Who’s right? Actually, you both are, as long as you plan to finish the jar within a few months. Put an end to the “Great Condiment Debate” with this handy list of storage and shelf life tips for your favorite dressings and spreads:

Ketchup Like many condiments, ketchup can be stored either in the refrigerator or on the shelf even after it’s been opened. If you don’t use it regularly, however, opt for the fridge. Unopened ketchup will last at least a year. Once opened, it should be used within a month if stored in the cabinet or within six months if stored in the refrigerator.

Mayonnaise Unopened mayonnaise stored in the pantry should ideally be used by the “Best By” date on the package (but in most cases will still be good for up to four months after that date). Mayo is made from eggs, so it must be refrigerated once it’s been opened. A jar will last up to three months in the refrigerator and should never be left on the counter for more than an hour or two.

Read more: Ending the Great Condiment Debate

The most popular theory is that the word ketchup was derived from “koe-chiap” or “ke-tsiap” in the Amoy dialect of China, where it meant the brine of pickled fish or shellfish. Some people prefer the Malayan word “kechap” (spelled ketjap by the Dutch), which may have come from the Chinese in the first place.

Read more here: The condiment “KETCHUP” where did the name come from?

By Sarah Skidmore, The Associated Press

For decades there was only one way to use the humble ketchup packet, and it was messy. Now, fast-food lovers have a choice: the traditional squeeze play – or the option to dunk.

You want fries with that, in the minivan? No problem.

The new ketchup pack, unveiled Thursday by H.J. Heinz Co., is shaped like a shallow cup. The top can be peeled back for dipping, or the end can be torn off for squeezing. It holds three times as much ketchup as a traditional packet.

Customers at a McDonald’s in Covington, Ky., said they would welcome a redesign.

“You use up a lot of ketchup now with the packets, I always get extra ones,” said Skyler McDermott, 29. “Maybe now you won’t have to use your teeth to open them.”

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