Does jelly or jam need refrigeration?

[Pegg]

After we open it????

Just checking to be safe I think it does but who knows??

 

[JenniferW]

I always refridgerate it, but I don't know if it is essential.

Good question!

Jenn

 

[Kermit]

Yes, I'm pretty sure it does. Basically anything that is canned has to be refrigerated after it's opened. I don't think it's as important to keep it as cool as say mayonaise or milk. If you want peanut butter sandwiches in your room, you'll be fine keeping it in the ice bucket if you get new ice twice a day.

You could also get individual servings of jam. A warehouse store like Sams should have them, but only in basic flavors like grape or strawberry.

 

[Pegg]

Ok now this might sound a little bit funny, but everytime I send my daughters lunch to school I always put in a freezer pack no matter what is in her lunch.

Mainly what I was talking about is fixing the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the morning and takeing them to the waterparks. Without a freezer can not put the freezer pack in. Would this work or should I skip taking lunch to the water parks?

and if this doesn;'t work any suggestions of what can be taken to the water parks without a cooler?

 

[cdrn1]

I'm not any big food expert or anything but when I was a kid we worked out in the mint fields (there's more than corn in Indiana!) and we always packed a lunch that would sit in the hot sun till lunchtime and we never, ever, got sick. PB & J and even lunchmeat. BUT, now that I am an adult, and even moreso now that I am a nurse, I don't think it's too wise. If you can't find single serve jelly in the flavors you like, check with your local hospital. We have lots of different flavors. I'm sure they would be willing to sell you a few. If nothing else, you could get small cheap jars and open them at the park and pitch them when you're done (with a fresh one each day) and still be $$$$ ahead of buying food in the parks.

 

[cdrn1]

Or, take some gallon Ziplocs and fill them with ice at the hotel and voila! Freezer packs for your cooler!

 

[Pegg]

The little packages of Jelly can you get them at the same place they have mustard and mayo and all that at the food courts?

Or could I buy them anywhere on property

 

[LKS]

My jar of jelly say "refrigerate after opening," but we always carry pb&J during the day without a problem. Believe it or not, Ann Landers or someone had a question about mayonnaise and the manufacturers said they put in so much preservative that it is perfectly safe NOT to store in fridge, but for best taste etc... they recommend it. I was amazed, but mine will stay in the fridge. Probably the same goes for jelly. Not everyone keeps theirs in the fridge, but it probably keeps better in there. One day - no problem. BTW, I don't store my peanut butter in the fridge - why would that be different?

 

[B3LM]

I do refrigerate my jelly, but not the peanut butter. I don't think that it's necessary to refrigerate a PBJ sandwich - never have - never gotten sick.

 

[Pegg]

Thanks for the replys I never have refrigerated a pb&j sandwich sending it with husband to work, but who knows.

Ok so i guess I am safe taking them to BB for the day, but will keep the jar in the cooler.

 

[MelodyD]

You can get the little packets all over the place for free, at least around here you can. I have started stock piling these for our trip in Sept. I have picked them up from the Cracker Barrel, they give them to you with your biscuits or toast, and we don't ever use them. Also at our local grocery store they have them sitting out with the bagels. I buy a few bagels for sandwiches and grab jelly packets that go with them. Of course those go in the drawer, lunchmeat and jelly on a bagel just doesn't sound too good to me! Those are just two ways I have found I know there has to be more

Melody

 

[FergieTCat]

For what it's worth --

I've been keeping a jar of Smuckers peanut butter and jelly on a counter at home for the past month and it tastes fine to me. I stopped refrigerating it because the peanut butter got too hard to spread.

Donna

 

[SPAGo 98]

For what it's worth, mayonnaise is egg whites and oil. I don't think it CAN spoil. (Well, not unless its like 90º or something like that).

Jelly *should* be refrigerated, but I doubt it really matters. As long as room temperature is below 80ºF, and you keep it closed.

 

[bobcat]

While you probably won't have any problems with a PB&J sandwich unrefrigerated the best precaution is to keep it cool. This can be done with ice in ziplocks, or even if the sandwich was cold and then placed into an insulated cooler it should maintain an ok temp.

The reason that jam and jelly should be refrigerated is not because of the ingredients themselves, unless it is homemade, but because every time you use a knife to spread jelly onto bread and then dip it back into the jelly you are contaminating the jelly. It is the contaminates that can grow bacteria that can cause illness. Refrigerating keeps the temp low so that bacteria can't grow. It also helps maintain taste.

DIS Resident Home Ec Teacher
Lisa

 

[SandraC]

I've never refridgeration jam or jelly. It sits in my pantry beside the PB. We go thru it fast, maybe 7 - 10 days. It's never made us sick. We often pack PB&J sandwiches without freezer paks, that's why we sometimes pick PB&J sandwiches instead of cheese or meat.

 

[Pete's Mom]

My son and I love to eat Goober Grape which is peanut butter and jelly in the same jar (striped) and I keep it in the cupboard sometimes for a month or so and I have never seen any mold on it or gotten sick.

 

[LisaRex]

I have never refrigerated my pb&j sandwiches and I'm a nut about food safety. However, I would highly recommend not making them too far in advance lest they turn into a dreaded soggy-jelly sandwich.

For jelly packets, go to a Cracker Barrel or Bob Evans.

 

[jgates]

Guess what the news recap had tonite! Peanut Butter SLICES!!! Like American Cheese slices I guess. We'll have to wait and see if the packages say refrigerate after opening!!!!
(PS-I don't & am still alive)

 

[mrdvdman]

It depends on the amount of sugar in the jam. The store-brand strawberry jam I purchased at the local supermarket has kept just fine in the cupboard at work for the past 1.5 months. But that is mainly because the high level of sugar, & citric acid in the product keeps the bacteria from growing too fast. But I would definitely refrigerate something like apple butter, or any other product that is low in sugar.

Peanut butter keeps perfectly fine outside the fridge due to the low level of moisture in the product. It should be perfectly fine at room temperature for several months. I would not store it at temperatures above 90 though, because as the oil heats it has the potential to not only separate, but go rancid as well. Not very likely to grow mold however due to the oil in the product, with mold being something that grows in a moist environ.

 

[Todd&Copper]

My grandma never puts her jam in the fridge and she takes months to go thru a small jar.
Regarding peanut butter - anybody not put the natural PB in their fridge? I do, b/c it says to on the jar, but it gets too hard to spread (especially since I pour off the oil that settles on the top).