Does Jelly Really Need Refridgeration?

[Kevenswife2]

In an attempt to save a little money (and satisify a picky eater) I'm thinking about making p.b.& j.'s in my hotel room. I won't have a refridgerator and was wondering how important it is to keep an opened jar of jelly cold? I sure would hate for my daughter to get food poisoning and be sick. That sure would put a damper on the trip!

 

[jann1033]

i don't know what it says on the jelly jar but unless it is freezer jelly I'd say no since it is so high in sugar ( like honey) and most fruits are acidic to boot. I know I have been to restaurants that have apple butter or similar in jars on the table like catsup( which I always refrigerate!) around here though costco type stores sell the little packages like you see on tables in restaurants or maybe skip it on your toast and pocket the pack for later!

 

[my2tinkerbells]

I always keep jelly in the fridge, I'm not sure if it would make you sick or not to leave it out. There is one brand, can't think of the name right now, the kind that has the peanut butter and stripes of jelly in the same jar, that kind does not have to go in the fridge. If your little one will eat that kind, it might make you feel a litte better not putting it in the fridge.

Just my 2 cents!

Jill

 

[Aubrey]

Commercially packaged jams and jellies will do just fine for a couple weeks without refridgeration. Homemade jam products that may not be pasteurized under very high heat should be kept refridgerated.

 

[Kevenswife2]

I had thought about getting the kind with the peanut butter 'stripes' mixed in. Only one jar to transport instead of two! With spoilage not a worry, looks like she'll be getting her p.b.&j.s while we're there. Thanks guys!

 

[Mel6197]

What about using the Ice Bucket and putting some ice in it,
Change it 1 time a day and you have COLD Jelly.

Just a thought..

 

[jjarman]

I know when I was a kid my mother never put the jelly in the refrigerator. I hated that since I like cold jelly on my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but it didn't kill me.

 

[billybaruch1]

I'd worry more about the p-nut butter (the kind w/out the preservatives) getting rancid than I would about the jelly, but that's just me.

Off topic: does anyone know what food, if any, never spoils?




Answer: honey. You can keep that stuff on a shelf forever and it'll be just as good in 10 years as it is today! Every other food in the world is perishable.

 

[SoonerKate]

Off topic: does anyone know what food, if any, never spoils?

Honey, isn't it?

 

[travelitis]

I've traveled, kept jelly out and had no problems. It's so packed with preservatives that the couple of weeks posted earlier sounds right on. The regular brands of PB have no need to be refrigerated and last for years, too. I don't buy PB sans preservatives. Skippy, Jiff, Peter Pan, and store brand work just great for my kids.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I made a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on my last trip. I always asked for a few extra jelly packets at the fast food place even if it was lunch, so I just took those with me along with a jar of peanut butter.

 

[ncbyrne]

Another poster has already mentioned this, but we have used the ice bucket as a mini fridge lots of times. Mostly for milk for morning cereal. We buy a qt. at a time.

 

[RhondaS]

I just came home from a Super Target. They had peanut butter and jelly slices (like cheese slices), grape or strawberry, in packages on the shelf with the regular jellies. $1.79 a package.

 

[Kevenswife2]

That's right! I had forgotten about those! Has anyone tried them and, if so, how do they taste? I'm afraid my picky eater might turn her nose up to them though. It's only been within the last month that she decided she liked p.b.&j.s.

 

[welovedis]

If she is a picky eater you may not want to get the PB & J squares. I tried them out on my group of taste-testers (my daycare children-lol) and overall they were very much disliked. One child out of 6 liked them and the rest said they were "gross", "hard" & "weird tasting". I have to admit I took a bite of one myself and tossed the rest, it was really not appetizing.

You can also buy the restaurant kind of packets at :
http://onlinestore.smuckers.com/display_category.cfm?cat_id=22
They are not money saving for you in this circumstance though!

I also think that I have seen some larger jelly packets at our local store too, but can't remember the name.

HTH!

 

[Kevenswife2]

I bet it's the texture as much as the taste that turns kids off. Kind of like rubbery processed cheese squares with a weird taste. I think I'll try them myself first before I leave for FL.

 

[pjlla]

FYI.... for all you pb&j moms (and dads) out there... the striped pb and jelly together in a jar is called (I believe) Goober Grape. Not sure if it comes in "Goober strawberry"? Very shelf stable. Also, have you seen advertised the new Smuckers "Uncrustables"? Frozen pb&j round sandwiches with no crust.... come individually wrapped.... not sure what the shelf life is like after they are defrosted as I have not bought them, but may be worth a look-see (maybe it is just an east coast thing). I believe the Uncrustables also come in grilled cheese....

 

[frannn]

have the small jelly packs (like the ones that are on the table at a diner) available for free? I would love to find those prepackaged pb&j slices you are speaking of. There is no Super Target that I know of where I live. Do they sell this in any regular grocery store? How much fat is in each "slice"? I have tried the Smuckers frozen crustless pb&j & did not like it that much.

 

[DianaPrincessofWales]

My "peanut butter kid" son loves the smucker's uncrustables, and he's picky about that. I'm planning on bringing a small container of homemade jam and I'm not the least worried about getting sick. Store bought doesn't even taste like its made from fruit , I haven't eaten that for years..........yuck!

 

[ohanaMAMA]

If the jelly is store bought jelly and isnt homemade you can store it anywhere. In fact when I store jelly in the fridge there is a condensation on the inside of the jar.. that is foriegn to the jelly.. seems to me that bacteria would grow there... i dont store jelly in the fridge at home...

but then jelly never lasts that long around here!