Peanut butter: smooth or chunky? (fight!)

No, no, don't fight, I'm kidding.

I've observed through totally unscientific means that smooth peanut butter seems to stay fresh longer than chunky.

The reason I ask is that it's time to stock the cars for winter, and a couple of mondo jars of PB is an easy food source.

But which will keep longer?

Thanks,
Doug

P.S., I prefer smooth and my wife prefers chunky. Perhaps there are subtle psychological forces at work? Anyway, we're in counselling now, and ...

Stocking one of each should resolve the issue .

Pete

Nutella!

-Blast

chunky!

Otherwise, it should just be called butter. And stores already sell that.

I had some peanut butter out of a 3 year old jar of opened JIF Creamy that was stored in a kitchen cabinet. Other than tasting stale, it seemed OK to me. I did not get ill.

According to Still Tasty.

"An unopened jar can be stored for up to 2 years.
An opened jar can be stored for 3 months in the refrigerator or 3-4 months after pantry storage.

Storage time shown is for best quality only — after that, the peanut butter's texture, color or flavor may change, but in most cases, it will still be safe to consume if it has been stored properly."

Try a Nutella/Creamy PB mix for homemade reeses cup taste

Sounds to me like the final decision will come down to who is pushing the grocery cart at the time, unless you shop together.

Creamy, if you can't handle creamy your, by definition, not hungry enough.

I have peanut butter here that is better than a year old and have eaten it over five years old with no complaints beyond it being a bit stale.

Tip: Pour off the oil into a fire resistant container and stuff in a wick, or three, and you have a lamp/stove. Depending on what your burning it may be smoky with a definite smell but it is heat and light.

Tip: Keep a roll of cotton string on hand. Handy as string it doubles as good wicking. Most oils, waxes and fats work as fuel. Paper towel or a bit of cloth can also be used.

2 cents' worth: peanut butter can be used as a lubricant.* So, just in case things have gone so far south that you need it for that, I would think creamy.



*Yeah, yeah, I'm sure your mind went there just as fast as mine did. But that is NOT what I'm referring to!

I stock smooth in my emergency supplies. I like crunchy better in a sandwich, but in a survival situation, who know what you'll have. Having chunky peanut better, hard tack, beef jerky, and half your teeth knocked out due to a close encounter with debris means you are hurting and hungry. The smooth stuff you can mix with cocoa and powdered milk and make a kind of "reeses soup".

DUDE, REALLY??

But it is a pain to wash off!

Think of it this way:

It's easy to make smooth peanut butter into a pseudo chunky peanut butter. Just add crushed nuts, crushed chocolate pieces, ect.

But, making smooth peanut butter from chunky isn't quite as easy.

Therefore, smooth is what I prefer to stock.

Thanks all for the comments. Keep 'em coming.

I like the idea I can turn smooth into crunchy with roast grasshopper bits etc.

@Compugeek: dude, I really didn't need that image in my head.

Should I up the stakes by stocking the full "Elvis sandwich" -- peanut butter, canned bacon, banana chips ... along with a portable defib unit? Can I buy Elvis in a can?

Actually yes. creamy PB, tactical bacon, dried banana chips and some sort of cracker or bread.

All set.

Now watch me make pudding with hot chocolate powder, non-dairy creamer and a sugar packet. haha

I would say smooth. More dense i.e. more protein and better source of oil.

The Elvis Sandwich is almost as good as p.b. and dill pickles. At least that is what my current/future ex-g.f. said. (Is that grounds for dismissal?) Imo p.b. & j. is a staple for a reason.

I find smooth has more uses. It sticks better on hooks and trap triggers. It can be a binder / thickener for food, a base for an abrasive, to use as temporary glue, grout or cement, etc.

If I was allowed to eat peanut butter anymore, it would be chunky. Add bananas, of course!!

Smooth, my personal preference anyway, and more general / McGyver type application possibilities. Based on the images in my head from the last set of examples I'll just leave it at that.

-Eric

Squirrel brand smooth or Kraft?

I really prefer smooth and figure it might as well be the natural organic stuff. One brand I used to get was an almost smooth but not quite crunchy grind.
Most crunchy peanut butter is really smooth with a few broken peanuts thrown in.

You might like to try a few other nut butters like cashew or hazelnut. They are more pricey but can be a welcome bit of variety.