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17 May 2006
Peanut Butter and Jelly: Which jar do you put the knife in first, and why?→[More:] I always do peanut butter first, on the theory that PB is oil based, and is less likely to cross-contaminate the the jelly jar. Extra Credit: Do I really need to refridgerate my PB after opening? I like Adams Natural, and it gets stiff in the cold.
Peanut butter first because peanut butter in the jelly is somehow exponentially less gross than jelly in the peanut butter. Extra Credit, if you don't refrigerate natural peanut butter the oil will separate out and you'll have to stir it all up again and every time you do that you risk spilling peanut butter oil all over your counter, which is a drag.
Peanut butter, but I don't use a knife, I use a rubber spatula (it's more PB efficient and spreads quickly and evenly). I use a spoon in my jelly.
I hate cold hard peanut butter, cannot fucking stand it and will opt for something else if I have to use it. It tears up the bread, for crying out loud. But I use the PB I grew up with, all partially hydrogenated and peculiarly smooth, not some hoity-toity gourmet product -- if I wanted peanuts, I'd buy 'em in the shell (and throw the shells into some lady's fur coat hood).
It's like when people refrigerate honey. What are they thinking?
PB first, because I put it on both slices of bread, to prevent the jelly from seeping through.
And refrigerating PB is just wrong. It's not a big deal to stir it up - people are dying in Darfur.
PB, because it goes on the bread first. I usually use a spoon for the jelly, though. (as far as refrigerating the PB, it depends on how fast you finish a jar....moldy PB is dangerous stuff. I don't frig the kids PB (smooth) because they go through it so fast, but I frig mine (crunchy) because I don't eat it fast enough.)
PB first, clean the knife on the bread, then the jelly. If, like me, you make multiple sandwiches in the morning, to go into lunch boxes, then the jellyish knife is cleaned before plunging once again into the peanut butter.
If you think your PB should be refrigerated, then you are not eating enough PB.
PB with knife, spoon for jelly. Although if I had only the knife, I'd put it in the PB first.
(Heh, I sent a jar of Goobers and Grape to my friend in Holland who could not believe that USians actually eat PBJs. She thought I was making it up as some weird cross-cultural prank.)
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