Peanut Butter is a staple in our house. Now that our children are out of the house we don’t use it as often as we used to but it is still a staple I like to have on hand. According to the “best by” date on jars of peanut butter, and from what I read on the Internet, the recommended shelf life is 18 months. Beyond that date the product does not spoil, but may develop off-flavors due to age. The end of the recommended shelf life is noted by the “best by” date stamped on the jar.
Both opened and unopened jars of peanut butter can be stored at room temperature. It is best to store peanut butter with the jar tightly closed and in a cool place. You can store peanut butter in the refrigerator if you want. Refrigeration may help to retain optimum flavor, particularly if the room temperature tends to be warm. Keep in mind that colder storage will make the peanut butter firmer and not as easy to spread.
Do you wonder if peanuts can be stored longer? According to Diamondnuts.com, nuts (in shells or not) can be stored in the freezer for 24 months.
If you are interested in having peanut butter as part of a long-term storage plan the best thing to do is purchase peanut butter powder. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, you can plan on a storage life of 4-5 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees. It should keep proportionally longer if stored at cooler temperatures.
These are all interesting facts! For the time being I will plan on having just an extra jar or two on hand.
I also thought I’d try making my own peanut butter. How hard could it be? I had some peanuts on hand and decided to give it a try.
The peanuts were raw, so the first thing to do was roast them. This was easy. I just placed them in a shallow pan and set them in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
After roasting is done remove them and let them cool for a short while.
Once the peanuts were cooled off, I placed them in my food processor.
I added the salt and honey and processed for one minute. I continued to process while slowly drizzling in the peanut oil until the mixture was smooth.
I then placed my peanut buyer in an airtight container and stored it in the refrigerator. Was that ever easy, and the result is so tasty!
Here is the simple recipe:
15 ounces of shelled and roasted peanuts
1 tsp kosher salt (I used sea salt)
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil
Place the peanuts, salt, and honey into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Place the lid back on and continue to process while slowly drizzling in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth. Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in your refrigerator.
Nancy on the Home Front 