Once upon a time, I was a peanut butter snob.
I’d grown up on Skippy peanut butter. A wild, exotic day was when my mom would inadvertently buy Skippy Crunchy rather than Smooth.
Once I was out on my own, I decided I could do better than that. I wanted to taste real peanuts. None of that sugar, let alone all those emulsifiers. After all, everyone knows that real peanut butter separates. That’s how you know it’s good.
Well, somewhere along the line, we reached the conclusion that having to stir up your peanut butter every time you want to use it was actually kind of a stupid, annoying thing to have to do. And leaving your peanut butter jar upside down (making it a little easier to stir) is a great way to find a pantry shelf full of peanut oil.
Plus, Kitten came along, and peanut butter became one of the four food groups.
So now we use Jif (Margie’s childhood brand affiliation trumped mine, since she usually does the shopping).
But …
I still wouldn’t mind something that tasted like actual peanuts, not peanut-flavored goo. And I wouldn’t mind something chunky.
But no stirring. That’s just stupid.
Actually, I just buy whatever brand Costco has, but I prefer smooth.
Wow…
I guess I’m glad that Jif and Skippy were banished from the house when I was about Katherine’s age (along with wonder Bread). I grew up knowing that once mixed, the peanut butter stayed mixed if you put it in the fridge.
I really like Adam’s Chunky. It goes great with Current Jam.
The problem with refridgerated peanut butter is that it is the consistency of refridgerated peanut butter — somewhat like modeling clay. Too much work …
True…
But this leads to one of the great things in America…the Fried Peanut butter and Jelly Sandwich.
Put Margarine (or Butter) on both sides of the bread…and by the time both sides are done, the peanut butter is just warm and gooey enough to really enjoy.
Ever try the “pre-mixed” peanut butter/jelly? Hooo, after that, Jiffy tastes organic!! I’ll stick to tomato and butter on stone ground. Yum.
Stan: That sounds revolting. The nicest thing about peanut butter sandwiches is the jam, and the butter, with the bread and pb lending some mass and foundation to the mix. And this time of year, the second nicest thing is that the bread and jam are both nice and cool out of the fridge.
Adam: That sounds revolting. Both ideas. 🙂
Oh Dave, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you’ve never had a warm tomato (warm from the sun, fresh off the vine) sandwhich on buttered bread, you are missing out on one of the finer, simpler pleasures in life.
The idea of a sun-warmed tomato frankly makes me billious. All those slimy tomato guts aromatically smeared all over … wait, I just ate …
But de gustibus non disputandum. Mine in particular.
Mmmm….
Adam B.
That sounds wonderful!
I can’t wait till the tomato’s come in. I like the Idea of having the bread soak up all of the juicy-tomato-goodness.
Well, when you put it like that “…slimy tomato guts…” almost anyone would be a tad bit put off.
Boulder dude – You hit it on the head. I’ve been checking every day for that first ripe tomato. I can’t wait.
Slimy tomato guts. That says it all for me.
That having been said, though, I find most tomato products — sauces, etc. — to be divine. As long as it doesn’t actually taste like raw tomato.
Adam B.
The Sandwich Idea worked out great. I picked up some really good freash Tomatoes at a formers market on the way home last night.
Thanks Adam B!
I am a Real peanut butter man. Amazingly enough, several years ago Consumers Reports did a study on peanut butter and the results stated JIF had a better peanut taste than the real thing.
I am a fan of ‘Real’ peanut butter. Peanuts and salt, No other additives. Amazingly enough, several years ago Consumers Reports did a study on peanut butter and the results stated JIF had a better peanut taste than the real thing. How can that be?
Crazy Richard’s all natural peanut butter is still very runny when stirred up, but that makes it of perfect consistency when refrigerated, which Crazy Richard recommends. As for Skippy, not only is it unhealthfully hydrogenated and artificially sweetened and a user of cheaper vegetable oils to replace the natural peanut oil, but its brand name was pirated from the Skippy creator back in 1933. See http://www.skippy.com .
Well, the ersatz nature of Skippy PB is without question. I find it harder to work up much sweat over Skippy “stealing” the name from a comic strip in 1933, especially when the site has breathless prose about how the Evil Unilever Corporate Dastards stole a bunch of bumper stickers, too. Gads!
I’ve given up on Jiff or Skippy and buy REAL peanut butter.
That is what it is called–REAL peanut butter. Just have to stir it once and keep in in the fridge. No aditives–just real peanut butter. Yum
I find PB in the fridge — esp natural — tends to be nearly impossible to use without tearing the hell out of the bread.