We Bet A Million Dollars You Haven’t Been Storing Your Peanut Butter Correctly

Is there anything better in this world than peanut butter? The popular spread was a childhood staple, and it’s the perfect dipper for our celery sticks and apple slices. So to hear that we’ve been doing our peanut butter jars a disservice is almost upsetting.

Even though plenty of us come from Jif and Skippy households, a lot of us have made the change over to the natural stuff. It has a ton of benefits, including less saturated fat and a nice healthy dose of protein, which is especially good for vegetarians and vegans. As for taste, it’s an adjustment from the regular stuff — but once you’ve had it for long enough, it’ll really start tasting like the real deal. (Probably because it is!)

But, there’s one thing about natural peanut butter that isn’t so great — it often requires a good stir before using it for sandwiches or as a yummy dip. For some of us, it’s a major inconvenience. In fact,  it might make you put it back on the grocery store shelf in favor of a well-known brand, especially if you’re worried about making a mess.

Unmixed natural peanut butter is enough to make anyone a little nervous over making the switch over. Products exist to help the problem, but it’s still a huge bummer.

I'm sorry I was three hours late for work, but I had to stir a jar of natural peanut butter.

— The Notorious B.E.V. 🌈 (@blade_funner) October 10, 2018

eating all natural peanut butter, a brief overview:

pro: so pure. so organic. so natural. I AM BASICALLY GWYNETH PALTROW

con: why is it so wet????

— Madeline (@tinylilchicago) January 22, 2019

Turns out, just storing the jar upside-down will do wonders with fixing this huge inconvenience. Yeah, it might look a little funny — but just imagine how much time you’ll save.

So, how does it work? By storing it upside down, the oils on top make their way to the bottom of the jar. That means things are a little more evenly dispersed. Plus, the oil will be better integrated with all of the peanut butter in the jar, meaning that the consistency should be the same from start to finish.

Even though you surely enjoyed the extra arm workout that each jar of natural peanut butter brought, you deserve a little bit of a break.

Best arm workout? Mixing natural peanut butter.

— kiersten (@kierstmerida) July 21, 2018

But, maybe after learning this hack, it’ll inspire non-believers to give it a try once again.

No thank you all natural peanut butter. I like to eat my PB out of the jar with a spoon, versus with a pick axe & covered in 2inches of oil.

— Miss Moneypenny (@MoneypennyNaked) July 26, 2018

Natural peanut butter does nothing for me

— Sarah Weiss (@sarahjeannewei1) January 22, 2019

Natural peanut butter is hot garbage https://t.co/g0PN5ckm7l

— Tim Anderson (@timanderson87) November 1, 2018

If you refuse to give it a shot — since yes, it can be strange to handle once you first try it — just know that all peanut butter is equally delicious. But feel free to bask in the glory knowing that you can store your regular peanut butter any way you want. In fact, your biggest peanut butter debate is likely “pantry or fridge,” which seems to more about preference and spreadability than anything else.

Another great debate? Chunky or smooth. Again, each has its benefits.

But for those of you who are big fans of natural peanut butter, this new hack is life-changing. You’ll get a better product with a lot less frustration, without having to buy any new kitchen gadgets.