Refrigerate This, Not That

Needs to be refrigerated: Yes

Unlike the regular commercial kind, natural peanut butter contains no hydrogenated oils, which prevent the oil from separating from the peanuts—and going rancid more quickly. Stick it in the fridge pronto after opening, where it will keep for six months. Prefer a jar of Jif instead? You can leave that in the pantry for up to three months.

Needs to be refrigerated: No

No need to waste shelf space on BBQ sauce, or ketchup or mustard for that matter. Though refrigeration will extend the shelf life of these condiments—and keep them tasty for months—you can safely store them in a cabinet for a month, thanks to their high acidic content.

Needs to be refrigerated: Yes

Though there are countless foodies who swear you don’t need to chill eggs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) disagrees. Eggs sometimes contain the salmonella bacteria that can cause food poisoning. To store eggs safely, don’t put them in the molded egg rack on the refrigerator door, where the temperature is warmer. Instead, leave them in the original carton and stick them in the back of the fridge. There they’ll keep for three to five weeks.

Needs to be refrigerated: No

As long as you keep the bag tightly closed, you can keep a loaf of sliced bread on the kitchen counter for a week. If you can’t get through it fast enough, freeze it. Stashing bread in the fridge will dry it out and cause it to go stale faster. Ditto for English muffins—except they can stay out for up to two weeks.

Needs to be refrigerated: Yes

You may have heard that hard cheeses can stay outside the fridge safely. Not so. Refrigerate Swiss, cheddar, or any blocks of hard cheese, where they’ll keep for about a month after they’re opened. If you spot some mold, cut it out along with a one-inch chunk all around it. Then rewrap the cheese in a fresh plastic. Don’t try that with sliced cheese though. If there’s mold on one slice, toss the rest.

Needs to be refrigerated: No

Thanks to its high fat content, butter will keep outside the refrigerator for up to two days. After that, it’ll go rancid pretty quickly. Refrigerated butter keeps for a month past its “sell by” date, but only if you store it on one of the main shelves, where it’s colder, rather than in the warmer butter compartment on the door.

Needs to be refrigerated: No

If you’ve got a cool, dry place in your kitchen or pantry, oranges, and grapefruits can stay fresh for four or five days, according to the Florida Department of Citrus. Still, stashing them in fridge can extend their shelf life for up to three weeks.