Survey offers taste of Canadians’ unique food-storing habits

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Ketchup. Butter. Chocolate.

What do you keep in the refrigerator versus the pantry?

When it comes to storing everyday food items, it can be quite the quandary.

Your kitchen habits are likely from childhood and how you were taught — but not everything was passed along the same way.

A new survey of 1,000 Canadians conducted by Chefs Plate discovered some fascinating insights into how people store common items, from room-temperature eggs and refrigerated chocolate to ketchup in the cupboard.

One of the most notable findings was how Canadians should store chocolate — because apparently people don’t eat it all in one sitting.

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Aside from “directly into mouth,” 70% of respondents do not believe chocolate should be put in the fridge, citing room temperature as ideal to pressure its flavour and texture.

Bread had similar results with 65% of those surveyed saying they would keep a loaf out of the fridge, while the other 35% believe the cold temps of the fridge will help keep it fresh.

Maple syrup was almost split with 52% of Canadians refrigerating it and the remaining 48% keeping it in the cupboard.

Items that were grabbed from refrigerated sections at the grocery store, such as eggs and butter, were mostly kept the same way at home. A whopping 95% prefer keeping their eggs in the fridge and 88% like to keep their butter cold as well.

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As for condiments, 92% of mayonnaise buyers keep their jar refrigerated, as do 84% of ketchup users.

Another notable item was canned fish, such as tuna or salmon, with only 16% popping it in the fridge.

While general practice should be to reference the packaging on items on how they suggest it should be stored, some Canadians simply approach food storage in unique ways.

“This survey highlights the diverse opinions on food storage among Canadians and offers a fascinating glimpse into household habits across the country,” a spokesperson for Chefs Plate said.

“Whether it’s keeping butter soft or preserving the flavour of chocolate, the results show that when it comes to food storage, Canadians have strong and varied preferences.”

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