The Pantry Quiz #2

Multiple choice

One of the following pantry ingredients will never spoil. Which is it?

1. Rice vinegar
2. Peanut butter
3. Honey
4. Ketchup

__________

Please leave your answer in the comments, and let us know whether you have the ingredient in your pantry.

Thanks to my husband Ted, who suggested this week's quiz question.

[Last week's answer: False. Dutch cocoa powder gets its name from the process, developed by a Dutch chemist, by which cocoa fat is pressed from the beans, resulting in a more digestible and soluble cocoa powder.]

You can find most answers to The Pantry Quiz by using the search box at right, at the top of the page, to hunt for clues. Come back next Saturday for the answer to today's quiz question.

Comments

Honey.....yes...raw and local!

Honey

Honey! Crystallization isn't bad, it just means the honey needs to be warmed up.

Although I'm never sure about vinegar - does that jellyfish-like lump that you can make new vinegar out of mean the vinegar has gone off?

Rice Vinegar! And yes it's in my pantry....

good question! I'm actually not 100% sure, but I would say rice vinegar.

It's the honey that will never spoil.

I have all of these in my pantry, but honey is the only one that will not spoil.

3. Honey......and we have at least two different types in the pantry.

Honey--it's been unearthed in architectural digs and still fine after all those years.

the answer is honey, and yes i always have it in my pantry.

Honey never spoils. It may crystalize but it's still perfectly safe to eat and can be brought back to its liquid state by gently heating. Of course I have it in my cupboard.

Honey, maybe even a honey bear!

Yes, it's in my pantry - honey.

Awww, that one's too easy for me being part of a family of beekeepers! The answer is honey, of course. Yes, I have honey in my pantry. Are you ready to know how much? 10 gallons or about 120 pounds. Half is already in one-lb jars and the other half is in 5-gal food grade plastic buckets. :-)

Great quiz question, Lydia! Tell Ted he came up with a good one for educating folks. I've always heard that there was honey found in the pyramids and, of course, it was still good!

Shirley

Honey-it contains natural antibacterial properties and will last indefinitely.

Honey it is! An essential ingredient in any kitchen:)

I would say honey, although I confess I never thought about this before. But I don't keep my honey in the fridge, so I guess I somehow knew it.

Honey, and yes, I have some. In fact, I recently bought a 6 pound jar of my favorite! Who knew Mason jars came that big?!

Honey IS in my pantry. LOVE IT!

Honey! I have several different types of honey in my pantry.

Honey. Yes it's in my pantry. Learned this years ago at an herbal retreat.

Hmmm...I guess honey, unless you count crystallizing as spoiling. And now that I have read the comments, I guess that's right! I have several kinds, all local, including a very funky one - chestnut, I think - for which I am still trying to develop a taste...

Honey! but I might have said ketchup (lol) as we keep ours waaaay tooo long I think!
and yes I have all 4 of these in my pantry!

I'm a lone holdout... I think it's ketchup! Honey can have botulism spores in it, which is why it is not given to young children. Ketchup certainly has enough sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) to discourage any spoilage, helped along with vinegar.
And, yes, I have all four items in my pantry!

I know it is honey but this quiz made me wonder what the shelf life of plain rice vinegar would actually be. Any idea?

I am stumped. Initially, I thought honey. But after ready the responses, I'm not so sure.

I'd still say honey -- there are naturally found remnants of the hive in honey, but IF (big if) you do not contaminate it yourself (by putting a used spoon in, for instance -- introducing foreign bodies) it will keep indefinitely.
The botulism issue has only surfaced recently, while honey has been used by man (and bears) virtually forever. Was that always the case?
Of the four items, only peanut butter has a fairly limited life because of the possibility of rancid oil -- though it lasts a long time too.
Great stuff, all four!

It's honey, Honey!

Honey never goes bad.

Honey, wonderful honey!

Honey, of course!

I have all of them and none of them have ever spoiled so can't begin to guess. It's not like the sit around for years.

Honey!

Honey is the one that will not spoil. We usually have all the items; honey, rice vinegar, peanut butter and ketchup. We call the ketchup by the name "tomato sauce" here in Australia. I do notice though that it's possible to get the ketchup labelled product at various places.

HONEY!!!!

Honey will never spoil - I have both raw local and commercial. I have everything on the list in my pantry. I love your site!

Honey. They've found it in archaeological digs in Egypt and it is STILL good!

Honey. We have a tub of it in our pantry. I use it to make barbecue sauce.