Talk:Peanut butter

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[edit] Scientific Uses?

The one working link to a citation on the topic is to a book on amazon whose abstract states that "any high carbon substance" like peanut butter can be made into a diamond. Should we mention on every wiki page for an item that has "high carbon" (like a stick, or a sweater) that it has the "scientific use" of being made into diamonds? It's a true but random and pointless statement to have included unless it can be shown that peanut butter is actually being used for this purpose, or has some special potential for it. -Bingbong- —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.8.121.1 (talk) 16:30, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

It's utterly pointless.24.8.20.66 05:19, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Ok on another note, how is making a peanut butter dispenser a scientific use of peanut butter? 82.71.48.162 (talk) 15:46, 13 January 2008 (UTC)

Agree with the previous comment completely. I like the idea that the dispensing of a product can constitute a scientific use(!) Perhaps other wikipedia pages should have similar content e.g. the scientific use of an orange being the existence of a machine that makes orange juice. Enough! I think the section should be removed. [[user:jimjamjak]] (talk) 10:38, 30 January 2008 (UTC)
Seconded. I'm removing that section. amRadioHed (talk) 23:16, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] How long does Peanut Butter Last?

How long till Mold Grows to a great amount?

http://www.deanesmay.com/archives/007598.html

That article primarily refers to natural peanut butter . . . it doesn't give any hard dates for regular (processed) stuff. Does anyone know when regular (Skippy, Jif, Kraft) store bought peanut butter goes bad? There doesn't seem to be an expiry date on the containers that I have. --209.167.191.66 12:41, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

After some googling I found this .pdf about peanut butter: [1] which says that regular peanut butter lasts about 9 - 12 months after opening. Anyone want to add this to the article? --209.167.191.66 12:49, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Possible edit to Trivia section

The reference to the FDA allowing up to 2 rodent hairs per 100g of peanut butter is contradicted by the FDA's own website: http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgfod/cpg570-300.html. The citation link that is there is broken and the website it leads to is not cited and is amateurish.

[edit] George Washington Carver

The page on George Washington Carver emphasizes that he did not invent peanut butter -- should the link to his article be here? --- Etaoin 21:43 31 Dec 2003 (UTC)

If it's generally believed that he did, then I'd say it's relevant. Even if to simply disprove that. -- Darac Marjal 14:25, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Picture

What the hell is that??? That is the grossest picture I have ever seen. It looks like someone smeared (censored) on the toast. Bremen 04:20, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Uhhh... that's peanut butter... on toast. Does it look different where you live? - Mark 02:50, 4 May 2005 (UTC)
Well, it is pretty disgusting looking. The toast looks semi-solid, the general colour of the peanut butter looks horrible on the blue background, its sloppily plopped on....A new picture might be good 24.10.139.96 04:54, 13 May 2005 (UTC)
I agree there. I was going to make a comment about this, but someone beat me to it by a couple of months. Please put a new picture on. RPharazon 09:48, 20 July 2005 (UTC)
I also agree. The first thing that I thought when I viewed this article, was that somebody purposely put a gross looking picture there. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.109.182.135 (talk) 18:29, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] new picture

It's good photographic quality, but the peanut butter looks very unappealing. I don't like it.

I can see how you would think that, but I personally don't think it's anywhere near as disgusting as the first picture. I thought about making a new and less revolting "toast" picture. Should we try that?PiccoloNamek 05:27, Jun 12, 2005 (UTC)

I wonder how an all-natural peanut butter would look. Preferrably Arrowhead Mills 100% Valencia Peanut Butter Unsalted ..the ultimate peanut butter. Also, I wonder how a picture on a knife would look. RJII 06:06, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)

How about this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bread.jpg PiccoloNamek 06:14, Jun 12, 2005 (UTC)

I think the one you have up now is much better. I'm probably just being over critical. Photographing food to look appetizing is an art in itself. RJII 06:18, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)


Well, I'm open to suggestions. I have a very expensive camera and a lot of free time.PiccoloNamek 06:31, Jun 12, 2005 (UTC)

You could try doing it like they do in the commercials (although I think they might use something that is not peanut butter for that) and smear the peanut butter on really thick, with swirls and whatnot. You might also put peanut butter on something else (crackers, celery), or maybe show some peanut butter candies. Peanut butter just tastes better than it looks. =) --Kooky | Talk 18:33, 29 August 2005 (UTC)

YUMM RJII 04:20, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Peanut butter not popular in Europe?!?

It's certainly popular in Britain! Mmmm yummmy yummy. :)

Worth an edit to state this? :)

  • Most definetely. Peanutbutter is really popular in The Netherlands. Up to the point where people consider peanutbutter to be something that's as Dutch as wooden shoes and windmills. -- SoothingR 11:52, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

Well, it's not popular in the Nordic countries. --89.160.42.204 12:43, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

This is one of the most intense discussions I've seen...on a very (what i thought prior to reading was an) uninteresting topic --simonsaysjump_42


here in britian the peanut butter is quite delisicous .. yumyy yummy im my tummmyyy

Are there any american style peanut butters sold in Europe? I lived in Germany for a while and found none - any peanut butter from any country would have been a treat. Is introducing peanut butter to children the key to opening up the peanut butter market in Europe?

I'm from germany and I can find peanut butter in every supermarket and I remember eating it as a kid. But back then it was a bit unusual...

Favorite combinationations I've seen: peanut butter pie, peanut butter and butter sandwiches, peanut butter and banana, toasted marshmallows on peanut butter and I once dated a man who loved peanut butter and canned fish sandwiches as well. It's an addictive inspiration my European friends don't seem to care about. Why?128.198.32.39 23:14, 28 January 2006 (UTC)CarolB


Peanut Butter is absolutely not hard to find in Germany! there are several brands available, all saying things like authentic american peanut butter!

Does anyone know what the European regulations are about calling something peanut butter? A woman I know who grew up in the US but just returned from France (as of 2005 and lived there for 5 years) said that she had an almost impossible time finding what most people from the US would consider "authentic" peanut butter. She claimed she could find "peanut butter" in many places, but it was very thin, possibly diluted with other things and didn't taste the same at all. I've only heard this second-hand, but would be interested to know, since often what is called by the same name in other countries might not be made the same at all. (For instance, much that is called Parmesan cheese in the US would revolt most Italians). Sbfisher 20:00, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Sainsbury's "Wholenut peanut butter" (one with bits of peanut in it, not a smooth one), made in the UK, has the ingredients "Roasted peanuts (95%), peanut oil, palm oil, sea salt". And "* CONTAINS PEANUTS" in bold red letters :-/. There was a smooth one available too, I don't know if it has different ingredients. 78.86.151.120 16:21, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

About calling something peanut butter, when it isn't: Jif is more accurately described as a peanut flavored spread, rather than peanut butter. Peanut butter is made of peanuts, peanut oil, and (maybe) salt. The label on Jif (and many other pseudo peanut butter products) reads like a mad science experiment. These mysterious peanut-flavored chemical soups should probably not be referred to as peanut butter,

Why? Is there a a danger of confusion or misinformation? Is Jif not made of peanuts, peanut oil, and salt? I realize that there are other ingredients in it. Like most food-stuffs, different varieties of peanut butter have different ingredients. Personally, I realize that Jif is trash. I only buy peanut butter made of peanuts, oil, and salt. But, as a semantic point, just as a bad joke is still a joke, joke peanut butter is still peanut butter.

75.13.202.239 08:00, 10 November 2007 (UTC) Also an essential ingredient in many satays.

[edit] Peanuts are legumes, not nuts

So you should probably reword: "For people with peanut allergy, the concentration of nuts in peanut butter can cause fatal anaphylactic shock."


As long as the fact that peanuts are legumes is mentioned somewhere in the article, I don't see the need to refer to them as legumes everywhere. They are commonly called nuts, and they are more often used in culinary creations like nuts than like legumes (at least in the English-speaking world. Yes you can make peanut soup, but it's not that common). This is the same issue as tomatoes being botanically a non-vegetable, but being categorized and used like a vegetable in much cooking. There are different ways to categorize things than simply a botanical way. These different ways may be just as valid, depending on the reason you're creating a category in the first place. If people who are allergic to peanuts are more likely to be allergic to other legumes then it does make some sense to change this wording. Otherwise it doesn't seem a very enlightening or useful change to make. Sbfisher 20:13, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, the term "nut allergy" is very misleading here. In the English-speaking world, this phrase refers to those who are allergic to walnuts, pecans, etc., and not peanuts.

[edit] Very odd taste

"Most people not used to it find the taste very odd." Hmm, really? Where exactly does that information come from? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.21.94.201 (talk • contribs) 08:14, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

No idea, but I have added a {{fact}} to that line. Hopefully someone will clear it up.Image:Weather rain.pngSoothingR 10:07, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

I have removed this statement and the others surrounding it from the article, seeing as no verification or citation was ever provided after over a week. If someone wants to put it back, that's fine, but some sort of verification as to the validity of those statements would be nice. SteveJ2006 23:33, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Saudi Arabia

The link to Eastern Province is puzzling. Any cites? The U.S. Dept of Agriculture site says Saudi exports are to expatriates, and doesn't mention breakfast. Should 20th century be 21st century, or were the Americans conquering away in 1914 with the Ottomans? Grusl 03:28, 22 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Peanut butter jar

Given that pindakaas supposedly doesn't taste like what most of us non-Dutch would call peanut butter (nb, I'm not referring to Americans only here, I'm a Malaysian-New Zealander), perhaps a photo with a jar of peanut butter not from the Netherlands would be good? Nil Einne 00:53, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Banana

Not big, but I took out the line "Peanut butter is really good with bananas on toast." as it pure and solid opinion 69.250.133.110 16:58, 23 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Almond butter

I moved almond butter into the article as it appears to be linked. 193.112.229.10, 12:22, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Carver and peanut butter

The article George Washington Carver did say he didn't invent peanut butter, which according to earlier discussion on this page is why the statement is repeated here. But I went to the reference given there, and the reference suggested he did invent (or at least re-discover) peanut butter, but simply declined to patent it. I'll change this article eventually, but if anyone has a better reference than that about.com it'd be good to base a change on some more reliable info. --Allen 17:16, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

The article George Washington Carver now has some authoritative references that state that Carver did not invent peanut butter or much of anything. The about.com site is inaccurate.
  • Andrew F. Smith, Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea Chicago: University of Illinois Press. 2002.
  • Barry Mackintosh, "George Washington Carver: The Making of a Myth" The Journal of Southern History,42(4): 507-528. 1976. [2]
  • Barry Mackintosh, "George Washington Carver and the Peanut: New Light on a Much-loved Myth," American Heritage 28(5): 66-73, 1977. [3]
Plantguy 17:12, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Possible add to Trivia section

My English Teacher (and he should know about peanut butter) said once that, depending on the temperature, you might/might not crave peanut butter. It's true for myself, I generally don't crave peanut butter when it's warm (and might be a general concensus, although I've been wrong before). I almost always eat a PBandJ when it's a cool/chilly night. Anyone else feel the same way I do? There should be some research somewhere . . . .

--ComposerWannabe 05:41, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

What is the point of saying "Nearly 50.77%"? How about "Half"?

[edit] Who invented it?

Ok the article says that it was invented in Australia, but if you look on any modern "natural peanut butter" label the ingredent is "peanuts, salt" --that's it! The person to invent this type of peanut buter need only grind up peanuts and add some salt. So the "protein paste" that is mentoned earlier in the article might as well be called "peanut butter." As for the reference? I think the author is splitting hairs, and we need to be more clear about what we call "peanut butter" and who was the first person to make it. --Jabin1979 15:18, 03 August 2006 (UTC)

The German article says it was invented by John Kellogg for the benefit of his toothless patients. I had heard it was invented as a meat substitute because it's high-protein but far less expensive than meat. Kellogg was also an advocate of veganism, so that may have had something to do with it too. At any rate, someone needs to do some research into the history of peanut butter and add it to the article. —Angr 20:45, 15 November 2006 (UTC)
Agreed. But they would have to differentiate between peanut butter in its modern form and early forms like peanut paste. Prometheus-X303- 20:49, 15 November 2006 (UTC)
For example, the George Washington Carver article states : "Recipe number 51 on the list of 105 peanut uses describes a "peanut butter" that led to the belief that Carver invented the modern product with this name. It is a recipe for making a common, contemporary oily peanut grit. It does not have the key steps (which would be difficult to achieve in a kitchen) for making stable, creamy peanut butter that were developed in 1922 by Joseph L. Rosefield." Prometheus-X303- 13:57, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Peanut Butter as an iron supplement

As a child I suffered from iron deficiency. My mother always told me the doctor told her to feed me peanut butter as an iron supplement. Has anyone else encontered this use, or am I just crazy? Maybe it could be mentioned if more people have used it for this. --24.205.251.41 19:05, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

You're just crazy. Continue to eat your peanut butter and ketchup hoagies, my son.

[edit] Expires on December 26?

something wrong here...

[edit] Dairy product or not?

I think this it would be of interest to mention whether Peanut Butter is considered a dairy product or not. I don't know, but it's a common debate. - anomynous passer-by.

Food usually contains some dairy before it is considered a dairy product. Is this really a common debate? Prometheus-X303- 02:06, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

It is a huge issue of debate - as shown by Curb your Enthusiasm 2x07 - Shaq.


The next time someone wants to argue with you about it, I suggest that you point out that milk is necessarily an important ingredient in dairy products; the mandatory prerequisite of a dairy product being that it be made from the product of a dairy. Hence, milk. I suppose there are some other things that one could conceivably obtain from a dairy, such as cow manuer, and maybe even glue or leather if you know what you're doing, but really, the principle product of a dairy is milk. In proper peanut butter, there is no milk, and in its simplest form, as someone mentioned previously, it is made entirely from peanuts and salt. Seriously, what the heck would lead someone to believe Peanut Butter to be a dairy product? I mean, if someone is growing peanuts on a dairy, then, well, having worked on a dairy, myself, I don't want to eat those peanuts. VanGarrett 23:55, 24 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] US Corporate Jargon

Jargon:

I've heard (mis)use of "peanut butter" as a metaphor at work as early as September to describe lack of organizing principles or focus in management strategy. I suspect it is a pejorative description of the consequences of "muddling through." Now it appears in the news used by Brad Garlinghouse, a Yahoo senior vice president, in a document called "The Peanut Butter Manifesto[1] ."

I think it may be time to document the emergence of "peanut butter" in 2006 US corporate jargon. What is the whole story?

aphor 13:43, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

  1. ^ [The Peanut Butter Manifesto http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116379821933826657-0mbjXoHnQwDMFH_PVeb_jqe3Chk_20061125.html?mod=blogs]

[edit] History Section

The history and references sections were restored. They seem to have been deleted months ago for no valid reason.Plantguy 17:00, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Protect this page

There may be vandalism on this page and George Washington Carver after the American Dad episode tonight. It made reference to Wikipedia directly. OptimumCoder 02:59, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

Rankun 03:02, 19 February 2007 (UTC)agreed

It's already fell victim to a few edits regarding that episode. Might as well lock it for the night until this dies down. Sephirothson 03:04, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

I agree, lock it. Prgrmr@wrk 03:05, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

Looks like the Carver page has already been protected earlier on but not this page yet. OptimumCoder 03:06, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

It seems like this page has been protected, at least partially, but the vandalism has been left on it. FrozenPurpleCube 03:07, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

I've fully protected it for the time being. Nufy8 03:07, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
There's also vandalism on Mary Todd Lincoln. Volatile 03:13, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Elvis Sandwich

Add Elvis Sandwich to See also section. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 213.250.13.225 (talk) 20:16, 23 February 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Popularity

Is it also popular in groundnut-producing countries of the Sahel such as Senegal, Mali, Niger, etc.? And what about the Caribbean? I've tried peanut butter from Haiti so I wonder if it is also popular there. These places aren't mentioned in the article's lead. Badagnani 06:10, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

PB is also popular in mexico, last time I checked my supermarket there were at least four or five brands of it. I s'pose there are more in america, but here that many brands is quite a bit. Alessandro Malfatti (talk) 01:41, 28 February 2008 (UTC)



I am not sure if this is the right way to do this but I hope it will get my message across. The Groove Salad is legit website dealing with peanut butter, and I am not trying to advertise for it. Simply put, The Groove Salad needs to be included in the external links at http://www.thegroovesalad.com03:20, 26 May 2007 (UTC)03:20, 26 May 2007 (UTC)~John M.

[edit] Better than the average nut paste

From the opening section, "It also has above-average popularity in the Philippines, parts of the Middle East, South Korea and other areas where Americans have maintained a strong presence in recent decades" What exactly does "above-average" compare to? Is peanut butter more popular than the average nut paste? I think this needs some clarification. Tuckerekcut 17:35, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] very popular in Brazil, particularly among children.

Could someone please explain how peanut butter would seem to go from being very popular with children in Brazil to now being nearly impossible to find in Brazil? I have been living in the northeast and can't find it anywhere. 189.23.34.30 01:22, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

At the external links, the "peanut butter" link sounds remarkably like a joke. Mackilicious 21:56, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] NPOV Violation

"There also exist other nut butters, made from almond, cashew, and hazelnut, such as Nutella." If we are to include this sentence on the page for peanut butter, then it should be on the article on other nut butters, otherwise it would imply that the others are only "alternatives to peanut butter". hugosaavedra

I strongly disagree, although the brand-name Nutella reference is probably uncalled for unless it's linked. I was specifically looking for some information on various nut butters, and even though "almong butter" redirects here, there's not a single mention of any true nut butters. Why not write articles on them as well? To be honest, also, the others are alternatives. That doesn't make them lesser, for the reverse would also be true - peanut butter could well be considered an alternative to a nut butter.

206.207.157.26 (talk) 07:26, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] OK, you nuts, lookee here

It has come to the attention of authorities that a certain version of this page has been subject to numerous WP:NPOV and WP:COI violations. Granted, this is a contentious subject, and although it often goes smoothly, the topic can also be a bit nutty, so tempers can run high, but editors must keep WP:COOL and if you want others to WP:AGF, you've got to act that way. A certain "Jelly" has been reported to the appropriate administrators for a good chewing out. Let this be an example, and don't get any funny ideas. Noroton 03:58, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Modern peanut butter production

The section on Modern Peanut Butter Production mentions that the skin on the roasted peanuts is removed by rubber belts. However, some brands of peanut butter such as Jif now sold in the USA now seems to include the ground up skins (presumably as a filler contribution to the fiber content). Examination of creamy Jif shows many tiny reddish brown specs which under magnifying loupe (better than typicaly magnifying glass) looks like bits of finely-ground peanut skins.

Of course, that section may still be correct in that the skins are removed by rubber belts BUT are ground up and re-added to the peanut butter. The current section implies that the skins are removed AND DISCARDED. Does anyone have some sort of published verification that skins are re-added to peanut butter?AnimeJanai (talk) 02:08, 12 May 2008 (UTC)