The Best Use For Peanut Butter In The Kitchen Outside Eating It

Peanut butter is a universally loved kitchen staple, easy to throw into a wide variety of recipes and simple quick fix meals. Mixed into your granola and yogurt bowls, it can add a bit of protein to help manage balanced meals. It can be a fab addition to your smoothies, or great to have on hand when you want to make a peanut sauce. There are loads of clever ways to use frozen peanut butter, and there may be some peanut butter myths you've become familiar with over the years — and others you may not even recognize. 

We've all heard of peanut butter's magic ability to get gum out of your hair (a common issue in many of our elementary school days), but did you know that the pantry isn't actually the best place for it? Despite the fact that it'll hold its own for a while at room temperature, climate controlling this spread in the fridge will extend its lifetime by another couple months. And as much as it complements strawberry jam on your PB&J, this protein-rich spread is also the perfect pest catcher — think mice, cockroaches, and ants. 

The myth is that mice are lovers of cheese, made popular by the cartoon "Tom and Jerry," but that just isn't the reality. Though they're not picky, mice prefer options that will maintain their energy stores, leading them to more high protein and fat-laden foods like peanut butter. Cheese — though high in protein and fat — is not always the most effective. It can work, but the more effective option of the two is peanut butter. Its gummy consistency creates a bit of a hold up for the kitchen pests, making it more likely that you'll catch them in the act.

Peanut butter is the first of a two-step system to ridding your home of unwanted pests and other critters. Mixing this common household ingredient with components like boric acid could be the way to create a more permanent option to killing more disruptive bugs like cockroaches, whereas peanut butter on its own serves as an effective way to draw ants out of the pantry and into your traps. 

If you've dealt with pests, you'll know just how frustrating this experience can be. With mice, in particular, being nocturnal creatures, it can be super difficult to manage the food safety and sanitation of your kitchen once they get in. If you're looking to find other ways to keep mice out of your kitchen, there are plenty of options out there. Mice are indeed apt to go for pretty much any crumb of whatever happens to be left out on the counter or on the floor. Grains are another food mice prefer over cheese — not to mention their love of chocolate (watch out if you've got dogs in the house), as well as other sweet things like fruit.