What Stays in Your Refrigerator and What Is Stored in the Pantry?

I read the label. If it says "refrigerate after opening" I do. Definitely not bread, I find that it feels staler if refrigerated.

Read the labels; and from the answers you have received many people are not. The following labels of the product I have say refrigerate after opening: maple syrup, mustards, ketchup, jam/jellies, salad dressing, soy sauce, and bbq sauce. Don't have any pickles, but I would refrigerate. Vitamins are ok in pantry, unless the label says to refrigerate. Bread -- either way.

Most things that are open go in our fridge. The peanut butter doesn't, but that's because DH thinks it's silly and he's the one that eats it. I keep butter in the fridge and I keep opened gatorade in the fridge, too because I found out the hard way that sports drinks go bad in a very bad way. I don't put medicines in the fridge unless they require it.

Anything pickled can be stored in the pantry. My parents do, I don't. Don't know why - habit?

Pantry: Soy sauce, vitamins, ketchup, mustards, syrup (except all natural), bread
Fridge: BBQ, bread that we won't eat quickly, jams and jellies, salad dressings

That's how we do it - we're probably storing things in the fridge that don't need to be - in fact, some mustard is in the fridge while other is in pantry

Once opened it goes in the fridge-except for honey.

Most of the items you listed I keep in the fridge, except bread. I used to keep bread in the fridge when I was single because I didn't eat it that often and it lasted longer in there. Most of my vitamins I keep in the cabinet, unless they say to refrigerate. I think maple syrup can stay out like honey, but I am not sure.

I put opened jars of mayo, mustard, ketchup, jelly, pickles, BBQ sauce, and salad dressing in the fridge. I do not refrigerate soy sauce, bread, or peanut butter.

Bread, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, syrup, Italian salad dressing I don't refrigerate.
Opened jams/jellys I keep in the fridge if we're not going to use them quickly because anything that's moist with a high sugar content will mold very quickly.
Dairy (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt) and eggs, any juice they keep cool in the store I keep cool at home and other juices once they are open I keep in the fridge.
When I get fresh corn, I put it in the fridge till we're ready to cook/eat it - it stays sweet that way otherwise the sugar will turn to starch and it doesn't taste as good.

From what you listed, I keep peanut butter, vitamins (unless they specifically say refrigerate), and bread out of the fridge, the rest goes in. Maple syrup in fridge, all other syrups in the pantry. I don't know why I do it that way, my husband just spends too much money on real maple syrup, so I guess just as a precaution. I have an over-full fridge of condiments as well. Everyone likes a different bbq sauce, and different mustards.

Bread DOES NOT go in the refrigerator. It stales WAY FASTER in the fridge. It goes in the bread drawer or the freezer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staling

I keep soy sauce, BBQ sauce, vitamins and nut butters in the pantry. I keep opened ketchup, pickles, jams and jellies in the refrigerator. I will keep mustard either place (usually the fridge so I remember it is open). I make salad dressing when we are having salad and keep any leftovers in the fridge. My MIL keeps her vinaigrette in the pantry and it is fine. You can also keep butter at room temperature (I don't but you can).

Many of the things you mention are not things I refrigerate - with the exception of some dressings (it depends on what's in them) and some fish oil pills for me (but not other vitamin products). We refrigerate the real maple syrup, but not the wannabe bottles. Sometimes I'll refrigerate jelly or jam if it's opened but not going to be used up very quickly. The pickles go in the fridge because my husband, the pickle-eater, likes them cold. I don't refrigerate bread, because I think it goes stale faster. I freeze loaves I'm not ready for, and then I keep the current loaf in a bowl on the counter (if I had a bread box I'd keep it there).

I understand what you're saying, though. I really think food multiplies itself in the fridge when the light is out. Sneaky stuff.

Pantry: peanut butter, maple syrups, soy sauce, vitamins, bread

Fridge: ONCE OPENED (otherwise they stay in the pantry until opened)
mustards, ketchup, jams and jellies, salad dressings, bbq sauce, pickles

I usually use the Best by or Use by dates to tell what is good or bad as well as making sure to look at it and smell it if it has been sitting awhile. I generally clean out the fridge every other month to make sure stuff that hasn't been in use or things that are close to expiration or expired get used or thrown out.

As far as what you listed...

Peanut butter, bread, maple syrup, vitames...those are all in the cupboard. Except for our gluten free bread, which I store in the fridge so it doesn't go bad, because it has no preservatives and would only last 2 days on the counter.

All condiments and pickles (once opened, anyhow) are in my fridge.

However, most of the things you listed aren't really "perishable" in the same way dairy, etc, are...so I store them all in my fridge door. All our condiments, pickles, etc...all in the door.

unopened... none of those.

opened all but syrup, it states that it doesn't need refrigeration on the bottle.

Vitamins, only if it states.

Bread never.

I managed a restaurant for 17 yrs and I can tell you that - from your list - the only thing you NEED to keep in the refrigerator is dairy based dressings and pickles (after they are opened)....

For good measure, I like to keep my bread & jellies in there, too - but it's not required (just makes them last longer).
**NOTE** All natural/organic bread keeps better in the 'frige - standard made/bought bread stales faster if in cold environment.

An easy way to think of it is : think of the section of the grocery store where you buy the item. Is it on the shelf or in the cold section?
Items like pickels and dairy based dressing are stored (unopened) on the shelf, however, the label advises that you "refrigerate after opening".

I see other posts that are telling you to keep ketchup/mustard/bbq sauce in the refrigerator after opening - that's really not neccessary (again - discregard if organic). Standard practice in restaurants is to leave such condiments on the table overnight and even (gasp!) "marry" them (which means taking two used bottles and combining them to make one full bottle).

I think its as simple as reading the label. If it says "refridgerate after opening" then it goes in the fridge...if not, then it doesn't.

If it is perishable it goes in the fridge, if it is not I put it in the pantry. Really what is not perishable should be common sense. Salad dressing I put in the fridge except Italian because Italian has nothing in it that is perishable. Everything else on your list sans fresh pickles I put in the pantry. Fresh pickles are the ones you buy from the refrigerated section.

Oh there is a good way to figure it out, if the grocery store doesn't use refrigerated space for it chances are it doesn't need to be refrigerated. :) I am amazed how many people refrigerate just because some lawyer made them put refrigerate after opening on the package.