Do rice krispie treats need to be refrigerated, or can they be stored at room temperature? I'd like to know both whether leaving them out is safe, and whether refrigeration will affect their flavor and/or texture.
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1Now, with a recipe we could give a qualified answer - tell us what's in it, we tell you where it should go. Gut feeling (thinking of a simple rice chrispie / chocolate mix) would be room temp because the chrispies might get soggy faster in the fridge.– Stephie ♦Commented May 7, 2015 at 6:00
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And the chocolate would likely sweat and go spotty in the fridge...– DougCommented May 7, 2015 at 8:53
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2My gut feeling is that it's safe to leave plain ones at room temperature due to the very high sugar content of the marshmallow cream. Neither commercially packaged rice krispie treats nor marshmallow cream advise the buyer to refrigerate after opening.– Random832Commented May 7, 2015 at 19:33
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2Chocolate rice crispy treats? I need to go do some research. For reasons.– PrestonCommented May 9, 2015 at 4:59
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2I don't know. Rice Krispie treats never last long enough around me for storage to become an issue.– Sean HartCommented Jun 8, 2015 at 1:29
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4 Answers
I don't know about the safety standpoint, but from a texture standpoint -- don't refrigerate them.
The problem is that they turn into an brick when cold -- rather than being a nice dessert, it's something that you have to gnaw at and fear that you're going to chip a tooth.
You might be able to get around this by warming them back up before serving, but I'm not sure what the best way to do that would be. (microwave? low oven?)
So from someone that has been making Rice Krispies Squares his whole life (Grandma taught me) Let's look at your typical ingredients:
Rice Krispies: Does not need to be refrigerated
Marshmallows: If form the bag they do not need to be refrigerated
Butter: Does not need to be refrigerated
Vanilla Extract: Does not need to be refrigerated
So based on that alone should tell you that they do not "have" to be refrigerated. But with everything there is always personal preference.
Gooey, moist, squares: Leave them at room temperature
Firm, Harder Squares: Cool them
One thing to keep in mid though is to always cover them in either situation. If you refrigerate them and they are not covered they will go rock hard and dusty. If you leave them out uncovered for too long you can get the opposite, soggy squares with no snap crackle pop left in them as they absorb moisture from the air.
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2I would like to add that combining ingredients A, B, C... which are all perfectly fine outside the fridge, this does not necessarily apply to a mix of these. Apart from that, nice answer! Welcome to Seasoned Advice! Let me suggest you take the tour and browse our help center to learn more and now that you have reached enough reputation, you may even want to drop in on Seasoned Advice Chat at your leisure. Again: welcome!– Stephie ♦Commented Feb 25, 2017 at 14:55
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2To give an example of what Stephie's saying -- water and honey at room temp are fine -- if you mix them, you have a weak sugar solution that can host bacteria and such. (if you're lucky, it'll turn into mead, but it's really best to add yeast so that you know what's most likely to win out over the others). Another one is garlic and oil -- separately fine ... together is a botulism risk.– JoeCommented Feb 28, 2017 at 19:02
You can refrigerate them. They turn to bricks, but if take them out of the fridge an hour before eating, they go back to a normal texture. They haven't lasted more than two days for me so I don't know how they will be for longer than that.
