Kitchen pantries often are one of the coldest places in the house. That’s on purpose — the cold helps preserve foods. This is especially true in older houses from the era of expensive refrigeration.

You’ll find the chill can change the consistency of some items. The fats in cooking oil congeal. Syrups and honey turn thick and impossible to pour. Some canned goods become stiff. Onions and potatoes can go mushy.

Fresh food should be moved out of the pantry in very cold weather. The other items will recover unharmed if left at room temperature for a few hours.

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