If you only had one knife, what would you spread first?

peanut butter first

jelly first

No washing or licking the knife in between spreading.

Strenuous Lunch

Feb 21, 2012

VintageLife

Community arguments

peanut butter first

Spreading peanut butter first prevents cross-contamination—jelly slides off the knife more easily than the dense, sticky PB does.
Peanut butter's thickness means little residue stays on the knife afterward, so going PB-first poses less contamination risk than the reverse.
Many people use a spoon for jelly and a knife for peanut butter, making order irrelevant and PB-first the natural starting point.

jelly first

Jelly is thin and slides off the knife cleanly, leaving almost no residue to contaminate the peanut butter jar on a second dip.
Going peanut butter first deposits thick, sticky residue on the knife that spoils the jelly jar with every subsequent use.
Jelly-first lets you wipe the knife clean on the bread before spreading peanut butter, keeping both jars completely uncontaminated.

Last generated Jun 29, 2026.

Comments

If you only had one knife, what would you spread first?

peanut butter first

jelly first