Both are pastes made of mashed beans (peanuts and chickpeas are beans.) They also have a similar nutrient profile and are both used for similar dishes.
Peanut butter usually has sugar in it, but it doesn’t have to. Peanuts can be great in savory dishes too, such as Thai peanut sauce. I eat peanut butter with celery and hot sauce.
My favorite is from those machines some grocery stores have that grind it up on the spot - nothing but peanut. Definitely shows the extra ingredients like sugars, oils etc in some jarred ones are totally superfluous. Kind of offensive, really, how some major brands remove the peanut oil and replace it with a cheaper oil.
It's not about expense, it's about emulsification. Peanut oil can't stay solid at room temperature and will separate from the solids. Trans fats are perfect for that so they used that for awhile, but that's becoming illegal. Now they'll use other more saturated fats.
Sure... transfats also resist oxidation much longer, which is good for health in some ways - rancid oil is dramatically unhealthy to consume - but also it serves to help the manufacturer by extending shelf life. They do also sell the peanut oil, though.
It tastes like... peanuts? What could be vile about it? I guess you could mix in some sugar and other oil if desired, since that's really all other peanut butters have.
It was the hot sauce. Some combination of something in the hot sauce flavor profile mixed with the celery and PB didn’t work for me. I like celery and PB, just not with hot sauces (I’ve tried a few over the years).
Edit: I love peanut sauce in Thai food, if that’s what you were talking about
Oh, fresh-ground PB can be kinda “blah” for me. Also the constant need to mix it because it settles… I prefer the sugary, processed stuff! Although, at least I’m a crunchy guy!
Hot sauce, on the other hand, I like, but not on everything, lol