It is quite natural for all of us to want to preserve and protect the
foods we purchase. With that in mind, we always think that the best way to do
that is by putting them in our refrigerators. Maybe you go to the market to
shop, upon your arrival home you washed them, and then the next thing you do is
to store them in the fridge. But have you ever thought of what food to keep in
the fridge and what not to be preserved in there? Below, we have put together
an extended list of such foods.
The results and certain entries may surprise you. This is because you
might have been thinking that preserving them is the best option, whereas you
are totally so very wrong.
Bananas
Because they retain nutrients better outside the fridge, bananas should
never be placed inside the refrigerator. Keeping them in the refrigerator will
also shrink them to the point of the banana getting too ripe and end up
spoiling.
Potatoes
What made you think that placing potatoes in the fridge is the right
thing to do? Potato growers all agree; spuds should be placed in a cool, dry
and dark space. By reason of the cold temperatures of the fridge, it can turn
starch into sugar more rapidly. It is
also recommended that potatoes be removed from plastic or paper bags they may
have been placed in. Also, keep them unwashed in a well-ventilated cardboard
box or open place.
Onions
The fridge is the wrong place for you to preserve your onions. Placing
your onions inside your refrigerator will eventually end up turning them mouldy
and soft. It will also make other things in the fridge to be smelling of
onions. Unpeeled onions should be kept in an open place and out of the plastic
bag. One of the reasons for this is because unpeeled onions need air exposure
for maximum life. If you have peeled an onion though, then you should keep it
in the fridge, in a covered container.
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Avocados
If you purchased an avocado that is not ripe, you should not place it in
your refrigerator. Since they will need time to ripen, keeping in the cold
cooler will deter and impede that process. Also, placing the avocado in your
fridge should only be done if the avocado is already ripe and you won’t use it
right away.
Garlic
Believe it or not, placing garlic in your refrigerator will actually
cause it to sprout. The garlic will also get mouldy and even rubbery. Moreover,
inside your fridge, the look of the garlic will rarely change. This means you
won’t be able to tell if it’s any good until you finally slice it open.
Bread
Nothing dries out bread faster than your refrigerator. The cold
temperature will make the bread tough and chewy. Furthermore, the coldness
tends to make the bread turn stale and harder, at a faster rate.
Tomatoes
We all love tomatoes for their taste, the nutrients and health benefits.
But did you know that the fridge is the wrong place for you to keep them? Why?
Because putting them in the refrigerator will cause them to lose all of their
flavours. Plus, the cold air in the cooler stops the ripening process as well.
And as we all know, ripening is what gives every tomato more taste and flavour.
The cold temperature of the fridge will alter the texture of the tomatoes as
well. For best results, keep tomatoes
out, and inside a basket or a bowl on your counter.
Honey
Provided that you keep it in a tightly sealed container, honey will stay
good almost forever. Therefore, storing it in your cooler doesn’t make sense.
Honey is a naturally preserved food, so it needs no help from us. Ironically
enough, placing honey in your refrigerator will, in fact, speed up the sugar
crystallization process. The result of that will be the honey becoming almost
dough-like, in form; thus, making it harder or nearly impossible to scoop or
use.
Melons
Melons should never be kept in the fridge. If you haven’t opened your
melons, then there is no need to place them in your fridge. Research has
demonstrated that storing melons in room temperatures will, in effect, keep the
antioxidants levels the same. Also, melons lose some of their beta-carotene
content as well. Keep in mind though, that the research pertained to whole
melons. Sliced melons can be placed in the fridge, but should be covered with a
plastic bag.
Olive Oil
Since storing olive oil in a fridge will turn it harder and make it
condensed, it should never be placed there. Instead, put the olive oil in dark,
cool place. Otherwise, you risk turning your olive oil into a butter-like
density
Basil
The refrigeration cold will wilt basil a lot faster than normal. Also,
basil can and will absorb any of the smells from other foods near it. Treat
your basil in the same manner you would treat flowers. For best results, keep
it outside of your fridge and let it sit in a cup of freshwater. If you want to
store basil for longer periods of time, blanch (the process of putting the leaf
in boiling water for a brief moment) it first, then freeze it.
Fruits like Apricots,
Kiwi, Peaches, Plums and Mangoes
Just like tomatoes and other foods placed in refrigerators have their
ripening process stopped, the same goes for these fruits. Kiwi, apricots,
mangoes, plums and peaches can also lose their nutrients if placed in a cooler.
To avoid the cold temperatures of the fridge breaking down the membranes of the
fruits, place them in a dry, cool place such as your counter.
Peanut Butter
Maybe you like it cold, especially when you spread it on the bread. But
nothing goes better with peanut butter than jelly. However, unlike most jams,
peanut butter should be kept out of the refrigerator. Placing it inside your
fridge can eventually turn it hard and dry. Instead, keep the peanut butter in
a cool, dark and dry place, such as your cupboard. This will keep the peanut
butter smooth, soft and ready for spreading. Or you can even place it on top of
your refrigerator.
Eggs
It will be surprising to see that eggs made the list of foods that are
not meant to be kept in the fridge. It is a long debate whether you should keep
eggs inside your refrigerator or not. One study suggests that keeping eggs
whether in a refrigerator or not does not change their normal properties, so it
can be said that if you keep eggs at room temperature, there should not be any
problem. There is another study that reveals that keeping eggs inside the
refrigerators spoil the natural taste and flavour of eggs, so it is wise to keep
eggs outside of your fridge.
Citrus Fruits
Chill damage is a common effect of cold temperature to the fruits filled
up with citric acid like oranges or lemons. These citrus fruits need natural
temperature for ripening, so keeping them inside the refrigerators hampers this
process. You will also see some spots as well as dull skin on these types of
fruits if kept in the refrigerators. They also tend to get hardened by the
coldness of the fridge.
Cucumber
Cucumber enjoys room temperature, so fridge is not a suitable place for
preserving it. You will often see damaged skin on cucumber after bringing out
of refrigerator. In fact, cool temperature speeds up the decaying of cucumber’s
skin, so find a dry and cool place at room temperature for your cucumber and be
worry-free with it for a few days
Carrot
Like cucumber, the same thing can be applied for carrot. Refrigerating
carrots can give you a shocking experience with rotted, water filled carrots
within few days. However, carrots do need to be stored in darkness, away from
sunlight. Keeping them in a place with high moisture will result in getting
spoiled.
Pepper
It is a myth that people believe that keeping pepper in the refrigerator
preserves them. Rather, after keeping them inside the refrigerators, their
colours become dull. So whether red, yellow or green (whatever the colour of the
pepper is), it is safe to say that you can keep them in a dry and cool place.
You can also add chili peppers in this group for keeping outside of your
refrigerator.
Apple
They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away since they have so many
nutritional benefits. While that is true, there are still a vast majority of
people that place apples inside of their fridges. In reality, there is really
no need to place them there. Apples normally last about a week or two when kept
at room temperature. That’s because at room temperatures, the enzymes on apples
become more active. However, if you want them to last longer than that, you can
store them in your fridge. This all depends on how fast you will end up eating
them.
Pear
People may not be aware that, unlike many other fruits, pears do not
ripen on the tree. That means if you store them at room temperature, they will
slowly reach ripening. The end result is reaching a succulent and sweet taste
from inside out. What this means is that if you have pears which are not ripe,
you should avoid refrigerating them. The cold can delay that process and keep
it from being fresh. Once your pears have ripened though, you can put them in
the fridge to make them last longer. Be sure to remember this whenever you are
picking your pears. Calculate when you are going to be eating them. This way,
you can better know exactly what storing preference may be best for you.
By: Pupwaya Timothy Dibal
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