12 Foods You Should Never Store In Your Refrigerator
Shirin is a health and wellness writer with three years of experience and specializes in writing articles on yoga and has extensive knowledge about the postures of the asanas. Prior to joining Stylecraze, she interned with an advertising firm as a copywriter and as an editorial intern for a luxury fashion magazine.
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Our refrigerators are like storerooms. When we don’t know where to put a certain kind of food, the first place we think of is our safe-haven, the fridge. But, do you know that there are certain foods that you cannot put in the refrigerator, come what may? Not that they would harm you in any way, but their original texture will get ruined. Refrigerating these foods can also alter their taste, and that’s not something you are going to look forward to. So let’s take a look at the 12 foods that can’t go into the refrigerator.
1. Bananas
Low temperatures slow down the ripening of the fruit. So whether you want to refrigerate bananas or not really depends on the level of ripeness you like. If you put green bananas in the fridge, they will end up remaining green for a really long time. But, when they begin ripening rapidly after being kept outside, you can refrigerate them to slow the process down. The skin may change color and become dark brown, or even black, but the fruit itself will remain intact, and perfect to eat.
2. Oils
Oils are silky and smooth in texture, and of course, they don’t change their texture so much when subjected to heat. But when the temperatures fall, they tend to become thick and stodgy. Typically, olive oil and coconut oil tend to solidify at low temperatures. But a quick turn in the microwave can bring them back to normal.
3. Potatoes
When the temperatures are low, the starch in the potatoes begins to breakdown. This tends to make them gritty and very sweet. The breakdown of the starch is not reversible, so once this happens, nothing can alter or change the taste. Therefore, refrigerating potatoes is not a good idea.
4. Coffee
Coffee beans – whether ground or whole – are like little sponges. And even though their own fragrance is very strong, they can pull in any kind of smell to themselves. Therefore, once you refrigerate coffee, it will never smell the same again. This will also alter its flavor. Also, if you store instant or ground coffee in the refrigerator, the change in temperature will lead to the emission of moisture, which will in turn desaturate the flavor.
5. Onions
Onions become mushy and moldy if left in the fridge as a whole. Most of us do not refrigerate whole onions, as this is a known fact. But if you have always stored cut onions in the fridge, it’s time you think again! However tight you wrap them or even if they are in airtight containers, cut, refrigerated onions will dry up very soon. Also, onions dissipate their smell into their surroundings very easily. So your fridge and everything else in it will end up smelling like onions. Not too pleasant, I would say!
6. Honey
Natural honey has its ways of preserving itself no matter how old it is. If you have an old jar of honey and you find it a few years later, it will taste and look just the same, even though the condition of the jar itself might have deteriorated. So, if you think you should refrigerate honey to keep it fresh longer, you are mistaken. On the contrary, low temperatures will cause the sugar to crystallize rapidly, which in turn will change its texture into a thick, almost doughy form. You will have a hard time scooping it out unless you blitz it in the microwave.
7. Tomatoes
Tomatoes, surprisingly, shouldn’t be stored in the fridge. The cold temperatures meddle with their texture, making them icy and mushy. Like the onions, tomatoes also tend to get moldy in the fridge.
8. Garlic
All tubers alike, as much as it is a matter of convenience to throw these smelly pods into the fridge, they tend to get rubbery and moldy. The worst part is, you will never know how bad they are until you cook, because their color and texture remain unchanged on the outside. Not worth the risk!
9. Avocado
Avocado is sold stone hard and usually needs to be brought home and ripened. If you refrigerate it, that is never going to happen. Much like the bananas, avocados refuse to ripen in low temperatures.
10. Breads
It’s a misconception that bread will remain fresh for a longer period of time if you refrigerate it. In fact, it will get stale faster. Its texture changes too, and it becomes hard and chewy. The only time you should refrigerate bread is when it is in the sandwich form.
[ Recommended Read: Is It Safe To Freeze Food In Plastic Containers? ]
11. Melon
Melons of any kind should be stored in the fridge only once they are cut open. Until then, for the sake of keeping the antioxidants in them intact, it is best to leave them outside in room temperature.
12. Fresh Herbs
Like coffee, herbs too absorb all the smell around them. And once this happens, they will never taste or smell the same again. Refrigerating fresh herbs also dries them out very quickly. Having said all of this, herbs tend to rot if not refrigerated. Solution? Airtight boxes!
This article definitely addresses first world problems. Have you ever stopped to think that you contribute to the 4 billion tons of wasted food every year? So a little bit of planning and storage awareness will really help in cutting down wastage. In turn, you will make this world a much better place to live in.
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