Refrigerators are great – They keep our drinks cool and our food fresh. However, despite our tendency to just toss whatever food we have into the fridge, there are certain foods that will fare much better outside of the cold environment than in it. Here are the 10 most common foods people keep in the fridge, but shouldn?t.
The fridge does keep tomatoes fresh, but it does this by stopping the process of ripeness. When this process is stopped, the tomato loses its flavor. In addition to the loss of flavor, the refrigerator also changes the texture of the tomato, making it powdery or floury. Tomatoes are best kept out of cold environments.
2. Basil
When one keeps fresh basil in refrigeration, it withers very quickly, but before it withers all the way and becomes unusable, it absorbs the taste of the foods kept closest to it. The best way to keep fresh basil is outside the fridge and in a glass of fresh water, just like flowers.
3. Potatoes
The cold of the fridge turns the starch in the potato into sugar at a faster pace than normal, and we’re left with a sweet yet grainy potato. Keep your potatoes in a sealed sack and in a cool place that isn’t actually cold. They should also be covered, because being exposed to sunlight makes them grow ‘eyes’.
4. Onions
The dampness in the fridge makes onions soft and moldy. The best way to keep onions is in a cool and dry place, outside the fridge. Green onions can be kept in the fridge because of their high % of water content. Be sure not to keep onions next to the potatoes, because it’ll make them both go bad faster.
5. Avocado
If you’re waiting for the avocado to ripen, you should never put it in the fridge. A refrigerator does well by the avocado, but only if it has already ripened and you want to prevent it from going bad.
6. Garlic
When we keep garlic in the refrigerator, it begins to shoot out and grow green stalks. Also, it’ll get a moldy, sticky texture. It is best to keep garlic in a dry, cool place.
7. Bread
When it comes to bread, there are a number of options. If this is sliced bread you are going to use within a few days, it can be kept in the fridge. When you keep bread for longer, the fridge will make it dry out faster, and so it’s best to keep it somewhere closed off, but not in the refrigerator. If you only rarely eat the bread, it can even be kept in the freezer.
8. Olive Oil
Olive oil should be kept somewhere dark and cool, but when placed in refrigeration, it freezes and becomes similar to butter. That said, you can thaw it again to its original state.
9. Coffee
Storing coffee in the fridge makes it quickly lose its flavor and even absorb the flavor of foods stored near it. Coffee should be kept somewhere dark and cool. However, if you want to keep a large amount of coffee at home, you can keep it in the depths of the freezer – not near the door.
10. Honey
One of the most fascinating facts about honey is that it nevergoes bad. You can eat honey from a thousand years ago, and it’ll still be good. There is no reason to keep honey in the fridge and it should be avoided since the cold will make it a solid and it’s always better kept at room temperature.
