Aside from air conditioning, the refrigerator is one of the best inventions of all time. It allows you to store all your foods that need to be kept cold; what’s not to love? It may surprise you that some commonplace foods do not need to go in the fridge.
When you put food inside the refrigerator that isn’t supposed to be there, you might find yourself in quite a pickle. Food can get old and sour, leak, and cause a ton of frustration — not to mention the gross cleanup.
However, many people need to know which groceries should or shouldn’t be frozen or refrigerated. Some of us learned early on to keep certain foods cold when they spoil the entire time.
Coffee
For all the coffee drinkers out there, if you are brewing your coffee grounds at home, skip the fridge for your storage area.
When coffee grounds are in the fridge, they are susceptible to picking up flavors from other foods, making the coffee taste bad. Instead, store them in an airtight container in your pantry or away from light.
Bananas
You’ve probably heard to keep bananas in the fridge to keep them from browning, so you don’t waste your money on a fruit that will return immediately.
Whoever told you that was wrong — sorry. The best place to store bananas is at room temperature because the air helps them ripen, slowing the browning process.
Bread
We love fresh bread just as much as Oprah. If you have been storing your bread slices in the fridge to keep them fresh, that’s a big mistake. Huge.
Putting bread in the refrigerator completely dries it out, making it stale and unappealing. For a longer lifespan, try storing it in the pantry instead.
Oil
Did you know that oil solidifies when put in the fridge? It’s a fat, and just like any other fat, it’ll harden when exposed to lower temperatures. The process happens quickly, making it virtually unusable for cooking.
Instead of popping your olive oil in the fridge before making pasta for dinner, consider storing it in the pantry away from harsh lighting.
Avocado
It’s an avocado, thanks! Avocados are a delicious food that has skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade. The fruit (yes, we checked) is notorious for spoiling almost as soon as you purchase it.
We have bad news if you’ve been trying to save your future guacamole by putting it in the fridge. Putting an avocado in the refrigerator slows the ripening process; instead, place it on the counter.
Onions
Unless you recently chopped onions, they should be kept outside the fridge, or they will go bad quickly.
While some suggest storing onions near other vegetables, like potatoes, to help them ripen, doing so isn’t great for the onion itself. Consider giving your onions their own little space on the countertop instead.
Potatoes
There is no more versatile food than the glorious potato. As we said before, potatoes are vegetables that do not store well near any onions or they will lose their texture immediately.
Similarly, potatoes stored in the fridge will also lose their texture. If you’re a texture-based eater, you certainly want something else. Store these bad boys on the counter or in a room-temperature area.
Garlic
When trying to discern if something goes in the fridge, a good rule of thumb is to consider how the item was stored when you bought it. Where in the grocery store do you snag garlic when you buy it?
You most likely purchased your garlic off a shelf in the store. When you stock your pantry, slide that garlic right on in.
Honey
Like oil, honey hardens when chilled. I was taught to store honey in the fridge to preserve its longevity, but then I leave it in the refrigerator for months because it’s too hard to use.
Instead, use our grocery store method. Where do you buy honey from? The shelf! Thus, honey goes into the pantry.
Melons
Here’s a fun one for you: melons. Since melons are a pretty standard fruit that you would eat as something cold, it’s not uncommon to want to store them in the refrigerator.
However, storing melons in the fridge actually makes them spoil faster. If you enjoy melons, consider putting them on the counter until you eat them.
Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs are already fresh! Putting fresh herbs inside the refrigerator is a significant mistake because it completely dries them out. If you’re wondering which herbs we’re talking about, here are a few:
- Sage
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Thyme
Putting them in the fridge also means they’ll likely lose their flavor. Instead, place the stems inside a jar with some water and store it in a dark area, like a pantry.
Tomatoes
This fruit (yes, fruit) is one of those foods everyone and their mother think must be kept in the refrigerator to prevent souring. Tomatoes do not thrive in cold environments.
Using the grocery store method, you can deduce that tomatoes are often purchased near room-temperature vegetables and should be stored at home accordingly.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is an interesting food because it depends on what state it’s in if you should store it in the fridge or not.
If you buy peanut butter at the store, it has preservatives that make it storable at room temperature. In contrast, natural peanut butter must go straight into the fridge.