(GoHealthier.com) – The fridge is a necessity when it comes to keeping certain foods like meats, milk and other perishables fresh. Your first instinct may be to put every food in the refrigerator, but you might want to think again. Due to its cold temperature, the fridge can negatively affect the quality, flavor and texture of certain foods. Let’s take a look at 10 foods you should never refrigerate.
| Quick Read: Not every food needs to be refrigerated. In fact, cold temperatures can negatively alter the flavor, texture and quality of certain foods. Tomatoes, potatoes/sweet potatoes, melons, honey, avocados, peanut butter, onions/garlic, bread and bananas are some foods that should never be refrigerated. Read on to find out why you should never put these 10 foods in the fridge and how to properly store them instead. |
Discover Why These 10 Foods Should Never Be Refrigerated.
1. Tomatoes
The fridge’s cold temperature damages tomato membranes. The result? Watery, mealy, mushy and flavorless tomatoes. Storing tomatoes in the fridge will also prevent them from ripening, according to SELF.
How to Store Them Instead: Your countertop is the most ideal place for tomatoes, but be sure to keep them out of sunlight. After they’ve been sliced, you’ll have to store them in the fridge. If you have an overabundance of tomatoes, consider canning or roasting them to preserve their flavor.
2. Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes
While potatoes need to be stored in cool, dark places, the fridge is actually the worst place for them. The cold temperature will interfere with their starches, turning them to sugar — and leading to discolored, flavorless potatoes.
How to Store Them Instead: Keep unwashed potatoes in a place that doesn’t see any sunlight. The Farmer’s Almanac recommends storing your potatoes in a paper bag.
3. Melons
Refrigerating whole melons like watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew negatively affects their flavor. It can also make them less healthy. A study performed by the US Department of Agriculture found that refrigerated melons had fewer antioxidants and nutrients than those kept at room temperature.
How to Store Them Instead: Keep whole melons on your countertop. Once you’ve cut them, store them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
4. Honey
Cold temperatures will alter honey’s chemical composition. This will cause it to crystallize and seize up.
How to Store It Instead: Store honey at room temperature and out of sunlight.
5. Avocados
Avocados are known for their creamy texture, which refrigeration will destroy. Cool temperatures will also change their flavor.
How to Store Them Instead: Keep whole avocados on the counter. If you have ripe avocados, refrigerating them can get you a few extra days. If you only use half, you’ll have to store the rest in the fridge.
6. Stone Fruits
Stone fruits — which include peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots — don’t store well in the fridge. Cool temperatures won’t allow these fruits to ripen, instead leaving them harder in texture, less juicy and not as sweet.
How to Store Them Instead: Stone fruits store best at room temperature. If you’re unable to eat them right away, refrigerating them will help maintain their freshness for a few extra days.
7. Peanut Butter
Refrigerating peanut butter can make it hard and difficult to spread. Although storing fresh peanut butter in the fridge can help it keep longer, it can cause the oils to separate.
How to Store It Instead: Peanut butter will fare best at room temperature. Keep it in your pantry for 6-9 months after opening or until it exceeds the expiration date.
8. Onions and Garlic
Storing onions and garlic in the fridge will cast their strong odor onto other foods, the Farmer’s Almanac reports. The cold temperatures will also affect their allium levels, altering both their flavor and texture.
How to Store Them Instead: Keep onions and garlic in a cool, dark, properly ventilated spot to reduce mold, according to SELF. After you’ve cut into them, they can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container to prevent mold growth.
9. Bread
Refrigerating your bread will prevent it from going moldy faster — but the cool temperature will dry bread out and change its texture, making it taste stale.
How to Store It Instead: The best place for your bread is your counter or pantry. If you know you won’t be able to use up your bread quickly, the Food Network recommends freezing and toasting it.
10. Bananas
Cold temperatures prevent a banana from ripening. Even if you remove an unripe banana from the fridge, it won’t ripen the way it’s supposed to, according to World’s Healthiest Foods. The banana peel and fruit will also turn black.
How to Store Them Instead: The best place to store bananas is your kitchen counter. If they’re overripe, or you know you won’t have a chance to eat them, consider storing unpeeled bananas in the freezer. You can dip them in chocolate or make smoothies or banana bread out of them later. Ripened bananas can go in the fridge for a few days; though their peels will turn black, the fruit will be unchanged.
Some foods need to be stored in the fridge to stay fresh and safe to consume, but others fare better when stored at room temperature. Avoiding refrigeration of these 10 foods may preserve their flavor, texture and quality. For some foods like melons, it might even maintain their nutrients.
~Here’s to a Healthier Life!
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