Avoid Refrigerating These 7 Foods to Prevent Major Errors

When it comes to food storage, a little knowledge of where certain items do best can make a big difference. Although the refrigerator is the main place for many foods, it is not always the best place for all foods. Understanding the ideal storage conditions for each item ensures that its flavors, texture, and quality remain intact, providing a more enjoyable dining experience.

To extend their shelf life, we usually buy groceries and other food items and store them in our refrigerator. But in reality, it does us more harm than good. These are seven foods that never belong in the fridge.

Keep an eye out for these seven foods in your fridge:

BREAD

We often put food in the fridge because we sincerely believe that it will last longer and won’t spoil that way.

However, a refrigerator is not required, especially for some foods, as this poses the risk of our food spoiling sooner than expected.

The bread is ordinary bread. While it may seem like a good idea to keep it in the fridge if you want to keep it for a few days, it actually changes the texture and taste. Bread ripens faster in the refrigerator; it dries earlier and takes on a more “rubbery” appearance.

Bread can also taste different because it can absorb the flavors of other foods that are kept in the refrigerator. There are several precautions we can take if we must actually store bread in the refrigerator.

For example, it makes more sense to freeze bread: slice it and put each slice in a freezer bag. To enjoy it as if it had just come out of the oven, simply defrost it at this point and reheat it in the oven.

Garlic and onion

When whole, onions should ideally be stored in a cool, dry place such as a pantry or cellar. They prefer temperatures between 7 and 13 degrees and do not like humidity. Therefore, it is not the best idea to put them in the fridge.

It’s a different scenario with sliced ​​onions. In this situation, they risk faster degradation. To minimize their exposure to air, it is recommended to store them in the refrigerator, preferably in an airtight container. This way you can also prevent the refrigerator from smelling like chopped onions.

What about garlic? Like onions, these bulbs do best when stored in a pantry or other dry, cool, well-ventilated area. Take extra care in direct sunlight; Whole bulbs of garlic should never be exposed to it.

However, the best place to store pre-cut garlic cloves is in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. However, garlic should be stored in an airtight container to preserve it and prevent other foods from absorbing its smell, just like onions.

Garlic cloves can last up to two weeks in the fridge. However, the flavor of garlic changes slightly and becomes milder when stored in the refrigerator.

Avoid these 7 foods from the fridge:

Potatoes and avocados

Can avocados be kept in the fridge? Yes, but it also depends on how ripe it is at the time of storage. It is best to keep unripe avocados out of the fridge until they are fully ripe. If we didn’t do this, we would cause it to ripen more slowly and we would have to wait a long time before we could consume it.

However, if we plan to store the avocado for a few days, we can keep it in the cold. Its freshness lasts longer this way.

For optimal storage in the refrigerator, it would be a good idea to wrap the avocado in a towel or paper bag. This way we can absorb the extra moisture and prevent our avocados from ripening too quickly.

Opened avocados can be cooled after brushing them with olive oil or lemon pulp to prevent them from oxidizing.

How about potatoes? Compared to other vegetables, this vegetable needs a different kind of preservation. In fact, the ideal conditions for storing whole potatoes are cool, dark, and well-ventilated areas. Potato starch can turn into sugar faster in the refrigerator and change the taste.

You can store potatoes in the fridge if there is nowhere else to cool them due to the heat but don’t leave them there for more than a week.

Olive oil and tomatoes

Now let’s talk about a food whose preservation is often questioned: tomatoes. If the tomatoes have not reached a high degree of ripeness and we want to keep them for a few more days, it is generally not recommended to keep them in the refrigerator.

Why don’t tomatoes fit in the fridge? Mostly a taste issue, cold temperatures can change the taste and consistency of tomatoes, making them less fibrous and tasty.

The best way to preserve our tomatoes is to store them at room temperature and protect them from the sun.

Conversely, we can store tomatoes in the refrigerator if they are extremely ripe and we need to keep them a little longer. A little tip: once you take the tomatoes out of the fridge, let them come to room temperature before eating. The taste will improve this way.

What about olive oil? Olive oil should be stored in a cool, dark place. In fact, the cold of the refrigerator can make the oil cloudy and thicker, or it can cause water vapor to condense inside the bottle, which would reduce the quality of the oil due to moisture.

Olive oil should generally be protected from direct sunlight and stored in an airtight container at a temperature between 20 and 25 degrees.

When it comes to food storage, the fridge isn’t always the answer. Some items do better outside of a cool environment. From bread losing texture and flavor to tomatoes losing flavor and consistency, certain foods simply do better in other environments. Garlic and onions prefer dry, well-ventilated areas, while potatoes and avocados may not appreciate cooler temperatures. A staple of many kitchens, olive oil prefers a cool, dark place away from the humidity of the refrigerator. Understanding these nuances when storing food can help preserve its flavor and quality and ensure a more enjoyable dining experience.