You might be surprised that some of these foods are better placed in the pantry than in the fridge. Do you ever find yourself wondering whether or not certain products belong in the fridge?
These food storage tips can make your food taste even better.
Bread
Keeping bread in the fridge will dry it out and can even make it go stale quicker than if you leave it out of the fridge. The freezer, on the other hand will make the bread last longer. If you don’t think you’ll finish a whole loaf before it goes bad, try putting half of it in the freezer.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes can lose their flavour and texture if kept in the fridge, however they will last longer. If you’re going to eat them quickly, place them somewhere at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.
Coffee
The fridge isn’t quite cold enough to keep your coffee fresh. Coffee will also absorb the aromas of your fridge. It’s best to keep your beans outside of the fridge in a dark and airtight container. If you’re not going to finish them while they’re fresh, try storing them in the freezer.
Bananas
Putting a banana in the fridge will stop it from ripening, so only put them in the fridge when they are ripe. However, in the fridge the banana skin will begin to turn black, while this doesn’t typically affect the banana itself, it’s certainly not as pleasant to look at while you eat.
Honey
Honey is a magical substance that will never spoil, but it can get hard and crystallise and it will do this faster in the fridge. If your honey has crystallised, don’t throw it away, de-crystallising it is super easy.
Potatoes
Putting your potatoes in the fridge will mess with the starch inside them and ruin their flavour and colour. Store them in a cool and dark place (but keep them away from onions as potatoes emit gasses which can cause onions to rot).
Melons
Whole melons can lose some flavour and antioxidants if refrigerated, so until they’re cut, they’re better off outside of the fridge. One they have been cut, wrap them airtight and store for up to a week in the fridge.
Spices
Although lower temperatures will make spices last longer, the humidity of the refrigerator will likely cause more damage than would heat. Spices are best stored somewhere cool and dark, but if you’ve got some spices you very rarely use, you can try storing them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Onions
Whole onions will last much longer somewhere cool and dark than they will in the fridge. Plus they won’t make the rest of your food smell like onions. However, if you want to save yourself from shedding unnecessary tears when chopping the onions, put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes before you chop them. You can also leave the root end intact while chopping, as this is where the onions have the highest concentration of their tear inducing chemicals.
Unopened Wine
Wine is best stored somewhere cool and dark as long as it isn’t open, and unless you have a special wine fridge, your standard refrigerator will be far too cold to store wine.
Once open, you should store wine with a cork in the fridge, however, red wines like to stay somewhere dark and cool. Your wine will be best if you drink it within 5 days, however sparkling wines are best imbibed within 3. If you’re serious about letting your wine be the best it can be, Wine Folly has a great and guide on how long unopened wine will last.
If you opened your fridge right now would you find any of these 10 items inside? Are there any other items that you’re unsure about keeping in the fridge?
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