You will have had a debate with someone regarding food storage at least once in your life. They keep bread, eggs and butter in the refrigerator and you can’t think of anything worse. Maybe your flatmate despairs at the fact your chocolate is in there as it is ‘simply wrong’.
While fridges can preserve a lot of foods, with models being made now which can even boost shelf life, they can actually damage some too. The damage ranges from issues such as impairing the flavour or causing it to take longer to ripe, to the actual damage of the food or even the creation of dangerous chemicals.
You may have grown up with the bread or eggs in the refrigerator or think they are best there. But forget all about what you know already, and instead have a read of the foodstuffs which should be nowhere near a refrigerator.
What Should I Not Keep In The Refrigerator?
Here are some common foods you should never keep in the fridge – even if you think it is best:
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Potatoes
The WORST food you could keep in the fridge. It makes the chemical acrylamide, which is harmful if consumed. More information can be found here
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Chocolate
Loads of people do, but it actually harms the taste and the cocoa can absorb other flavours. Try to keep it somewhere cool instead if there is a heatwave outside
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Bread
Refrigerator storage makes it dry out and go stale faster, and nobody wants a stale sandwich
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Eggs
Keeping them in the door in that little egg holder could mean their temperature fluctuates every time the door is opened, which is bad news for their shelf life. There is a reason they aren’t in the fridge in shops
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Tomatoes
The cold damages the membrane inside the fruit, negatively altering the taste. So cold tomatoes in a fresh salad is a no
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Cake
It would go the same way as bread, and at the end of the day tastes better if not cold. Cream cakes are the exception, of course
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Coffee
You may think to store beans or fresh grounds in there, but they take in smells from surroundings. We don’t want coffee which tastes like Stilton. Store in an airtight container in a dry, dark place instead
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Avocado
Cold temperatures hinder the ripening process. So while they can take ages to ripen and then be ready for approximately 0.1836 seconds before turning brown, popping them in the refrigerator could actually cause them to go from unripe straight to brown
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Honey
It crystalises in low temperatures, making a bit of a sugary hard jarful of sweet stuff. Plus it never goes off anyway, so there’s technically no reason to preserve it
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Garlic
It won’t do it any harm, but you can save space in the fridge by keeping it in a dry place as it makes absolutely no difference. Some do argue that cold garlic isn’t as strong, however
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Nuts
The cold impairs flavour, so keep them away from the refrigerator
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Onions
If cold, the starch can cause them to go off quicker or become damp, which will make them a bit lacklustre in your dishes
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Hot Sauce
A common mistake, but the vinegar content usually preserves it anyway, and the chillies taste better if at room temperature. The same thing can be said about a lot of salad dressings
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Dried Fruit
It would just add unwanted moisture, shortening the lifespan. They could actually keep for up to a year if stored properly
