Blog

13 Common Foods That Should Never Be Refrigerated

by in Food, Home April 6, 2016

Refrigerators are an amazing tool, but I think people get a little too used to the idea of having one sometimes. There are a lot of things you have probably been refrigerating your whole life that you should not be.

Certain foods will maintain flavor and freshness best if not subjected to cold, condensed air. So, when you bring in a pile of groceries and realize your fridge is overflowing there is no need to panic. Refrigeration goes a long way towards preserving food but for some foods refrigeration can actually lessen the flavor, change the texture, and occasionally even cause the food to spoil at a faster rate.

Here some of the items you should never refrigerate!

Bread

b81b72b0121853a43e7967694e8b4731_078167cb-0bac-4e69-a8b3-5d31a43b7cc9_tablet

There are some people who hold strong to the belief that you should always refrigerate bread because they believe it will keep longer in the fridge. These people are also eating some very dried out bread.

Coffee

89fdacc0249c4bc70063e33f2147bf8e_8f99dd99-551f-44c3-9ef5-5dd9a10dd65e_tablet

The problem with keeping coffee in the refrigerator is that it tends to be a sponge for everything left around it. The moist air of a refrigerator is also not very good for the flavor of the coffee either. Keep it sealed and stored in a dry place.

Hot Sauce

98f87531694188e628f2d2092aa3b43b_712e0bf7-d1bb-4608-be00-5dec327f6b5d_tablet

Over time, the consistency and flavor of hot sauce will change when stored in the refrigerator, which is why it is best not to store it in there. They are preserved with salt and will stay good for a long time outside of the refrigerator

Soy Sauce

f62837ced999fbe82dcb5b8c74b2ada4_17869e1e-53b5-49fa-aaf5-69536a218a34_tablet

While it may seem like a good idea to store the salty sauce in the refrigerator, it is actually best when stored at room temperature.

Avocado

avocado

Avocados need to be ripe before they are refrigerated. Once, ripe, they will last for up to a week in the fridge.

Tomatoes

tomatoes

Sure, you can refrigerate them if you want to obliterate them of all their flavor and texture. Ever made a salad with a tomato that had a mushy consistency and practically had ice on the inside? Chances are they have been needlessly stored in the refrigerator.

Honey

b869108fc424eabe04257cdd4a57f14e_b3573c3c-9774-4567-b496-3ff9c7efc17e_tablet

Luscious honey will turn into crystallized gunk if it is stored in the fridge. Store it at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for happy honey.

Potatoes

6b9b044d07619a58c40dc5edae4830f5_36706977-e24c-4a4a-9fa1-825ec423a7a9_tablet

When too cold, the starches found in potatoes turn into sugar, yielding an off flavor. Keep potatoes stored in a paper bag in a cool, dark place. Same goes for sweet potatoes.

Bananas

bananas

Whether or not you refrigerate bananas actually comes down to what sort of ripeness you like with bananas, since the cold temperature within the fridge tends to slow down the ripening process.

Garlic

0f1e14cad99c09474cce9e53cfbf6ba9_5b9b8062-698c-4422-9348-1f78bceaaaed_tablet

Never put garlic in the fridge! Garlic tends to go off pretty quickly, it will grow mold and rubbery soft when you put it into the fridge. What makes it worse is that the look on the outside rarely changes, so you will never be able to tell until you decide to slice come up to fry up with your chili and prawns.

Melon

melons

It is mostly advised to store any melon fruit in the fridge once it is already cut open; however until then, you should leave the fruit outside the fridge. There has been research to show that keeping melon out in room temperature will actually help with keeping antioxidant levels intact.

Stone Fruit

309cec43ad448ea9f9ffe6db6e098b9c_c718b1ea-9341-4968-bf5a-680de00de6e4_tablet

Fruits like apricot, peaches, nectarines and plums should be left at room temperature. If you are unable to gobble them up fast enough, only then should they be put in the fridge.

Apples

f12a2691cb6950ed9a1a3c7ee16e8cd3_e62eb3a8-444a-4f46-aae1-a597da102add_tablet

Storing apples in the refrigerator will cause them to lose their crisp fresh flavor.