Foods like dairy, apples, and meat do well in the fridge, but other foods last far longer if stored at room temperature.
Here are 10 foods you should never store in the fridge:
1.Bread
When stored in the fridge, bread gets stale faster. Store it in a bread tin instead or if you have bought bread in bulk, store the loaf/loaves of bread in the freezer then defrost when you need to eat it/them.
2.Bananas
Bananas that are stored in the fridge do not age well and soon turn gooey and black. This is because bananas grow in tropical climates so they do not have a natural defense against the cold.
“A banana’s cell walls have no natural defense against cold, so they are ruptured by the low temperature. This allows a host of naturally occurring digestive enzymes to escape the cells. These enzymes, normally controlled within the cell, go on a sort of rampage. They break down vitamins and other nutrients in the banana, quickly turning the whole fruit mushy and black,” explains a Moment of Science.
To keep your bananas fresher for longer, slow down the ripening process by wrapping a piece of plastic cling wrap around the banana stalk.
3.Garlic
Garlic has a strong odour and can taint other foods in your fridge or at times can make your fridge develop a strong stale smell. It can also get mouldy when stored in humid conditions so store it in a properly ventilated place away from light to avoid sprouting.
4.Watermelon
This succulent fruit will quickly go bad when stored in cold conditions.
5.Eggs
The egg tray that comes with the fridge makes many of us think that we should store eggs in the refrigerator but apparently, this is wrong as eggs taste better and boil easier when stored at room temperature.
6.Tomatoes
Cold air affects how tomatoes taste.
“Cool air alters chemical pathways in tomatoes, slowing those that contribute to fresh flavour and accelerating others that dull flavour. Store whole tomatoes on the counter for more delicious taste,” explains Reader’s Digest.
7.Potatoes
The cold air in the fridge makes the starch present in the potatoes turn into sugar giving it a grainy texture and a sweet undesirable flavour.
8.Coffee
Cold air causes coffee to lose its great taste. Keep coffee tasty by storing it in a dark airtight container.
9.Onions
Just like their distant smelly cousins garlic, onions also do better in well-ventilated places. When placed in the fridge, the onions can change the taste of other foods stored in the fridge.
10.Avocados
The cooler temperatures of the fridge slow down the ripening process of avocados. To help them ripen faster, store them next to bananas.