Many Americans make the mistake of putting everything they get from the grocery store into the refrigerator, not knowing that it will actually kill the flavor of many foods.

Here’s a list of what you shouldn’t be putting your refrigerator.

Baked goods

Storing baked goods will actually cause them to go stale. Counter-intuitive right? Keep food like bread and cookies outside to maintain their freshness.

Honey

Putting honey in the refrigerator will make it crystalize and hard. Don’t ruin your honey by leaving it in the fridge and instead, keep it outside. It has a longer shelf life than you think.

Ground Coffee

Don’t keep the coffee in the refrigerator! It will create moisture, which will turn your beans bad and cause them to lose their taste. And the last thing you need to start your day is bland coffee. Store it in a tightly-sealed container to retain flavor.

Potatoes

The cold temperature generally starts to break down the starch within potatoes; therefore, refrigerating it will leave you with a sweet or gritty potato, which rarely tastes good at this stage no matter what you do with it.

Tomatoes

Refrigerating tomatoes will actually turn them mushy and ruin their natural flavor.

Onions

Much like tomatoes, onions tend to become incredibly mushy or moldy if left in the refrigerator for too long. If the onion has been cut, then the layers begin the process of drying up even if you do wrap it up tightly. 

Fruits with hard seeds (Peaches, Plums, etc.)

Fruits need air and sunshine just as much as plants do! Give them some natural light to ripen so they can be as sweet and juicy as possible.

Whole Melons

Refrigerating whole melons will cause them to lose their antioxidants, which are one of the biggest health benefits. Keep these outside of the fridge for healthy melons.

Apples

Keep apples on your countertop instead of the fridge to keep them crisp and flavorful.

Garlic

The refrigerator cold will make garlic lose its flavour and make your entire refrigerator will smell like garlic.

Hot Sauce

The cold weakens the flavor of hot sauces, which is the whole point of them. It also changes the viscosity, which makes it more difficult to pour.

Spices 

Storing spices in the refrigerator will cause them to lose their flavor, thus destroying the whole point of spices!

Oils 

Other than nut oils — which should be refrigerated — oils shouldn’t be refrigerated, the cold will harden them and cause them to become cloudy.

Basil

A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that basil will live longer in the cold. But the truth is, basil needs warmth. Cold will kill the flavor. For maximum freshness, keep your basil in water and change the water every 3 days, this will keep it happy and fresh.

Share This Post