We are always health conscious. We also acknowledge the important role refrigerators play in keeping our food safe and healthy over an extended period. However, there
are some foods that are actively made worse by refrigeration. These are
the items you should absolutely keep away from cold. Since this list is potentially infinite, I guess we'll save time and restrict ourselves to the foods many people think they should be refrigerating, but really don't need to. Yes, that will be better.
Foods You Should Think Before Refrigerating
Potatoes
Refrigeration causes the starch in potatoes to turn to sugar, and
while this might sound like a good thing, it gives them the wrong
flavor. The skins will also darken prematurely while cooking, making
them look less appetizing.
Onions
Here's a weird one. You don't have to refrigerate onions, but you
do need to keep them physically separated from the potatoes. Spuds emit
moisture and gases that will make your onions rot. Your best bet is to
keep onions in the mesh bag they came in—they like air circulation.
Garlic
Again, air circulation is key. Garlic bulbs will keep for two months
without refrigeration, and if you keep them out of the damp air of the
fridge you'll avoid making all your other nearby produce smell like
garlic. Some even say that refrigeration will make garlic sprout
prematurely.
Avocado
Is there anything more delicious and healthy than a ripe avocado?
Avocado won't ripen in cold conditions, so unless you need them to keep
for awhile, you should let yours live outside the refrigerator until
they're ready to eat. There's a popular legend suggesting the presence
of the pit prevents browning, so if you only use half of an avocado, be
sure to reserve the side with the pit.
Tomatoes
Cold breaks down the cell walls in tomato flesh and causes them to
become mushy and mealy. For better results, store them at room
temperature and keep them out of direct sunlight, which can ripen them
early and unevenly.
Bananas
"I'm Chiquita banana and I've come to say, bananas have to ripen in a
certain way." So went the original Chiquita commercial from the 1940s.
Now, we're not saying you should go and buy Chiquita brand bananas, but their refrigeration advice is solid.
Allow bananas to ripen at room temperature, and use your refrigerator
when you want to slow the ripening process. Just be aware that
refrigeration also happens to turn banana peels brown (though the
interior is still unspoiled). Frozen bananas also make a great ice cream
replacement for dieters.
Melon
Fresh melon—uncut, we should specify—is best stored on the kitchen
counter where it can properly ripen and sweeten. Only after you cut up
your cantaloupe (or whatever) into bite-sized bits should the flesh be
refrigerated (but never frozen).
Stone Fruits
Peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums, cherries, and so on should be
ripened at room temperature, stem-end down. Only after the fruits start
softening slightly to the touch and begin to smell sweet should they be
moved to the refrigerator. Shelf life is three to five days after that.
Bread
Try to eat your bread before it gets to the point where you need to
chill it to stave off mold, because if you end up refrigerating, the
loaf will get tough and less tasty. For this reason, a lot of people
freeze bread. Freezing preserves the texture, but then you have to deal
with defrosting it. And who's got the the time to microwave a slice of
bread when they're rushing to catch a train in the morning?
Pastries
It's the same story with cookies and pastry. You can store them
covered outside the fridge, and it's true they won't last quite as long,
but refrigeration causes baked goods to go stale faster. Keep your
cannolis on the countertop where they belong.
Hot Sauce
Not all hot sauces are created equal, but if it's a vinegar-based hot
sauce like Tabasco, you can almost always safely store it in the pantry
for months on end. Cold weakens the flavor and changes the viscosity of
the sauce, affecting the pour.
Spices
Once again the humid environment of a refrigerator is detrimental to
the flavor of spices, and since most can be safely stored for years
without refrigeration, there's no benefit to cold storage at all.
Honey
Ugh. My family refrigerates honey and I'll never understand why.
Honey is one of the world's earliest preservatives. It has a practically
indefinite shelf life, and we've heard tales of archaeologists
uncovering ancient Egyptian tombs with edible honey inside.
Don't refrigerate honey. It'll crystallize, and you'll have to squeeze that stupid teddy bear even harder to get it out.
Peanut Butter
All-natural peanut butter does have to be refrigerated,
because the peanut oil can rise, separate from the mash, and go rancid.
Commercially processed peanut butter, on the other hand (like JIF and
Skippy), can be stored for months without issue—even if the jar's been
opened already. But really, who can't eat a jar of peanut butter in a
month? It's delicious, and good for you, too.
Oils
Nut oils (like hazelnut oil,
mmm...) must be refrigerated, but for other types of oil you're in the
clear. Oils will become cloudy and harden when refrigerated, and while
this doesn't do lasting damage, you'll need to wait for the oil to warm
before it tastes right or flows properly again.
Food That Its Facts About Refrigeration Are Still Contested
These are hotly contested. We've heard some pretty
convincing stories of people storing these items at home without
refrigeration, but you might want to keep them cool just in case.
Apples
Everybody stores apples in the fruit drawer, but that's not entirely necessary. More importantly, it could reduce the amount of antioxidants
in the fruit's skin. Apples will keep for about a week outside the
fridge, and depending on the variety they might last a bit longer
inside—but whether the tradeoffs are worth it is up to you.
Coffee
Go ahead and refrigerate your leftover iced coffee from lunch, but
coffee beans and grounds should really be stored more carefully.
Condensation created by the fridge or freezer can affect the flavor of
the beans, and sensitive palates can detect the difference. For best
results, store beans or grounds in an airtight container outside the
refrigerator instead.
Eggs
Certain organic eggs may be left out for a few days, as long as the
shell is intact, but we're not sure why you'd want to bother. You'll get
much better longevity out of a properly refrigerated egg, and there's nothing smellier than a rotten one.
Butter
Personally, I keep butter in a French butter dish,
which holds butter upside down and inside an air pocket underwater. The
water creates an airtight seal, while the butter remains easily
spreadable at room temperature. The USDA doesn't really advise this, but
it's working out fine so far.
Condiments
Again, despite the "Refrigerate After Opening" labels, you really
don't have to refrigerate processed condiments like ketchup and mustard.
They'll do fine right there on the kitchen table, just like the ones
left beside the menus at the local diner.
Salad Dressings
Some people refrigerate salad dressings, some don't. Since most
dressings are oil-based, and we've already established oil's longevity
outside the fridge, they should be fine. Salad dressings that aren't
oil-based are usually made of processed goop, and those are dense with
preservatives anyway. Use your best judgment, of course.
Soy Sauce
The "Refrigerate After Opening" warning on that bottle of Kikkoman is
only there because they're required to write it by law. The truth is,
all the salt in the sauce is going to keep the stuff safe for months
without refrigeration.
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