Your grocery shopping for the month has been done and now your fridge is overflowing with all the foods that you think should go in there. On some foods, you can see labels that say “refrigerate after opening”, but on foods without such labels it is pure assumption that they should be kept in the fridge. While it does make sense that tomatoes will stay fresh longer if they are refrigerated, did you know that refrigerating such foods can alter their flavor and even reduce their nutritional value?
Some foods that you thought would be better in your fridge are actually best kept at room temperature. Continue reading to find out which 8 foods you should not refrigerate.
Tomatoes
The first on the list is of course tomatoes. Keeping tomatoes in the fridge makes them mushy and it also promote cell break down. The cold temperature also breaks down acids and sugars in the tomato causing them to lose their beautiful flavor. You should keep tomatoes at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.
Onions
Onions tend to become moldy and mushy when they are left in the refrigerator. If you have placed a cut onion in the fridge, you will notice that it dries up quickly. In addition, they give off a very strange smell which engulfs everything else that is placed in the fridge.
Potatoes
When potatoes are left in the cold, the starch in them starts to break down and convert into sugar. This is the reason potatoes taste sweeter when you use them from the fridge. The skin color also darkens prematurely when you cook them and this does not look appetizing at all.
Garlic
Just like onions, you must keep garlic in a cool, dry place. Garlic must be kept in mesh bags as it likes air circulation. You must not refrigerate them as it can alter their flavour and also affect the flavors of other foods kept in the fridge.
Bananas
When bananas are exposed to cold temperatures, their ripening process slows down. So if you place a green banana in the refrigerator, then it will stay green for a long time. However, if you place a ripe banana in the fridge, then the skin will turn brown and black. The banana will become extremely soft and you won’t be able to eat them.
Honey
No matter how old honey is, it will be fresh and tasty when kept at room temperature. But, when honey is refrigerated, sugar crystallization takes place at an incredible speed making honey hard and dough-like.
Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs such as coriander, parsley, thyme and rosemary tend to dry out quickly when exposed to cold temperatures. They lose their flavor and also absorb smell from other foods around them.
Berries
Strawberries, raspberries and other types of berries have a short shelf life and therefore they must be consumed within 2-3 days of purchase. Berries taste great at room temperature and since they have high water content, they tend to decay quickly when left open in the fridge.
