Refrigeration is not meant for every piece of food item you have in your household. People tend to think that keeping things in the fridge will magically make all foods last longer. But the reality is that in some cases refrigeration can actually cause some foods to spoil faster. I’ve compiled a list of seven common items most people store in the fridge, but shouldn’t.
Fruits
1.Apples
Apples will actually lose their texture and flavor when refrigerated. If you prefer to eat your apples cold, just place them inside the fridge 30 minutes before eating.
2. Bananas
The fridge can easily disrupt the ripening process of bananas. Actually, once a banana is refrigerated a banana may never be able to resume its ripening even after being placed at room temperature again.
3. Tomatoes
Sure, you think refrigerating your tomatoes will keep them tasting like fresh. No! Similar to apples, tomatoes will lose their flavor and texture when refrigerated.
Vegetables
4. Sweet Potatoes
When you expose sweet potatoes to cold temperatures, the starches found inside the potatoes will turn into sugar. So not only will the sugar content inside the sweet potatoes increase, but their flavor and texture will also be disrupted. Unfortunately, you will end up with sweet potatoes that taste like nothing but will cause you to gain weight!
5. Onions
The number one reason why should not store onions in the refrigerator is because they will make anything and everything smell like onions! Also, refrigeration will turn your onions soggy. The best way to store onions is to place them in a paper bag in a dark, cool place in your kitchen; this will help them last longer.
6. Avocados
Similar to bananas, refrigeration interrupts the ripening enzymes in an avocado. This may work to your favor if you don’t want to eat the avocado right away. But if, for example, you want to make guacamole today, then storing your avocados in the fridge will not be a good move.
Grains
7. Coffee
Unlike what the majority of people thing, you should not store coffee in your fridge. Room temperature is actually necessary for coffee because it allows the natural oils in the coffee beans to release its aromatic scent. The only time you put coffee in the fridge is if you want to get rid of any odors inside your fridge (since coffee is known for absorbing other food odors). But unless you want to drink coffee that smells like nothing, don’t store it in the fridge!