FOODS YOU SHOULD NEVER PUT IN THE REFRIGERATOR

Refrigerating certain foods can actually ruin their nutritional quality and flavor.

3 veggies that should not be eaten without boiling

The invention of the refrigerator is a real revolution in the conservation of food which not only prevents many foods from becoming easily rotten due to bacteria but also helps us save time and money buying food that may go bad before we can eat. However, refrigerating certain foods can actually ruin their nutritional quality and flavor. To avoid removing the taste from your food, here is a list of foods that you should not store in the refrigerator.

Whole melons

It’s mostly advised to store cut or sliced melons in the fridge, but whole melons should not be put in the fridge. According to a study conducted in 2006, researchers from the American Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that when kept in room temperature, watermelons maintains more antioxidants including beta carotene and lycopene (40% more lycopene and 139% more beta carotene) than when stored in the fridge.

Tomatoes

The biggest problem when keeping tomatoes in the fridge is that the cold temperature damages their texture and flavor making them mushy and mealy as well as stops the ripening process. Thus, you should store unripe tomatoes at room temperature. To speed up ripening, put them into a paper bag with stem-side-down position. If you have overripe tomatoes, you can still store them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days before they go bad completely.

Potatoes

Cold air starts to break down the starch in potatoes, giving them sweet and gritty in flavor. Furthermore, this causes higher levels of acrylamide- a chemical that is harmful to your health and increase the risk of cancer- when potatoes are cooked at high temperature. You also shouldn’t store them in warmer or humid areas that making them easily go bad, so one of the best places is a cool dark environment such as pantry or a root cellar. You can keep them in paper bags, but avoid store in plastic bags which promote moisture and speed decay process due to the lack or air.

Onions

Much like tomatoes, whole onions will become soft and moldy when stored in the cold temperature. However, when chopped or sliced, onions can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days. Whole onions should be stored in a cool dry and well-ventilated place. Avoid keeping onions with potatoes as the moisture and gas from them can cause both to spoil quickly.

Honey

Putting honey in the fridge increase the speed of the sugar crystallization, so room temperature helps maintain honey’s natural properties. Keep it in an airtight, glass container out of direct sunlight or heat and avoid using honey if it smells sour or has visible mold growth.

Oils

Putting oils in the fridge tends to turn them into a stodgy like butter-spread-like consistency. It is frequently seen in olive and coconut oils which tend to solidify at cooler temperature and take a long time to gain its natural state.

Coffee beans and grounds

Due to their hygroscopic property, when stored in the cool temperature, coffee beans easily absorb moisture from the surrounding area, affecting their flavor and aroma as well as taking on the smell of other foods in the fridge.

Garlic

Cold temperature causes garlic being softened, easily being deteriorated and changed in the consistency and flavor. However, chopped or minced fresh garlic can be kept in the fridge in a sealed container for a short period.

Bread

When exposed to moisture, the starch in bread breaks down and becomes increasingly amorphous, causing the bread to dry out quickly and getting stale faster. Keep the bread in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight or heat such as the pantry or a bread box, helping maintain the proper crumb and crust texture.