After grocery shopping, the first thing we do is stack the groceries into the fridge, even those that do not need to be refrigerated. Food preservation with ice and snow has been in existence for more than 3,00 years and refrigerators helped make this more practicable.
The downside of the fridge is, not all foods can survive the chill breeze from the fridge. Some foods are best kept at room temperature for them to stay fresher for longer.
While the fridge ideally preserves most foods, it takes a negative toll on some foodstuffs and they should in no way be kept in a fridge.
Here are some foods that do well outside the refrigerator that you probably did not know.
Garlic, Onions, and Shallots
Alliums should not be stored in the fridge except for spring onions and scallions. The bulbs do well in cool, dry, and dark places. Make sure to keep them aerated instead of tying them in a plastic bag.
Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes
The cold temperatures tend to turn the starch in the potatoes into sugar which in turn changes their color rendering them tasteless which ruins their texture as well. To store potatoes, keep them unwashed in a dry dark spot away from direct sunlight.
Tomatoes
The membranes of tomatoes are damaged by the cold temperatures of the fridge, making them lose their original form. They tend to be watery and extra mealy. The fridge also kills the flavor of the tomatoes. Store your tomatoes on the counter where it has direct contact with sunlight.
Citrus fruits
Lemons, grapefruit, oranges, and limes are best stored in a cool dry space instead of the fridge. The fridge tempers with the flavor and these citrus fruits are more juicer when stored at room temperatures.
Melons
Melons like watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew maintain a perfect flavor on a countertop. The room temperature does not tamper with the antioxidants in them whereas the fridge messes with them slightly and they tend to leave them less tasty after tensing up their interior.
Bananas
Bananas ripen at specific room temperatures and putting them in a fridge will only blacken them because of the impact of the chills on the cell walls.
