Putting oils into the fridge tends to give them a strange, cloudy consistency.
This is most common with Olive and coconut oils, which solidify at cooler temperatures.
Keeping olive oil in the fridge is a big no-no in the food world!
Refrigerators are damp, humid, and filled with condensation - not what this oil needs. This
can completely ruin its flavor and texture. The consistency of coconut oil depends on
the climate, and it will turn solid in cold temperatures. Keeping it in a cool,
dark place––like the pantry––will prolong its life, and you won't have to dig it out of the jar!
If you currently have one of these oils in the fridge and it's changing to a solid, don't fret!
Just take it out, and it should go right back to normal at room temperature. It's best to keep nut
and seed oils in the refrigerator, though. They're much more likely to oxidize and go bad quickly!
Shockingly, in most cases, butter can actually be left out of the fridge!
Try it, and you'll see that it's also much easier to spread!
This isn't true for everyone, though. If you live in a hot climate, you might have
to keep it in the fridge. If it isn't too hot, remember to always keep your butter
covered and in a cool area away from direct sunlight. A cupboard should work just fine.
You might have noticed that cold Tomatoes are often dull and flavorless.
Chilling tomatoes limits their ability to generate that beautiful aroma and taste.
They're best kept at room temperature, like on the kitchen counter, where they'll also keep their
flavor. If you wanted to slow down the ripening of your tomatoes, you could put them in the fridge,
though. If you're too late and they begin to get too ripe, it's time to make grandma's
secret roasted tomato sauce! Speaking of tomatoes, Ketchup's natural acidity makes it
almost impossible for nasty micro-organisms to get in and spoil it. Keeping it out at
room temperature will improve the flavor, too. So avoid refrigerating it too much.
If you buy a whole Melon, there's no need to keep it in the fridge! Not only will the melons retain
more nutrients, but they're also much tastier! Melons are sweetest and juiciest when kept at
room temperature. That goes for all melons too. Watermelons will lose their flavor and beautiful
red color if they're kept in the fridge! Once you cut the melon open, you'll need to refrigerate it.
Wrap it in cling wrap and store the remaining pieces in the fridge for a few days.
Herbs like Coriander and mint are best kept in the crisper, wrapped loosely in something absorbent.
This is important because it stops them from absorbing fridge smells.
Placing them in an airtight container would work too.
Some herbs are different, though.
Basil and parsley will turn a horrible color if you keep them in the fridge!
They do better when left out because the dry air in the refrigerator causes the leaves to wilt!
If you want to store basil and parsley, cut the bottom off the stems and place them in a jar
with a small amount of water. Trimming the stems and changing the water will increase longevity!
Uncut Onions keep best when stored in a dark, dry area.
The humidity of the refrigerator just makes them moldy and mushy.
Avoid direct sunlight, and once they're cut open, place them in a resealable bag in the vegetable
drawer. Keep them in a well-ventilated area, away from foods that could be ruined by their smell.
Make sure to keep an eye on them, though. If you leave them too long, they could sprout!
Buying Cucumbers and sticking them in the veggie crisper just seems like the normal thing to do. So
it might shock you to learn that they taste the best when stored at room temperature! Too low a
temperature will cause damage to the cucumber. So, just keep cucumbers in your pantry and away
from apples and bananas to give them a longer life and maintain that delicious crispy taste longer!
Peanut butter doesn't need to be put in the refrigerator
anymore! This gooey spread can be kept in the pantry for three months or so after opening!
Keeping its famous stickiness, ready to scoop out and devoured!
You can also keep it in the fridge if you want to – to extend its shelf life and avoid
oil separation, but this will harden it and make it a bit more difficult to spread.
Honey can crystallize and solidify in cold temperatures. To keep your honey easy to use,
keep it at room temperature, so it stays perfectly gooey! Simply keep it in a cool location away
from direct sunlight and in a sealed container. Keeping the honey in the original container is
best because that'll have the ideal seal to keep it fresher for longer and keep hungry ants away.
There's no need to stash Hot sauces in the fridge. There's plenty of vinegar and salt
to prevent them from going bad. Plus, the heat of the peppers is more potent at room temperature!
That's the reason you bought it after all! Some hot sauces will
even solidify if you leave them in the refrigerator, so be careful!
The creamy goodness of the Avocado is at its best when kept out of the fridge!
Keeping them in the cold stops the ripening. Just store the fruit on
the counter at room temperature. If you want to ripen avocados quicker,
place them in a brown paper bag along with a banana for a few days. The banana releases a gas
that causes the avocados to ripen more quickly, and you'll be having guacamole in no time!
Ground or whole-bean Coffee shouldn't ever be kept in the fridge, even if it's in an airtight
container. Coffee works as a deodorizer and absorbs moisture, odors, and flavors from the
air around it, making your morning cup of joe taste less like the nectar of the gods
and more like last night's leftovers! Keep your coffee in a dark space, like your pantry,
away from sunlight, heat, and moisture. If you like to freeze your coffee, make sure to
use a truly airtight container and only in small batches. You need to make sure they're completely
sealed away from moisture so they aren't ruined before you get a chance to defrost them.
Full bulbs of Garlic should be stored in a cool, dry place – like your pantry. A
sealed container isn't a good idea either. Without ventilation, they'll quickly grow
mold. Storing your garlic correctly will make sure it stays good for months! Once the head
of the garlic clove is broken, you should use all the cloves within 10 days, though.
If you buy Pickles in the refrigerated section of the grocery store,
then keeping them stored in the fridge at home is probably for the best.
But many pickles don't need to be put into that cold environment. Pickling is actually
a food preservation method, so your pickles should stay nice and crunchy for a long time anyway! The
high salt and vinegar content in pickle jars is strong enough to scare away any harmful bacteria!
A lot of people think Eggs should be kept in the fridge, but you don't need to unless you buy
them from the chilled aisle! Storing eggs at room temperature is perfectly safe if you have a cool
kitchen. You'll also get better results in baking and boiling when they're at room temperature!
If you buy eggs in the refrigerated section, keep on refrigerating them.
If they're at room temperature, then it's ok to keep them that way too!
When you put them in the fridge, keep them in the original carton to prevent moisture buildup.
Keeping Baked goods like cookies and brownies in the refrigerator actually saps them of moisture
pretty quickly! Unless the baked good contains a lot of dairy, like custard or cream, storing
them in an airtight container at room temperature will keep them fresher! that includes cakes too!
Bananas are tropical fruit, so they need to be kept at room temperature.
They don't do well in the cold at all. If you buy bananas that still have some green on them,
the fridge will stop them from ripening. Even if you take them out,
they'll turn black and be ruined. Do yourself a favor and stick them in a fruit bowl.
You shouldn't put Chocolate in the fridge and especially not the freezer. Some people do
this to stop it from melting on hot days, but you could ruin the taste and texture. The fresher the
chocolate, the better it'll taste. The best way to stop your chocolate from melting out in the open
is to avoid stockpiling! If you only buy it in small amounts, it'll never be sat around long
enough to go bad. If you do have to place it in the fridge because it's sweltering outside,
make sure it is tightly wrapped to prevent it from picking up any odors or condensation!
Dried spices don't need any refrigeration. Unwanted condensation is going to get in
every time you take them in and out and they’ll be ruined.
They'll keep their flavor and texture without needing to be chilled, so restock
your spice rack at your leisure. Keep them in a dark, dry place, away from heat or light.