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Some food that isn’t so easily perishable can actually go bad in an instant if found in a fridge. Most people don’t know this, thus risking food poisoning and other unpleasant occurrences. Can you name some foods that are to be kept out of the fridge? If not, we’ve stepped in, in order to help you save your gut from unpleasant reactions. Thus, take a look at the 35 foods for which the fridge is a big no-no. You will be amazed by some, that’s for sure.
Before the refrigerator was invented, people had a hard time saving their food. This meant that food would have been either thrown away or stored in ice buckets. If you didn’t throw it or store it back then, you would be “enjoying” a nasty bacterial or parasitic infection in your gut. The absence of the fridge meant that many people were starving due to food not being able to hold out for long.
When the fridge became available for purchase, it was a life-changing event. No longer was anyone forced to risk an infection or had to throw away food. An additionally important event was the decrease in world hunger, as the food was now available for transport and safe-keeping. Many poor families would also save a lot of money by being able to keep the food at a steady temperature. Now, although the refrigerator is able to keep some food from going bad, it can accomplish the opposite as well. How is this possible?
When it comes to certain foods, keeping them in the fridge would be a death sentence for some of its nutrients. This notion seems more important when you realize that nutrients indeed are the most important part of some foods. Therefore, if you’re suffering from health problems or similar issues, you will only damage your health improvement by putting such foods in the fridge. One such example is whole watermelons. Watermelons do get stored in the fridge, but only under certain conditions. These conditions are when the melon is already cut or sliced. Only then is it acceptable to store your melons in a cold place, such as your fridge. That way, you protect the opened parts from becoming sour and spoiling. In that case, you should be quick to store them away, because they can go bad really easily and really fast.
Whole watermelons have no need to be stored in the fridge. A USDA study found that watermelons are far richer in antioxidants when kept at room temperature, in comparison to ones that were stored in a cool fridge. Antioxidants are crucial when it comes to protecting your body from inflammations and various types of cancer. Endangering the stability and content of antioxidants could spell doom for your health. So, if you’re in possession of a whole watermelon, make sure you store it in the pantry or in the counter. Of course, it shouldn’t be exposed to the sun or other damaging sources, but keeping in the fridge will only to bad things. By placing it in the fridge, you’re risking of losing tons of valuable lycopene and beta-carotene in the process. Avoid such an occurrence.
Some foods ripen even when they’ve been plucked and prepared for commercial sale. It’s a scientifically proven fact, but it’s not something you would call widespread knowledge, is it? Because people think the ripening process stops early, they are quick to place many fruits and vegetables in the comfort of their own fridge. Such an occurrence can only mean bad news for the ripening fruit and its nutrients. One such example is tomatoes.
Although some vegetables indeed belong in the fridge, others should avoid such premises. Not all plants that we classify as veggies are able to withstand the cold the same way as others do. The reason for this is the different build every vegetable has. For example, red bell peppers and carrots do have to be kept in the fridge. They contain no starch, which experiences a tricky chemical reaction when face to face with the inside of your fridge.
This happens with potatoes and is a big reason they often get ready to be thrown out after some time in the fridge. Even though potatoes are full of carbohydrates, it’s a simple type. However, potatoes that are kept in a cold environment experience the starch modification process. This leads to the breakdown of starch and the creation of sugar. You will be left with big chunks of candy, ruining their taste severely. Much more than some other members of this list, potatoes are really tricky. Another thing you should watch out for is hot or humid areas.
Moisture is something that is very much present in your fridge, without you being aware of it. You may not notice the correlation between cold air and moisture, but it’s there all the time. The mechanism of the refrigerator functions by using moisture to cool down foods that need to be cooled down. They may benefit from that mechanism, but some foods are very much prone to going bad under such circumstances.
This incredibly healthy and beneficial vegetable is not very prone to withstanding extreme moisture. It will ruin them and cause the taste to resemble more of a sour aroma than the usual pronounced one. You may be in for an unpleasant surprise while digging through your salad. Therefore, it would be best that you keep your onions within a cool, but not cold area of your house. They require a fairly low temperature, but lots of air and dryness. Plastic, closed containers are also a big no-no. They cut off the air supply and accelerate the spoiling process.
When it comes to liquids, some gooey ones can experience a fairly negative reaction to cold and dark environments. Why is this the case? Well, the main reason is the risk of crystallization, a real concern when it comes to some substances. Crystallization can be reversed by placing the liquid in a warmer environment, but the aforementioned process can forever damage the taste and texture. We have one particular food in mind. Honey is something that we all know and love. However, it is one of the foods that has to be kept as far from the fridge as possible.
A crystallized jug of honey may taste entirely different when you put some on your cake or pancakes. Not to mention that cold air can stimulate mold growth on the surface of your honey, possibly causing food poisoning and serious gut infections. That is something you would want to avoid and reduce the chances of, but by any means necessary. When we’re talking about honey storage, there is one more important facet of it to be mentioned. That is the fact that you should avoid having honey come in contact with any sort of metal container. Metal and honey together accelerate the oxidization process of the honey.
Oils can be pretty tricky to keep and take care of. This is because most people aren’t sure about where and how to store their oil. Keeping it in extremely cold conditions can negatively impact the taste, texture and the entire experience of the oil. This is why refrigeration is something that shouldn’t be bestowed upon any oil possible. A simple mistake of putting oil in a fridge can cause your meal or salad to go bad really fast.
When it comes to oils, virgin olive oils is the one which is the most prone to spoilage in the fridge. You should keep it out of there at all possible costs. A prolonged period in a cold environment allows it to become more condensed and less resembling a liquid. By using a condensed batch of olive oil, you risk a large concentration of fats in one place, which is not good news for your health. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the fridge is your olive oil’s worst nightmare. Also worth mentioning is the fact that humidity can make the oil cloudy.
Oils can be pretty tricky to keep and take care of. This is because most people aren’t sure about where and how to store their oil. Keeping it in extremely cold conditions can negatively impact the taste, texture and the entire experience of the oil. This is why refrigeration is something that shouldn’t be bestowed upon any oil possible. A simple mistake of putting oil in a fridge can cause your meal or salad to go bad really fast.
When it comes to oils, virgin olive oils is the one which is the most prone to spoilage in the fridge. You should keep it out of there at all possible costs. A prolonged period in a cold environment allows it to become more condensed and less resembling a liquid. By using a condensed batch of olive oil, you risk a large concentration of fats in one place, which is not good news for your health. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the fridge is your olive oil’s worst nightmare. Also worth mentioning is the fact that humidity can make the oil cloudy.
You’ve probably seen the term hygroscopic nature somewhere. If you were wondering what it means, it’s basically a property possessed by some foods that allow them to absorb tiny water particles from the vicinity. This directly leads to reactions in the presence of moisture. An excessive time spent in a moist place can lead foods to become spoiled, tasteless, and even detrimental to your organism, regardless of the initial form. Coffee is one such example if you didn’t know before.
There is an excellent reason why people keep their beans or grounds on the counter or in the pantry. Due to coffee’s hygroscopic properties, it’s not fit for keeping in a fridge. It will absorb all the tiny water particles in a short amount of time and become soggy. Moisture can also affect the flavor and aroma of ground coffee. But wait, there is more to it. Coffee can also take on the smell and taste of other food in the fridge. So, if you don’t want your coffee to taste like cake or some other food, keep it out of the fridge. A good choice would be to keep it in a non-transparent jar or jug, in a cool and dry place.
Even though starch is a big unknown to many of us, it’s still a prominent ingredient in many different dishes and foods. Baked goods are full of starch and present a prime candidate for the food that should not be kept in a fridge under any circumstances whatsoever. Starch is prone to be affected by a number of chemical reactions when faced with moisture and cold air, some of them easily able to spoil your lunch and stomach all at once. Out of all the baked goods, the one that gets put in the fridge most often is bread.
Sometimes, people don’t eat the entire loaf and think that they will save some of it by putting it in the fridge. If you’ve read our potato section, you will remember that starch transforms into sugar, something you want to avoid in such big quantities. Also, starch breaks down pretty quick and causes the food to lose shape. You will be left with a big bunch of crumbles, rendering you unable to make a proper sandwich without a mess. Also, cold and moisture are known to accelerate the staling process in bread.Contrary to popular belief, it starts much sooner than we can see it. This ignorance is oftentimes the reason why people get sick without being aware of the reason of their malady. If you really want to keep bread for a long time, you can use the freezer.
What are stone fruits, anyway? No, they don’t have the ability to break your head or anything similar. It’s merely a collective name for all the fruits which have seeds that are large compared to their size. You’re probably eating them on a daily basis. This group includes peaches, apricots, plums, and cherries. When it comes to refrigerating them, there is one simple trick to follow. The aforementioned trick is simply – don’t. There is no need for it, as they can keep their shape and taste pretty easily out at room temperature. Aside from that, there is also the added risk of accidentally eating moldy fruit. Yes, it may be true that some fruits and vegetables require special treatment in terms of being placed in the fridge. However, this doesn’t mean that all fruits respond to a humid and cold environment the same way.
As we’ve said earlier in the articles, some fruits and veggies contain their ripening process despite being plucked. An overly cool environment only halts this process and accelerates the rotting. The best place to keep these fruits would be in a regular bowl somewhere not directly in the sun. If you need to eat apples or apricots, you can also keep them in a paper bag, in case they need to be kept for a longer time period. Another good strategy for avoiding the spoilage process would be to buy any type of fruit in small or moderate amounts. If you like very ripe fruits, keep them in the sun on purpose. That will accelerate the process as much as possible and contribute to the sweetness of the fruit. In that case, it is best advised that you eat them as fast as you can.
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