Better Not To Put It In The Fridge: Tips For Storing Food

Storing it in the fridge doesn’t always mean that the food in it will last longer

Not all food needs to be kept in the refrigerator. Some even lose quality in it!

Learn which purchases you shouldn’t put in the refrigerator and which ones you can, but don’t have to, in the refrigerator.

Better not put tomatoes in the fridge

Tomatoes are the Germans’ favorite vegetable : on average, every German eats over 20kg of tomatoes per year!

That was not always the case, because the tomato was only shown at the World Exhibition in Vienna in 1873 and has only belonged in every Central European vegetable basket since the 1950s.

However, the Italians were centuries ahead of us: Tomatoes have been an integral part of the “cucina italiana” there since the 16th century.

The tomato originally comes from South America, where it still grows wild today.

Tomatoes do not belong in the refrigerator because they lose their aroma there. Even if it looks a bit strange: store your tomatoes with your fruit in the fruit basket!

If you have a pantry that is dark and cooler than the kitchen, this is also a good place for tomatoes.

Tomatoes, like apples, secrete the ripening gas ethylene. This means that all the fruit that is stored in the same basket with the apples and tomatoes ripens faster. You can use this to ripen avocados or bananas, for example.

Bananas turn black in the refrigerator

The peel of the banana doesn’t like the cold, it then turns black and that looks so unsavory that we don’t want to eat the banana anymore – even though it is still perfect!

It is best to store bananas at room temperature, so they will ripen even if you bought them a little too green.

If you want to prevent further ripening, the refrigerator is a good idea, but then the black peel should neither scare you off nor confuse you: the banana looks overripe, but it isn’t!

Better to keep the banana at a temperature of at least 13 ° C, then that can’t happen.

loaf

If you keep bread in the refrigerator, you will even shorten its shelf life, as it will get stale and dry faster in it. The reason is the lower humidity in the refrigerator due to the low temperature. The dry air quickly dries the bread out.

Incidentally, bread now keeps “fresh” much longer than it used to. This is due to the many additives in bread that do not have to be declared, but are still contained in the baked goods: enzymes, humectants, crust builders, …

A bread traditionally artisanal what it now only very rarely and usually are in organic quality, is best kept in an earthenware or ceramic pot on which one closes with a lid.

It keeps it fresh for a long time, stays juicy, does not dry out and retains its good quality for a long time.

Eggs

Eggs can basically be stored at room temperature without being damaged. Now it depends on where you bought your eggs and how old they are.

In the EU, eggs are not washed, only coarse dirt is removed from them by brushing. This means that the natural protective layer, the cuticle, remains intact and the eggs are virtually hermetically protected against the ingress of bacteria and thus spoilage for up to 18 days.

If the eggs are older than 18 days, this protective layer could be damaged and the eggs should be kept refrigerated and eaten soon.

If you live outside the EU, for example in the USA, you can find eggs on the refrigerated shelves in stores.

Eggs are first disinfected there before they are put on the market. This destroys the natural protective layer and the egg quickly spoils without cooling.

This is also the case if you put the eggs in the refrigerator and then take them out again. Because then condensation forms, the cuticle is loosened and the natural protection is gone. So it is better not to store fresh eggs in the refrigerator!

Don’t put potatoes in the fridge!

Many swear by keeping their potatoes in the refrigerator. However, this is only okay as long as you don’t overcool the potatoes and  you should never store them colder than 4 degrees!

From 4 degrees the potato starch begins to convert into sugar and the potato changes its taste very to its disadvantage.

Due to the high sugar content, it tastes sweet and floury when stored too cold. Potatoes belong in a dark paper bag, in which they can be stored in a cool, airy place protected from light (for example in the cellar).