Keeping some cosmetics in the fridge is a good idea, particularly eye cream, but in order to make room for them, you should take out the foods that keep just as well outside, in a warmer temperature, without spoiling too soon.
Discover the foods that don’t need to be refrigerated, and find out why they don’t belong in your fridge. From fruits and vegetables that need to riper at room temperature to foods that already have the right preservatives to keep outside the fridge, here’s what you should start storing in your pantry.
Bananas
The only reason to keep bananas inside your refrigerator is to slow down the ripening process. However, keeping them at room temperature is better for more than one reason. Storing bananas in the refrigerator will make their peels turn brown, and they can also contribute to other fruits ripening faster. Don’t store them in plastic bags or containers, unless you want to speed up the ripening process.
Peanut Butter
While completely natural peanut butter should be stored in cooler conditions, regular peanut butter is one of the foods that don’t need to be refrigerated. Keep it in your pantry, as it will stay good for months after opening. Just make sure that you use clean knives or spoons when using it, and don’t leave any crumbs behind.
Potatoes
Even if you’re not supposed to leave potatoes in the sun, they don’t belong in the fridge either. The reason is the fact that cold temperatures makes starch turn into sugar. Their taste changes after they’ve been refrigerated, and there’s also a visual impact. After keeping these vegetables in the refrigerator, you’ll also notice their skin darken when you cook them.
Honey
Used as a preservative for most of history, honey is also one of the foods that don’t need to be refrigerated. In fact, storing it in an environment that’s too cool increased the chances of glucose crystallizing inside the honey. It will still be edible, and you can remove the crystals by heating it up, but you’re better off just storing it in the pantry.
See also: Why You Should Start Drinking Lemon Water
Onions
They’re one of the vegetables that don’t need to stay in the fridge, but you can also ruin them by storing them in the wrong conditions. The right way to store onions involves air circulation, so mesh or paper bags is the right way to go. If you do put onions in the fridge, keep them away from potatoes, since storing them too close will cause onions to spoil quicker.
Avocado
Just like bananas, avocados are one of the foods that don’t need to be refrigerated. The right to get a ripe avocado is keeping it in room temperature. You should move it to the fridge when it’s completely ripe, and if you just use half, leave the pit in the other half.
Jam
Sugar is another natural preservative, but most jams are also protected by the natural acids in fruits. If you like your jam or marmalade cold, you can keep it in the refrigerator, but a cool and dry place is enough to prevent it from spoiling for a few months after opening. Just like peanut butter, make sure to only use clean cutlery to scoop.
Bread
Whether you like your bread fresh or prefer to freeze it and then defrost, bread is definitely one of the foods that don’t need to be refrigerated. You might extend its shelf life for a couple of days if you throw it in the fridge, but the cold temperatures don’t just prevent molding, they also change the texture and taste of most breads.
More: 10 Foods Nutritionists Refuse to Eat
Coffee
Neither coffee beans, not ground should be refrigerated. Airtight containers for coffee belong in the pantry. If you keep your coffee in the fridge, you’re risking changes in flavor. If you refrigerate it, coffee absorbs moisture because of condensation, and that definitely affect its taste.
Oils
Vegetable oils are among the foods that don’t need to be refrigerated. They can harden and get cloudy when kept in a place that’s too cold, but they always bounce back when heated. However, keeping them in the pantry for a really long time can make them go rancid. Nut oils should be refrigerated, since they go bad a lot sooner than vegetable ones.
