Forget What They Taught You: Don’t Refrigerate These Foods!

There’s no class in elementary or high school that teaches us how to care for and eat food properly. We just grow up doing what we saw our parents do. And for the most part, these kitchen and food practices were never questioned. The cereal goes on top of the fridge, the honey in the cupboard and the tomatoes in the fridge, right? Well, the cereal and the honey, yes.

But the tomatoes, no. Do you refrigerate your tomatoes? Well, you shouldn’t. In light of newfound food knowledge, this is a list of foods that should not be refrigerated and the reasons for it. I repeat, don’t refrigerate these foods!

Potatoes

You can still enjoy them boiled, mashed, or roasted, or any way you want. If you keep them in a cool and dry place, they’ll last longer and won’t turn too hard before cooking.

Bananas

Bananas also don’t benefit from the cold climate of a fridge. The cold temperature can actually have a reverse effect by speeding up the rotting process.

When you buy bananas, try to catch them before they’re ripe (a little bit green) so they can mature in the room temperature of your kitchen. Fun fact about bananas: they’re great for your blood pressure. So add them to your next shopping list.

Whole Melons

Like bananas, cold temperature can also speed up the rotting process for melons. After you buy a melon, try to keep them in a cool and dry place.

Chances are you’re buying melons in the summertime, so it makes sense that you would want to keep them cold. But that’s just not the case. Anyways, just cut up that melon and enjoy its deliciousness!

Basil

Basil is a great herb to have in the kitchen and not just for its amazing smell. And while it’s understandable to want to keep it in the fridge as you do with other herbs, basil is best left out.

Just be aware that it should be kept at a temperature of at least 40 degrees F. Anything less than that can cause black marks to appear on the leaves, and it’ll ruin the taste. The best is to keep it in a little bit of water in the shade. That way, the herb will last a lot longer.

Onions

Onions don’t just rely on warmer temperatures; they actually depend on bright and open-air circulation to stay fresh. Regardless of how you will choose to cook them, you need to look after them with care.

And strangely, they’re meant to be far from your potatoes since they can speed up the onions’ aging processes. So not only are they supposed to be out of the fridge, but they’re also shouldn’t be next to each other.

Coffee

There are people that keep coffee in the fridge, and then there are ordinary people. Coffee needs air circulation and dry air to breathe and stay fresh.

A fridge will only keep it moist, cold, and air-trapped alongside all your other foods. It’s best to be kept airtight and away from sunlight in order for the taste and brewing process to be as fresh and tasty as possible. Not go grab a cup ‘a Joe and relax will you?