Your refrigerator is supposed to keep our food fresher for longer, but certain kinds of food actually don’t need to be stored in your fridge. In fact, some foods shouldn’t be stored in your fridge, as doing so could affect their taste and quality.
Here’s a list of foods that you should take out of your fridge to free up some space and keep your food fresher as well, as compiled by CNet and Lifehack.
1. Potatoes
Storing potatoes in your fridge can actually ruin their flavor and make them rot faster. Put them in paper bags and store in cool, dry pantries instead.
2. Onions
Like potatoes, onions become mushy or moldy if left in the fridge for long periods of time. It’s best to keep them in a dry, well-ventilated areas. Note: keep them away from potatoes, as they can make onions rot faster.
Photo: Eloïse L/Flickr
3. Tomatoes
The cold temperature in the fridge ruins the texture of tomatoes, making them mealy. Keeping them in a bowl on your counter would be a lot better for them.
4. Honey
Honey doesn’t spoil, and thus doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Go free up that space!
5. Coffee
Coffee tends to absorb the smells around it, so storing coffee (beans or ground) in your fridge will leave them tasting peculiar. The moisture in the fridge will also take away some of your coffee’s flavor.
Find out about other foods that don’t need to be stored in the fridge on the next page.
6. Garlic
Like potatoes and onions, storing garlic in the fridge will ruin its texture and makes it susceptible to mold growth.
7. Bread
Storing bread in the fridge makes them go stale faster. Instead, keep your bread in sealed plastic bags, at room temperature.
8. Peanut butter
Unless you have the organic kind, nut butters don’t need to be refrigerated. They can keep in your pantry for months!
Photo: Shutterstock
9. Rice
Only cooked rice needs to be stored in the fridge. Dry rice can be stored in your pantry for years—up to 10 years for white rice (if stored in an air-tight container), and up to 2 years for brown rice.
10. Dried beans
Dried beans, like rice, also don’t need refrigeration. Putting them in the fridge can actually make the grow sprouts.
11. Ketchup and mustard
These condiments can last a month without refrigeration, as their acids keep bacteria from growing.
READ: This simple hack can help you tell if your freezer food is still fresh
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