Produce You Should Never Put In The Fridge

Don't stick that onion in the fridge! You might think that you're being resourceful. You might think you're stretching your dollars by prolonging the life of your produce (which, in a way, you kind of are). But what you're really doing is making them taste worse -- a lot worse.

If you think about it, refrigerating much of our produce just isn't logical. All of the foods we eat are unique, so it makes sense that they should be treated according to their individual makeup. There's a pretty simple rule to follow (disclaimer: it isn't 100 percent fool-proof, because even supermarkets get it wrong sometimes): if it's not being kept cold at the supermarket, it really shouldn't be kept cold in your home.

The fruits and veggies that most often get mistreated are onions, potatoes and tomatoes. (And the banana too, but we won't get into that again.) Plain and simple, these three items are at their best when kept out of the fridge. Yes, they're still edible if refrigerated. And yes, they might technically have a longer life-span in your crisper drawer. But all in all, it's in your best interest to leave them out.

Click through the slideshow below to learn why this produce goes bad in the fridge, and how to best store them. Also, you can learn an interesting fact about potatoes and onions, too.

How do you store your produce? Leave a comment below!

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Comments

[Averagedancer]

01:29 AM on 09/05/2012

Busted on the tomatoes. But I do store my spuds and onions in a crate under the sink. Bananas, and most of the other fruit I buy, are always in a bowl in the dining room, otherwise I would probably forget about them.

[goldy67]

09:53 PM on 07/20/2012

I'm so happy that this story was done in the form of a slide show! Without the pictures, I might not have know what a potato, tomato, and onion looked like.

[carolnec]

09:48 AM on 03/25/2012

ok potatoes and onions. what else?

[sols2000]

05:41 PM on 03/13/2012

What happens if you live in South Florida, especially in the summer? Isn;t putting them in the refridgerator bette? Or go to the store and buy potatoes, onions and tomatoes everyday? Aren't the trucks these vegetables and fruits come on refridgerated?

[xxflash6789xx]

05:07 PM on 03/13/2012

what about celery? i put them in the refr and its bad after 2 days

[jktlzb]

09:07 AM on 11/30/2012

Celery will keep for weeks in the refrig if you take it out of the plastic bag it comes in, and wrap it in tin foil. It's unbelievable ! Also, I saw a woman on Dr. Oz last week who wraps her produce and fruit in newspaper before she puts it in the refrig. She claimed that helped extend the life of fruit & veggies put in the refrig. Hope this helps.

[Brady McElligott]

04:58 PM on 03/13/2012

If it comes down to losing a piece of fruit or veg by letting it rot, or keeping it in the fridge until I can eat it, can anyone guess what I would choose? I have put bananas, tomatoes, avocados, apples, peaches, pears, etc. in the fridge, if it looks like I will lose some by keeping them at room temperature.

[pthompson13]

09:18 AM on 03/22/2012

I like my banana's cold so I usually will put them in the fridge a while before I eat them...if I remember to do it. As far as avocado's, I usually keep them out but when I use one it is usually only half. I find if I leave the pit in the unused half I can store it in the fridge in a container and it is good the next day. You just gotta slice off the exposed part and it is still yummy.

[count4eternity]

03:45 PM on 03/13/2012

I bought the largest available bubble mailing envelope and put my address sticker over the UPC symbol (so I won't be repeatedly charged for it) and carry it with my reusable shopping bags . I place my banans on top of it, at the end of my shopping order, and ask the clerk to put the bananas inside of it, as soon as she rings them up.

The potassium content of bananas is highest when they are the most freckled. If you still cant use them in time, refrigerate them. They will still be good three days later, even if the peels have turned completely black, while in ther fridge.

OR peel them, dip them in melted (but cooled) chocolate and freeze them in waxed paper!

[PDinCA]

04:54 PM on 04/06/2012

Short of a nuclear reactor, you can't create potassium out of other elements, so I don't see how the potassium content of a (picked) banana could change over time.

[Darryl Ehlers]

03:39 PM on 03/13/2012

Ho Folks,
I am a farmer in the north. For potatoes, strip a washer drum out of your old washer, with burlap cover to breath, stores well Humid Florida I do not know. Onions on a open rack in the shade with lots of air around. Tomatoes is not my piece of cake, but I Know the need air and shade if fully ripen
Have a Good Day Philgram Darryl Ehlers

[givmesno]

03:28 PM on 03/13/2012

Ok..so what do you do when you live in Florida? No matter how low you have your air set to in the summer it is still humid. In the winter when we can have our windows open it's humid. Any ideas?

[RedCrab]

04:24 PM on 03/13/2012

I never refrigerated an onion or potato until I moved to Florida. If you don't want them rotting shortly after bringing them home and really stinking up your kitchen you have to refrigerate them here. Plus I have been doing this since I got tired of rotten veggies years ago and have never noticed one bit of change in the flavor or any darkening after cooking either. It is just too hot and humid in this climate to keep any food without refrigeration.

[givmesno]

04:35 PM on 03/13/2012

That's what I've always done. I guess I was just wondering if anyone here leaves them out. I suppose not. As far as noticing a difference...I have nothing to compare it to. My tomatoes are left out, but I have to use them quickly or they go bad. Ya'll in the Northern part of the country can keep your potatoes and tomatoes out, but can you have your windows open in January? I think I'll just be thankful for refrigeration. :) Have a nice day.

[danielle thornburg]

03:03 PM on 03/13/2012

That's it? Only three??? Thing I heard is do what the grocery store does to store the food- if it is in a cooler there, put it in a cooler at home. If it's out, like apples, berries, tots, ect, keep it out at home too. The store knows how to keep stuff fresh long
However, I did not know that onions can cause tots to go bad.

[LisaInOcala]

09:56 AM on 04/07/2013

What's a tot?

[danielle thornburg]

10:34 PM on 04/26/2013

Potato. I call them tots.

[gdzilla2]

02:53 PM on 03/13/2012

I totally disagree on the tomatoes and onions in the fridge. I have two large crispers in mine and in the summer, one is always full of tomatoes that cannot be used immediately. They are never mushy or have a bad taste. I always bring them to room temp before slicing them. I keep onions in the other crisper and never have a problem with them, either. Potatoes are something I have never kept in my fridge.

[tribeffl3]

03:39 PM on 03/13/2012

I agree on the tomatoes (never kept onions in the fridge). We keep tomatoes in the crisper as well and take them out a day or two before eating, sometimes to ripen them further. Never had a problem.

[Misty Sanchez]

04:00 PM on 03/13/2012

I always have put tomatoes in the fridge and they do just fine. I don't put onions in the fridge unless I have already cut it and used half of it, then I put whats left in the fridge. Some of these stories we have to take with a grain of salt, I guess.

[gdzilla2]

04:37 PM on 03/13/2012

Yep. Sometimes I wonder if these people ever deal with actual produce from the garden!

[garylee123]

02:16 PM on 03/13/2012

When will the government refrigerator police be showing up?

[Gwen Marsh]

02:12 PM on 03/13/2012

Onions attrack bacteria. After an onion is peeled, use it up, if any is left over - toss it.

[gdzilla2]

04:38 PM on 03/13/2012

All you have to do with an unused onion is put it in a covered container and stick it in the fridge. My mom has done this for 70 years, her mom before her and me for 35 years. Never a problem.

[Bergen2]

12:18 PM on 03/13/2012

Would never refrigerate tomatoes, but potatoes and onions always last much longer when I refrigerate them. Haven't noticed a difference in taste.

[AaronToo1]

11:56 AM on 03/13/2012

If you don't want to cry when cutting onions, cut more onions. You'll get used to it with time. That's why professionals don't get messed up every time an onion needs to be chopped up.

Or use goggles.

[joebikerchef]

02:12 PM on 03/13/2012

That man is in no way a kitchen professional, his knife skills are horrendous.

The rest of the article is sound advice.