5 Fresh Foods You Shouldn't Keep In Your Fridge

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

Now that spring has sprung, I’m loading up on more fresh veggies, and that has me thinking about the best way to store them to keep them at their freshest. I only go to the grocery store once a week, which means I have to keep my produce stored properly to avoid ending up with a giant pile of bad veggies ready for the compost pile at the end of the week.

Related: How to Break 4 Supermarket Habits That Make You Spend Too Much Money
How to Get All Your Fruits and Vegetables for $2.25 a Day

And as it turns out, the refrigerator is not the go-to storage unit for all your produce.  Below are five types of produce you shouldn’t keep in your fridge.

Recipes to Try: Quick Weeknight Meals Packed with Produce

What are your best tips for storing vegetables so they stay fresh?

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By Hilary Meyer, EatingWell Associate Food Editor

EatingWell Associate Food Editor Hilary Meyer spends much of her time in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, testing and developing healthy recipes. She is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute.

More from EatingWell:

• 10 Bad Cooking Habits You Should Break
• 9 Simple Ways to Be a Better Cook
• 6 Common Myths About Freezing Foods
• Why You Shouldn't Always Cook With Olive Oil

 

Follow EatingWell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/eatingwell

Comments

[Twopennygal]

04:07 PM on 05/02/2012

We buy our avocados green and hard. That way we can be assured they are not bruised. If they are starting to turn black and are getting soft, they will bruise simply from being in contact with other avocados. We also prop them up in a coffee cup carrier (we got a couple from the local coffee shop) so they are protected further from bruising while they ripen. Never squeeze them hard to see if they are ripe. A very gentle squeeze will tell you if they are ripe, if they are soft, they are over ripe. They should just barely give, then pop them in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat them. We have stored perfectly ripe avocados in the refrigerator for four weeks and they've come out perfectly. However, if the avocados are at all over-ripe, they will not hold up nearly as well in the refrigerator.

I love avocados!

[sabelmouse]

07:37 AM on 05/02/2012

who would ? also apples and bananas and citrus fruit.

[Sandi K H H]

03:00 AM on 05/02/2012

We got 'cold drawers' when we remodeled the kitchen. Had to explain to the salesman what they were, but they are available. We love them. Things like apples, citrus, pears and peaches once ripe, potatoes, onions, garlic, shallots, squash, anything you'd keep in a root cellar. It is two stacked drawers so we can keep things that need to be seperated to prevent over ripening.

[sabelmouse]

07:38 AM on 05/02/2012

lovely. i well remember root cellars and also pantries.

[thintieguy]

02:01 AM on 05/02/2012

Not quite accurate about the avocado. It is true that if you put it in the fridge before it is ripe, it will NEVER ripen. However, once it is ripe, putting it in the fridge will keep it good for a good two weeks sometimes.

[Charlotte WoodsCoachman]

06:11 PM on 05/01/2012

all i am saying, i bought into these tips and from my own experience, these items do quite well in the frig; my onions, i usually can keep in the crisper in the frig for two weeks, but when i left them out at room temp, they went bad in a week. All i am saying is try storing both ways for yourself, because i too was convinced that these tips worked

[Twopennygal]

04:17 PM on 05/02/2012

We keep our onions in a hanging basket in the kitchen and they last for weeks, no special treatment. I think it depends on how humid your space is and how well the onions were dried before they were sent to the stores. I look for onions with a well dried skin, no black mold under the skin, and not too large. Large onions seem to go bad much faster.

However, unless I need an onion to prepare in a way other than diced, I buy diced onions and keep them in the freezer. I hate cutting onions, and I've tried scores of different methods to keep from crying, which starts with the first slice for me. Plus I actually like the "texture" of frozen onions for cooking. And I can't eat raw onions, I'm allergic to them in their raw state.

[Charlotte WoodsCoachman]

06:09 PM on 05/01/2012

i disagree with this also, im a caterer, and the they tend to go bad when i leave them out at room temp, i have never stored them in paper bags, that must be the key, but storing in the frig i never had an issue with how they cook or the taste.

[Charlotte WoodsCoachman]

06:07 PM on 05/01/2012

i disagree, when i left my tomatoes out at room temp, they went bad VERY fast, as compared to when i use to leave them in the frig

[stargazer10249]

11:05 PM on 05/01/2012

I totally agree. I would have a nice cold tomato salad rather than one that is at room temperature. Yukk!

[LeftRightCenter]

04:13 PM on 05/01/2012

all of these are great advice

[Charlotte WoodsCoachman]

06:13 PM on 05/01/2012

just some advice, i would try this out for myself, because i too thought these were great tips until i found that my produce was going bad alot sooner than when i left in the frig crisper

[Corinne Bailey]

04:03 PM on 04/30/2012

just a quick word,there is another food that shouldnt go in the frig,,,its the sweetpotatoe. ya dont put them in the frig,it makes them go bad faster!!!!

[Aylene McMahon]

11:09 PM on 04/27/2012

What about bananas?

[koen42]

07:57 PM on 05/01/2012

warn to ripen them cool to slow them down

[Twopennygal]

04:19 PM on 05/02/2012

You can treat bananas like avocados.

[Red Baarney]

10:25 PM on 04/27/2012

a tomatoe is not fruit or veg ... its a ""salad""" = simples... the end !!!!!

[TdeyoMN]

04:27 PM on 04/27/2012

Tomatoes? That's a new one!

[RationalCaliGirl]

08:25 PM on 04/27/2012

I never keep my tomatoes in fridge. they cannot ripen and develop flavor that way.

[Emily R White]

09:26 AM on 04/27/2012

The article should read it's more breathable THAN plastic...

[mimidec67]

11:05 PM on 04/27/2012

That's a major pet peeve of mine. I see I am not the only one. :)

[LLKoala]

01:26 AM on 05/02/2012

Agreed! You're not even the only two!
Pet Peeve #1.5: 'I should of put the tomato on the counter.'
Should be: 'I should HAVE put the tomato on the counter.'
Pet Peeve #2: 'I seen your brother last week.'
Should be: 'I SAW your sister yesterday.'

[Twopennygal]

04:21 PM on 05/02/2012

And don't forget you're and your. And their and there.