Don't Refrigerate These Foods

[Shel_B]

I used to keep apples out of the fridge, but now I refrigerate them. They last significantly longer. After all, apples don't get harvested year round, just once a year, and they have to keep them stored somehow.

 

I enjoy cold apples, so at least some of them go into the fridge.  Gravensteins always find their way into the cold box as they deteriorate rapidly.

[Shelby]

What is the rational for not refrigerating soy sauce?  Shizuo Tsuji in Japanese Cooking a Simple Art says of soy sauce:  "Best stored in the refrigerator to maintain freshness."  (p 92)

 

What is/are "zukes"?

*shrug*  I just don't store it in there.  

[Shelby]

I don't put honey in the fridge for the same reason, but even when stored in my large kitchen cabinet it doesn't flow freely.  Often it needs to be warmed a bit in the microwave before it's useable for certain things, such as in my honey-lemon-poppy seed salad dressing.  Does heating honey in the microwave have any deleterious effects?

I don't know if I'm the norm, but I don't like to heat it in the microwave because mine gets sugar crystals.  I fill up a bowl or my sink with hot water and put my honey container in there for a bit to get it runnier.

[gulfporter]

I've always zapped honey in the microwave, at 50-70% until barely warm, but flowing easier.  Never had sugar crystals.  

[MelissaH]

Our local orchard says to store apples in the refrigerator, so I do.

 

The only onions I refrigerate are "sweet" onions like vidalias. Regular cured onions stay out, but sweet onions aren't as dry and go bad in a snap if I try to keep them on the counter.

 

Avocados stay out till they're perfectly ripe, and then the go in the fridge if I'm not ready to use them.

[Sharmeen]

Except melon, pastries, bread, sauce and eggs, I keep other listed stuff in refrigerator. I feel there's no need to keep them refrigerated by the way 

[barolo]

Surely it depends on the ambient temperature of your home, how ripe the produce is when you procure it, how long you will store the item(s) and and what other storage options (wine fridge, cellar, etc,etc) you have. At a minimum.

Some apples are good storage apples, some aren't. Some improve with storage.

[Vuko Laosic]

Depend of conditions. It's not same in Europe and in Thailand.

I never eat tomato which is room temperature. (Tomato salad with feta and olive oil warm )

If i leave home for more than 4 days, i will put coffee jars in refrigerator  

Edited October 10, 2014 by Vuko Laosic (log)

[Shel_B]

I don't know if I'm the norm, but I don't like to heat it in the microwave because mine gets sugar crystals.  I fill up a bowl or my sink with hot water and put my honey container in there for a bit to get it runnier.

 

 

Sometimes the obvious escapes me.  Thanks, Shelby!

[lordratner]

Tomatoes I like cold, especially the bite sized ones.

Same with ketchup, apples, cucumbers and avocado. The cucumbers actually can go bad faster of they get too cold, but I like the chill with that flavour.

[Jaymes]

 

 

Sometimes the obvious escapes me.  Thanks, Shelby!

 

And I just shake the honey container under hot running water for a few seconds.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Jaymes (log)

[Deryn]

Something is haywire with my fridge in Nova Scotia. It is set right according to the display (and a thermometer I set inside) but it freezes things. I upped the temperature a couple of degrees and get the same result. Getting a repair person out to look at it is difficult and expensive so this summer I have had to keep a lot of things out of the fridge that I might normally throw in there. At this point, I am considering buying a new fridge ... but .. the prices are horrendous and the fact that appliances are no longer made to last has me concerned so I have held off on a final decision.

 

I never put bread, coffee, tomatoes, onions, bananas, garlic or potatoes in the fridge.

 

Other vegetables (and fresh herbs) however I always have refrigerated. Eggs too. But who likes frozen eggs? And basil turns brown in a few minutes when colder than it should be kept. Parsley that is frozen isn't appetizing or useful either (unless you are putting it in a stew). Frozen cucumbers are interesting but watery when they thaw and not that fresh green they used to be either. No, most vegetables and fruits don't keep as well on the counter - particularly the organic ones. But, I would rather have them non-frozen for a couple of days than frozen for dinner (unless of course I purchased a package of frozen veg).

 

I stopped putting ketchup, mustard, and many other condiments in the fridge - and so far so good - but I have to toss those anyway every few months because I just don't eat enough of them. I have never put fish sauce in the fridge, nor Tabasco type hot sauces. Butter I keep refrigerated but it is ok for a few days on the counter.

 

I have easily used eggs a week after I bought them when I left them unrefrigerated. Due to my current fridge issues, after that I usually just throw them into the compost. Compost gets a lot of my failed 'out of the fridge' experiment remains. So if I don't eat it one way, I guess it will still do some good in the long run.  

 

That freeze drier is looking ever so much more 'necessary' to me these days after a summer with a malfunctioning fridge!

[Jaymes]

I never, ever, never, ever, never, never never put tomatoes in the fridge.  Never.  I don't care what anyone says, they taste funny if you do--funny as in ICKY.

 

I don't put honey in the fridge because it makes it too hard.

 

Let's see.....what else.....

 

avocados

onions

zukes 

taters

soy sauce

fish sauce

bread (if I can help it...but I do put it in sometimes)

apples

bananas

I personally hate watermelon if it's cold

 

That's all I can think of for now

 

I live alone now, after years of cooking for a big family.  All kids grown and gone.  Have no idea if husband ever grew up but, whatever,sent him back to his own mama to give her a second chance to try.

 

But I still like buying a great many things in bulk, like most of the perishable fruits mentioned.  My standard procedure is to buy big bags of apples, peaches, avocados, etc., and put them into the fridge where they'll keep for quite a while.  Then, a few at a time, take out some and leave them on the counter to ripen.  Avocados, in particular, will last for weeks in the fridge, so I buy the big bags from Costco.

 

For butter, always have a few pounds in the freezer, a couple of sticks in the fridge, and one stick on the counter, ready to be schmeared.

 

Onions - fridge. Not saying that I think it's better for taste or texture but, to me anyway, it seems like they make me weep less if they're cold when I chop them.  Maybe the chill causes the juices to be less juicy.

 

Coffee beans in the freezer.  I have a rotary coffee grinder and I read somewhere that, because it gets really hot when you're grinding the beans, that affects the flavor of the coffee.  So if the beans are frozen, that whirring blade doesn't get hot.  I do think I can tell the difference but I'll admit I might be kidding myself.

 

Eggs - it's my understanding that, here in the US, eggs to be sold commercially are washed in some manner that removes their natural protective coating.  And without that coating, you do need to refrigerate them.  Eggs in many other countries are not washed before going to the markets, so you can leave them out.  At various times in my life, I've been lucky enough to live close by farmers with hens.  When I buy the eggs directly from the farm, I do leave them out, at least for a while.

 

Shelby - you mentioned bread.  Bread was kind of an issue for me.  I do like to have some on hand for sandwiches, etc., but it goes moldy before I can eat a whole loaf, especially the kind of good breads that I buy that have no preservatives.  Tried the fridge, but that makes the bread go stale almost immediately.  That's not a problem if you're making toast, but if you want soft bread for your sandwiches, the fridge completely ruins the texture.  Discovered I can keep all breads in the freezer.  For sandwich bread, I do have to take care to pry off the slices I need but, once the bread thaws out, I can tell no difference whatsoever from fresh.

[FauxPas]

A comment on potatoes - we get the fresh nugget potatoes here in BC and they have to be stored in the fridge. The farm markets will always have a sign to remind people that they require refrigeration, because it does go against what most people have been taught. Here are some examples:

 

http://canadianfarmsproduce.com/our-produce/potatoes/nugget-potatoes/

[IndyRob]

I'd say I'd agree with almost all of that list. 

 

I agree with the butter comments already made - freeze/refrigerate/not depending on, and tailored to, your needs.

 

Bread and pastry, especially those baked fresh without preservatives should be frozen ASAP.

 

I don't personally care for coffee, but from what I do know about it, it makes sense to freeze the beans.

 

With very few exceptions (e.g. cold fermenting a yeast dough), I don't think refrigerating ever really does much more than keeping pathogens at bay, and can cause moisture issues with many things.

Edited October 10, 2014 by IndyRob (log)