Dear Lifehacker,
My husband stores maple syrup in the fridge, but says butter can actually be left out on the counter. Clearly he's insane, right? I was always taught to put certain things in the fridge, but it looks like everyone grew up with different "rules". Is there some sort of definitive list of fridge-friendly and room-temp-friendly foods?
Sincerely,
Frustrating Fridge Habits
Photo by Mr. T in DC.
Dear Frustrating,
We've all had similar experiences. A lot of what dictates your fridge-stored food is just what you grew up with, which can differ a lot from person to person. WIth some food, it's just personal preference. With others, though, it's a matter of quality, or even health. We did a little research, and here's a short list of what you do and don't have to refrigerate, and which ones you should refrigerate if you have the room. A lot of this information comes from About.com's "To Chill or Not to Chill" tables, personal experience, and a number of other sources that we've linked to below.
Foods You Shouldn't Refrigerate
Potatoes: The cold temperatures in your fridge will actually turn potatoes' starch into sugars, giving it a sweet flavor when you cook them (and not in a good way). These can be stored at room temperature.
Tomatoes: If you've tried this, you probably know why Tomatoes shouldn't be stored in the fridge. They get really mushy and gross. Leave them out.
Honey: A lot of people put honey in the fridge, but this will thicken it up something fierce, and it doesn't require refrigeration to stay good. Unless you really like your honey cold, you can put this in the pantry.
Onions: Onions will last longer in the fridge, but not without cost. Like tomatoes, your onions will soften a bit if you put them in the fridge, and they won't be quite as crisp. Also, they'll make your other food smell like onions. Keep them out of the fridge at room temperature, and away from your potatoes—close proximity can make the onions go bad quicker! Photo by St0rmz.
Foods You Can Refrigerate, but Don't Need To
Peanut Butter: Sure, you could...but why? Apart from some organic varieties, you can keep peanut butter in the pantry and it'll be fine. Not to mention it'll be easier to spread.
Bread: We've actually talked about this before: If you leave bread in the fridge, it'll start to get a tougher texture, which isn't always desirable. That said, you can store it in the fridge if you can't eat it fast enough before it goes bad—I'd much prefer my bread a tad rougher than have to throw half of it out.
Bananas: Most people store these outside of the fridge, which is fine. If you put them in the fridge, they'll turn black, but the insides will still be fine.
Baked Goods: Like bread, chilling baked goods will make them last longer, but at a small cost: they'll go stale faster. Unless they contain some sort of filling that requires refrigeration (like custard), you don't have to put them in the fridge. My recommendation: leave them out and eat them fast!
Oils: Oils will thicken up and get cloudy in the fridge, though this goes away when you take them out. With the exception of nut oils (which must be refrigerated), you don't need refrigerate them, though.
Apples: Apples are good for about a week stored at room temperature, but you can store them in the fridge for longer. All that really matters here is how fast you eat them and whether you like cold apples.Photo by Jim Champion.
Things You Should Always Refrigerate
Meat: This is a no-brainer. Meat will go bad if you don't refrigerate it. Fresh meat (or packaged meat, after opening) should be eaten within 3-5 days; ground meat and fish within 1-2 days.
Milk: Also fairly obvious. Store it until about a week after the stamped "sell by" date, then pitch it if you haven't finished it. We've talked about this once before, too, so check out our post on the subject for more info.
Eggs: This can actually vary a bit—Chow.com notes that certain organic eggs can be left out for a few days—but in general, it's highly recommended to keep all your eggs in the fridge. The last thing you want is a bad egg. For recipes that require eggs at room temperature, just leave them out for 10 minutes before using them.
Cheese: Unless it comes in a spray can, refrigerate it. Most cheeses recommend you take them out of the fridge for a half hour or so before serving, for optimal texture.
Condiments, Jams, and Salad Dressings: Basically anything that says "refrigerate after opening" on the bottle. You can store these in the pantry before you open them (yes, even mayonnaise), but once you open them, stick them in the fridge. The aforementioned maple syrup would fall into this category.
Butter: This is a hotly contested one. The USDA guidelines recommend freezing it if you aren't going to use it within 1-2 days, and refrigerating all soon-to-be-eaten butter. It says you can leave it out for 10 to 15 minutes for enhanced spreadability (though we've got our own tricks for that, too). That said, many people store their butter at room temperature, in a covered dish. Weblog Care2 notes that because it's made from pasteurized milk, it's less likely to grow bacteria. This one's really up to you—if you'd rather be safe than sorry, throw it in the fridge, but I and many others find that storing it at room temperature—as long as its properly covered—is okay. Photo by Thomas Kriese.
Which Fruits and Vegetables?
While most fruits and vegetables can and should be stored in the fridge, it's a bit more complicated than that. We could probably do a whole Ask Lifehacker on fruits and veggies alone. We've listed some of the more popular fruits in the lists above, but for a more comprehensive list, check out this article at SparkPeople. Not only do they have a handy table of what you should and shouldn't store in the refrigerator, but they highlight how you should store them and which fruits should be kept away from others due to Ethylene—the gas that causes other fruits to over-ripen. We've also talked about this a little before, so check out our article on the subject to brush up on your refrigeration skills. Photo by muammerokumus.
This isn't a completely comprehensive list, but it should answer some of your questions. You'll see the rules can pretty easily be bent for a lot of foods—so it's up to you how you store them—but this should at least keep you informed of the pros and cons of doing so for each food.
Sincerely,
Lifehacker
P.S. Got a food we didn't mention, or disagree with one of our findings? Let us know what you do in the comments.