14 Items That Surprisingly Don’t Need To Be Kept In The Fridge
July 11, 2018
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Are the shelves, drawers, and side compartments in your fridge filled to the brim with jars, bottles, and containers? If you use tons of food and cooking products and have no need to throw them out, there’s good news — there are actually many items that can be safely stored outside of your fridge. Here they are!
1. Hot Sauce
Did you know that opened hot sauce doesn’t need to be stored in the fridge? Being cold ruins hot sauce’s flavor and changes its texture, making it more difficult to pour.
2. Bread
You may think that storing bread in the fridge will allow it to stay fresh longer, but it’s actually the opposite. Storing bread in the fridge will cause it to go stale more quickly.
3. Avocados
Avocados can take forever to ripen, especially if you’re storing them in the fridge. Store them on the counter instead to enjoy them that much quicker.
4. Ground Coffee
Many people swear by keeping their ground coffee in the fridge or freezer. However, storing coffee grinds in these places will invite moisture in, which causes them to lose flavor and go bad more quickly.
5. Peanut Butter
Unless it’s the natural kind, peanut butter doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge! You can safely store it in a cupboard until it’s all used up.
6. Basil
Although many people keep their herbs in the fridge, basil is one variation that should be kept elsewhere. The cold from the fridge actually causes the basil to lose its flavor.
7. Garlic
Another thing that loses its flavor when stored in the fridge? Garlic. You’re better off keeping it stored in a garlic container in a drawer or cupboard.
8. Baked Goods
As with bread, keeping baked goods in the fridge will make them go stale faster. It’s better to keep muffins, cookies, and other baked goods at room temperature.
9. Pickles
This may surprise you, but pickles really don’t need to be kept in the fridge. The juice that they are contained in preserves them just fine!
10. Salad Dressing
Many salad dressings (especially the oil and vinaigrette-based ones) do not need to be kept in the fridge. Bet that will clear up lots of room on your shelves!
11. Jam
As with pickles and peanut butter, jam is packed full of preservatives. So, you can go ahead and relocate those jam jars to your pantry instead!
12. Sweet Potatoes
It seems natural to store sweet potatoes in the fridge, but it’s better to store them in a cool, dark place in your pantry. The fridge causes their starch to turn into sugar, which can make them taste overly sweet.
13. Ketchup And Mustard
If you need to free up some space in your fridge, there’s no real reason for keeping ketchup and mustard in there. These condiments can last up to two months in a pantry or cupboard.
14. Soy Sauce
Soy sauce has such a high sodium level that there’s no need to keep it in the fridge. Free up your precious fridge space for other things!