10 foods that you should definitely never keep in the fridge

As a rule, no one likes to pick at mouldy food. Most of us are now so paranoid about our dinner going bad that we try to preserve everything in sight by any means necessary. It doesn’t take much for even the bravest cooks to start clingfilming the entire kitchen and squashing it into a refrigerator.

Unsurprisingly, most of our measures are completely unnecessary. In some cases, putting food in the fridge can actually ruin it forever. To help you keep your dinners fresh, here’s a list of 10 foods that you should never keep in the fridge.

1. Chocolate

Despite being made from milk, chocolate does not need to be stored in a refrigerator thanks to its sugar content. Putting in the fridge can actually be disastrous as it transforms everything from the colour, the taste and the texture.

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2. Bananas

Buying an unripe bunch of bananas is always annoying. But, if you want to be enjoying your produce sooner rather than later, you’re best off leaving it in the fruit bowl. Refrigeration actually halts the ripening process and can turn banana skin black, leaving them looking incredibly unap-peel-ing.

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3. Tomatoes

Though it’s where they almost always end up, it turns out that fridges ruin tomatoes. The cold temperature damages the fruit’s delicate membranes, leaving them watery, mealy and pretty unappetising.

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4. Eggs

The inbuilt egg holder in a fridge door is one of the great deceptions of modern food. The most important thing for preserving eggs is to ensure that they are kept at a stable temperature – the constant opening and closing of a fridge door is a surefire way to guarantee that this doesn’t happen.

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5. Avocados

Similar to bananas, putting an avocado in the fridge is a surefire way to guarantee that it never ripens. Out of the fridge, an unripe fruit can be ready inside four days. Inside, the same fruit could take over a week.

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6. Coffee

One of the most amazing things about the coffee bean is its ability to take on the flavour of whatever is around it. To that end, keeping it alongside open packets of ham and moldering bowls of bolognese probably isn’t the greatest idea, unless you want a morning brew to taste of brown lettuce.

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7. Cucumbers

Despite cucumbers apparently occupying prime location in every fridge across the country, researchers from the University of California have recently shown that this is the last place they should go. When stored in this way, the long green tubes can quickly deteriorate, becoming watery and pitted.

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8. Garlic

Despite being hardier than most fruit and veg, even garlic gets ruined by refrigeration. Cooks would be well advised to keep it in a cool dry cupboard in order to avoid it turning soft, going mouldy and ultimately sprouting.

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9. Honey

Essentially an immortal food, there really is no need to take extra care when looking after a pot of honey. In fact, all putting it in the fridge will do is cause it to crystalise, turning into an inedible lump of sticky plasticine.

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10. Potatoes

If managed right, potatoes can last for absolutely ages. Managing right does not mean clogging up precious fridge space. Thanks to their high starch content, cold temperatures can cause spuds to break down into sugars, leaving them soft, squidgy and oddly sweet.

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Fridges are essential for many things in the kitchen. Given how heavily we all rely on them, it’s small wonder that we’ve become a bit obsessed. It’s worth remembering that throwing food at a refrigerator is not the only answer.