[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
We do the shopping, we arrive home and we put everything that we suppose will cool in the refrigerator. But aren’t you making mistakes that can cost you dearly?
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
Are there really any foods that should not be put in the refrigerator because it could be harmful?
SO, we are not going to talk about harmfulness, not to this extent, but if you do not Do not store food where it is needed, you will lose taste quality but also nutritional because vitamins are heat-sensitive, that is to say, they deteriorate with heat.
A simple technique to know if a food should be stored in refrigerator or not is to remember if it was kept in the fresh at the supermarket, apart from one exception which I will tell you about just after.
If you put your tomatoes in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator, are you doing it right or not?
Well, if you do, they’re going to get bad. The cold will change their texture and make them floury.
Likewise, how many times have I heard my patients put their bananas in the refrigerator when, like all exotic fruits, they risk turning black and hardening.
Also, how many times have you bought avocados that are almost rock hard because they are kept cold in stores?
The cold will only slow down ripening, so when you get home, it is best to let your avocados ripen in your fruit bowl.
And the potatoes?
Also, don’t put your potatoes in the refrigerator because the cold will start to break down the starch which will turn into sugar and cause them to rot more quickly. Potatoes, like garlic and onions, can be stored in a dry, dark place at room temperature for up to 3 months; obviously, if these vegetables are not cut or cooked.
I also have to tell you all to stop putting cucumbers in the crisper because the cold will quickly damage them.
What about eggs?
There are 2 schools and, therefore, I make an exception to the rule concerning my tip which is to check where the food is stored in the supermarket, but I prefer that you keep the eggs in the refrigerator as recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture provided they are kept with the tip of the shell down. Moreover, a notice on our packaging recommends keeping them cool.
And wouldn’t you have noticed that when you put the chocolate in the fridge, it turned white? Do you think this is serious?
And well no, it’s not serious but in the refrigerator, a film white comes to cover it because the fat of the chocolate goes back to the surface and as a result, the taste will be modified.
THE best to leave it at room temperature between 15 to 18 degrees.
Little tip:
Among the vegetables in the fridge, some must be wrapped with absorbent paper, such as salads, endives or even baby spinach to avoid rotting quickly.
Know also that apples for example produce around it ethylene which accelerates maturation.
And for the temperature, the ideal is not to exceed 4°C because, the higher the temperature, the more microbial development there is.
To sum up
- Do not put in the refigerator tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, exotic fruits;
- Store the potatoes, garlic and onions in a dry, dark place at room temperature;
- Wrap salads from the vegetable drawer in absorbent paper;
- Eat your vegetables and fruits quickly.