There are many forms of happiness, and one for food lovers is filling their refrigerators to the brim with food! All this food can bring us a sense of satisfaction. But are all these foods really suitable for the refrigerator? In fact, not all foods need to be refrigerated. Some foods will actually have a shorter shelf life in the fridge, while others can be preserved for a long time without it. Let's explore this topic today!
Cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes
If cucumbers are stored in the refrigerator for a long time, they can suffer from "cold injury"—turning black, soft, and losing their flavor. Cucumbers can also grow hair and become sticky. This is because the typical refrigerator temperature is around 4°C to 6°C, while the ideal storage temperature for cucumbers is 10°C to 12°C, and for bell peppers, it's 7°C to 8°C. Therefore, they are not suitable for long-term storage. The ideal storage temperature for cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, etc., is between 7.2°C and 10°C.
Chocolate
When chocolate is taken out of the refrigerator, its surface is prone to developing a white bloom. This not only causes it to lose its original rich flavor but also promotes bacterial growth. The best temperature for storing chocolate is 5°C to 18°C. If the room temperature is too high, you can first seal it in a plastic bag and then store it in the refrigerator's chill compartment. When taking it out, don't open it immediately. Let it slowly return to room temperature before consuming.
Bread
During the baking process, the starch in the flour reacts, making the bread soft and elastic. However, as time passes, the bread will gradually become hard. The speed of this staling process is related to temperature. It ages faster at low temperatures (above the freezing point), and bread in the refrigerator will become hard even more quickly. Therefore, for the sake of keeping bread fresh, try not to refrigerate it.
Fish
Fish should not be stored in the refrigerator for too long. The freezing temperature of a household refrigerator is generally around -15°C, and even the best models can only reach -20°C. For aquatic products, especially fish, if the storage temperature does not reach -30°C or below, the fish will dehydrate or undergo other changes. For instance, if crucian carp is refrigerated for a long time, it can easily become rancid, and its texture will change, making it inedible. Therefore, fish should not be stored in the refrigerator for extended periods.
Chinese Medicine
Chinese medicine should not be stored in the refrigerator. When medicinal herbs are placed in the fridge and mixed with other foods for a long time, various bacteria can easily invade the herbs, and they can also become damp, which damages their medicinal properties. Therefore, for some valuable medicinal herbs like ginseng, deer antler, Gastrodia elata, and Codonopsis pilosula, if long-term storage is needed, you can place them in a clean glass jar. Add an appropriate amount of glutinous rice that has been stir-fried over a low heat until it turns dark yellow. Let it cool, then place it in the jar, seal the lid tightly, and store it in a cool, ventilated place.
Coffee
Whether it's coffee powder or coffee beans, it should not be put in the refrigerator. It's basically like a sponge that absorbs surrounding odors. So, if you put coffee in the fridge, it will absorb all the smells from your refrigerator and won't be able to return to its original taste. It is recommended not to put it in the fridge or to store it with other aromatic foods.
Onions
Onions will become soft and even moldy if left in the refrigerator for too long. If the onion has already been cut, then no matter how tightly you've wrapped it, the onion will lose its moisture. Furthermore, a cut onion will impart its smell to everything around it. It's best to cut only as much as you need each time and avoid buying and storing large quantities.
Potatoes
Under normal circumstances, low temperatures will break down the starch in potatoes. Therefore, putting potatoes in the refrigerator will make them taste sweet or have a gritty texture (starch is a polymer of glucose, which can be broken down into maltose and glucose). This makes it difficult to cook them into a delicious dish, no matter what you make. So, it's best to store potatoes at room temperature. Also, sprouted potatoes are not edible, so it's best to buy just the amount you need each time.