A refrigerator is an essential appliance in every household, and many people are used to buying a lot of food at once and storing it in the fridge to take out when they want to eat. But did you know? Some foods should not be stored in the refrigerator. So which foods should not be put in the fridge? Let the editor answer you now, come and take a look!
Cucumber
If cucumbers are stored in the refrigerator for a long time, they will get "frostbite"—they will turn black, become soft, and lose their flavor. Cucumbers can also grow a fuzzy, sticky surface. This is because the general storage temperature in a refrigerator is around 4°C to 6°C, while the suitable 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 suitable 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 the growth of bacteria. The best temperature for storing chocolate is 5°C to 18°C. In the summer when the room temperature is too high, you can first seal it in a plastic bag and then store it in the refrigerator's freezer 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 amylose in the flour of the bread has already retrograded, which is what gives bread its elastic and soft structure. As time passes, the linear amylopectin in the bread slowly associates, causing the soft bread to gradually harden. This phenomenon is called "staling." The rate of staling is related to temperature. At low temperatures (above the freezing point), staling is faster, and bread in the refrigerator will harden even more quickly.
Fish
Fish should not be stored for too long. The freezing temperature of a household refrigerator is generally -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 lower, the fish tissue will dehydrate or undergo other changes. For example, if crucian carp is refrigerated for a long time, it can easily become rancid, its meat texture will change, and it will become inedible. Therefore, fish stored in the refrigerator should not be kept for too long.
Chinese Medicinal Herbs
When Chinese medicinal herbs are placed in the refrigerator and mixed with other food for a long time, not only do various bacteria easily invade the herbs, but they can also become damp, which destroys their medicinal properties. Therefore, for some valuable medicinal herbs like ginseng, deer antler, Tianma, and Dangshen, 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 flame until it turns dark yellow, let it cool, put it in the jar, seal the lid tightly, and store it in a cool, ventilated place.
Mooncakes
Mooncakes are pastries made from refined ingredients such as flour, oil, sugar, and nuts, which have been baked. Baked goods are not suitable for storage in a refrigerator. Although storing some types of mooncakes in the refrigerator can extend their shelf life, it will still affect their flavor. This is because the starch in the mooncake ingredients is gelatinized and becomes soft after baking. Under low-temperature conditions, this gelatinized starch will exude moisture and become retrograded (also known as "reverting to its raw state"), causing the mooncake to harden and its texture to deteriorate.