Sometimes, we store our food automatically because of how we’ve been taught and force of habit, but sometimes, storing your food in the wrong spot can affect how long your ingredients last, and how good they taste.
1. Coffee Beans
Stop refrigerating your coffee – it kills flavor and brings moisture, both of which can ruin a good cup of coffee. Instead, keep them on the counter in a bag, can, or sealed jar. Long term, you can freeze beans if you want.
2. Apples
It’s tempting to showcase a rosy bowl of apples on your kitchen counter for guests, but keeping them in the fridge can extend shelf life. Make sure to put them in a plastic bag as they produce a ripening gas which can cause other veggies to go bad faster.
3. Herbs and spices
Many people keep their dried spices and herbs over the stove or refrigerator, but moisture, heat, and light can break down flavorful oils. Avoid the heat (your fridge has a warm motor) and keep it in a separate drawer instead.
4. Nuts
Sorry, but that trail mix can’t stay at room temp for more than a couple of weeks. Due to the oils in walnuts, pecans and almonds, they need to go to the fridge after that time frame, where they will last up to nine months.
5. Maple syrup
Many people think that storing pure maple syrup and artificial varieties call for the same storage methods. However, it’s important to store pure maple syrup in the fridge, where it has an expiration date of six months. The fake stuff can stay in the cupboards.
6. Brown Sugar
Do you normally keep your brown sugar in the fridge thinking that it will preserve the moisture? And do you still find issues with it hardening? That’s because the trick to moist brown sugar is an airtight container stores at room temp.
7. Hot sauce
Worried that keeping your hot sauce at room temperature will make it go bad? Don’t stress – hot sauce is safe at room temp for up to three years, so you can save some much needed space in that condiment area of the fridge.
8. Tomatoes
It might seem like common sense to put your tomatoes in the fridge, but it can really sacrifice flavor and give it an unsavory, mealy texture. Keep them juicy and meaty by placing them on the counter, but not in a bowl – one rotting will cause a domino effect with the others.
9. Raw Meat
Don’t keep raw megaton the top shelf – even though it spoils quickly and you want it to be visible, raw meat can contaminate other foods with leaks, so it’s better to place it on the fridge’s lowest shelf.
10. Olive Oil
The most common place that people store their olive oil is in a clear, glass bottle next to the stove, keeping it handy for cooking. However, heat and sunlight oxidize oil fast, diminishing flavor and giving a bit of a rancid taste. Keep it in the pantry away from extreme temperatures.
11. Avocado
Putting an unripe avocado in the fridge, even if its well on its way to ripening, can stop this fruit from its full ripening cycle. Keep it in room temperature and if you want to speed up the process, place it on the windowsill in a brown paper bag. Store cut avocado by covering it in a bit of lemon or lime juice to stop browning.
12. Onions and garlics
A mesh basket in the pantry is theist way to store these pungent ingredients. You might have remembered your mom throwing them in the fridge to extend shelf life, but they need air circulation to stop them from getting soggy, so take them out of the crisper drawer!