Which Fruits & Vegetables Should You Refrigerate? (2024)

FAQs

What vegetables should be refrigerated? ›

Most vegetables, like carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage and celery should be stored in a plastic bag or container in the crisper of your fridge. Mushrooms are best stored in a paper bag. Vegetables should be stored in a different part of the fridge than fruit. This will prevent them from ripening too fast.

Apples, cherries, grapefruit, grapes, oranges, pineapples, strawberries, tangerines and watermelon are received ripe and should be refrigerated.

Whole onions and shallots are best stored in a cool, dry, dark and well-ventilated room. Ideal places include the pantry, cellar, basem*nt or garage. Peeled onions can be stored in the fridge for 10–14 days, while sliced or cut onions can be refrigerated for 7–10 days.

Don't store potatoes in the fridge.

Raw potatoes have lots of starches, and the cold temperatures can turn the starches into sugars. This can make your potatoes turn sweeter and darker during cooking.

Yes, you can absolutely store bananas in the fridge. Just keep in mind that the cool, dry climate slows the ripening process, which is why bananas aren't refrigerated in the supermarket. In other words, if you put green, unripe bananas in the fridge, they're likely to stay that way.

Because strawberries and other fresh berries tend to have mold spores on their surfaces, they spoil faster when left out at room temperature. Keeping them in the fridge slows down this process so you have more time to use them. It's the best option when you need to keep your strawberries for more than a day or so.

They prefer the refrigeration. Apples keep longest when held at 31-36 degrees Fahrenheit. So, you want to keep them in the coolest part of the refrigerator. Most home refrigerators don't get that cold because the rest of your food would freeze, but the colder the better.

Ripe tomatoes should still be kept at on your counter, uncovered, if you are going to enjoy the tomato in the next day or two. But any longer than that – the recommendation is to refrigerate. A so-so tomato is much better than a rotten, moldy tomato. Refrigeration will slow down the decay.

Even though cucumbers are prone to chilling injury, the fridge is still the best place to store them. At room temperature, cucumbers will only last for about two days. So, what's the solution? Store cucumbers in the warmest part of the fridge — towards the front, furthest from the cooling elements.

Should carrots be refrigerated? ›

You'll have to store your carrots in the refrigerator, but how you store them can actually make a difference. Raw carrots, when properly stored will usually stay fresh for around 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge. If your carrots are sliced or chopped, you can store them in the fridge and they'll last for about 2 to 3 weeks.

Your refrigerator is the best place to keep fresh grapes. They thrive at about 30-32 degrees Fahrenheit with 90-95% humidity, so go ahead and throw them in the back of your crisper drawer (it's usually the coldest place in the fridge).

One of the most common ways to store blueberries is keeping a stash of fresh blueberries in the fridge. It's important to refrigerate fresh berries after a grocery delivery, trip to the store or visit to the u-pick farm. You can keep them in the original plastic clamshell or in a covered bowl or container.

Whole onions should be stored at room temperature in a well-ventilated container, such as a wire basket, perforated plastic sack or open paper bag.

Storing potatoes and onions together isn't the best idea. Onions produce a high level of ethylene gas, which will cause potatoes to ripen — and go bad — before you're ready to use them. However, those spuds aren't completely innocent, either; potatoes' high moisture content can cause onions to liquefy and leak.

Keep Onions Away from Apples and Potatoes

"In general, don't store ethylene-sensitive fruits or vegetables with fruits or vegetables that produce a high amount of ethylene gasses," says John Adler, the vice president of culinary at Blue Apron.

Best practice is to store eggs in the fridge; that way the temperature is always at a constant and your eggs will be fresher!

According to the USDA, whole raw eggs in the shell will last three to five weeks in the refrigerator. They'll keep for four to five weeks beyond the pack date, and about three weeks beyond when you brought them home.

In case of refrigerating peeled onions, the moisture and cold temperature inside the fridge can make them lose their crunch and turn soggy, which makes way for pathogens to develop and this reduces the nutrient level and leads to bacterial growth.

Can you refrigerate peanut butter? ›

According to the National Peanut Board, opened jars of commercial processed peanut butter stored this way will last for two to three months. After that, they recommend storing jars in the refrigerator, which will extend their shelf life by another three to four months.

Countertop, Fridge or Freezer? Until they're fully ripe, avocados should be stored at room temperature. Placing an unripe avocado in the refrigerator will slow the ripening process, but the same concept applies to ripe avocados: put them in the refrigerator to keep them at their prime ripeness for longer.

Once ripe, the ideal way to keep peaches fresh is in a bag with large holes or, if they aren't being kept in the refrigerator, in an open bag away from other fruits. After you cut up your peaches, wrapping them tightly and placing in the fridge is your best choice.

Fruits That Should Not Be Stored in the Refrigerator

Apricots, Asian pears, avocado, bananas, guava, kiwis, mangoes, melons, nectarines, papayas, passion fruit, pawpaw, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapples, plantain, plums, starfruit, soursop, and quince will continue to ripen if left out on the counter.

Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries should all be refrigerated and ideally, eaten as soon as possible. It's recommended not to rinse them until you're ready to eat them, since dampness can contribute to mold growth in the fridge.

Put the clean, dry berries back in the clamshell and store them in the fridge. Make sure to leave ventilation holes in the top uncovered so air can circulate in the package. Otherwise, store the berries in a clean container lined with paper towels, with the lid ajar so condensation can evaporate.

Storing lemons in the fridge is a great way to extend their shelf life. And if you want to keep lemons fresh for longer than a week, you'll definitely want to refrigerate them.

*Never keep your bread in the fridge. The starch molecules in bread recrystallize very quickly at cool temperatures, and causes the bread to stale much faster when refrigerated. *Shop-bought loaves should be kept in an air-tight plastic bag at room temperature rather than in the fridge.

Should I refrigerate ketchup? ›

“Because of its natural acidity, Heinz Ketchup is shelf-stable. However, its stability after opening can be affected by storage conditions. We recommend that this product be refrigerated after opening to maintain the best product quality.”

Put simply, peppers should always be kept in the refrigerator. However, if an uncut pepper is left out for a few hours or even overnight, it will probably not spoil. A pepper's skin will keep the softer inner flesh protected from drying out and beginning to rot.

Lettuce is particularly perishable, compared to many other vegetables. You will get a considerably longer storage lifetime if it is refrigerated, rather than kept at room temperature.

Do you need to refrigerate celery? No, but storing it in the fridge allows it to retain quality for up to two weeks, while leaving it at room temperature gives you only 2 to 3 days of decent quality. How to store cut celery? Refrigerate cut celery in a resealable container or freezer bag for 3 to 4 days.

Wrap the carrots in a paper towel and store in an airtight container. Keep carrots in the coolest part of your fridge, and away from fruits that product ethylene gas, such as apples, to prevent spoiling.

Do You Need to Peel Carrots? "There is no need to peel carrots before eating—many people enjoy eating them with the skin on," says Alan Hilowitz, former communications director at Bolthouse Farms. "However, since carrots are grown in the ground, washing/scrubbing is important if you do choose not to peel," he adds.

The best place to store broccoli is in the refrigerator, but like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli likes having some room to breathe. Keep it in a loosely wrapped or perforated plastic bag so it will still get some air circulation.

Remove the tops (leaves and stems) right away upon harvest — or as soon as you get them home from the market. The leaves act to draw moisture into their tissues, so get rid of them. It is also recommended, if possible, to not clean freshly harvested carrots.

Root vegetables are great because they can easily last a week or more without refrigeration. These include potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, kale, beets, radishes and onions.

Should fresh fruits and vegetables be refrigerated? ›

Many fruits and vegetables should only be stored at room temperatures. Refrigeration can cause cold damage or prevent them from ripening to good flavor and texture. For example, pink tomatoes ripen to a better taste and red color if they are left at room temperature.

They prefer the refrigeration. Apples keep longest when held at 31-36 degrees Fahrenheit. So, you want to keep them in the coolest part of the refrigerator. Most home refrigerators don't get that cold because the rest of your food would freeze, but the colder the better.

Ripe tomatoes should still be kept at on your counter, uncovered, if you are going to enjoy the tomato in the next day or two. But any longer than that – the recommendation is to refrigerate. A so-so tomato is much better than a rotten, moldy tomato. Refrigeration will slow down the decay.

The bottom line

In the United States, fresh, commercially produced eggs need to be refrigerated to minimize your risk of food poisoning. However, in many countries in Europe and around the world, it's fine to keep eggs at room temperature for a few weeks.

An open jar of peanut butter stays fresh up to three months in the pantry. After that, it's recommended to store the peanut butter in the fridge (where it can maintain its quality for another 3-4 months). If you don't refrigerate, oil separation can occur.

The best way to keep raisins from drying out and clumping is to put them in an airtight container or a large, plastic, sealable bag. Once opened, if you don't plan to use the raisins within a couple of months, you may want to store them in the refrigerator in order to give them a longer shelf life.

“Because of its natural acidity, Heinz Ketchup is shelf-stable. However, its stability after opening can be affected by storage conditions. We recommend that this product be refrigerated after opening to maintain the best product quality.”