Berries to Onions: 10 fresh ingredients you're probably storing wrong in your fridge

Economic Times

06-07-2025

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Keeping your groceries fresh is quite a challenge, as there is nothing more frustrating than grabbing an unripe fruit or realizing the milk purchased two days ago has now turned sour.Food writer Kimberly Holland, in an article for AllRecipes, explained the correct ways to store food items in the refrigerator after buying them.According to Holland, in a bid to keep your berries fresh, it is crucial to keep them in a dry and unwashed container in the fridge. If the berries are stored in the original container or a plastic-wrapped bowl, they can last up to 10 days and stay juicy.When potatoes are stored inside a refrigerator, the vegetable's moisture evaporates due to the cold temperature, and they become shriveled and shrunken, according to Holland. The climate of the fridge converts the starches in potatoes to sugar, according to Potatoes USA, a potato marketing and research organization. If the potatoes are stored in the fridge, take them out and allow them to come to room temperature before cooking.Fresh heads of garlic are likely to perish in the colder temperatures, similar to the case of potatoes. It belongs in a cool, dry spot like a cabinet or pantry.The best-suited way to keep the bulk of garlic cloves fresh is to find room for them in the freezer. Holland recommended that you store the bulb vegetable whole or peel the outer layer to store individual cloves inside aluminum wrap or a jar. The cloves are in a similar dry habitat to your potatoes.There is certainly no place in the fridge for an onion, says Tom Irving, a British nutritionist, dietitian, and blogger. "Some people treat them like salad veg and store them in the fridge, which is wrong on several levels," he said, as quoted by the All Recipes website.The cold conditions lead to the conversion of starch in the onion to sugar, which spoils the onion and makes it lose that distinctive crunch. Also, an onion's heady aroma can spread to nearby fruits and vegetables.Cucumbers don't like to be cold, or even cool for that matter, and they last longer when stored at room temperature, given that they are not cut. Store them in a dry spot on the counter to prevent damage. Also, it is advisable to keep cucumbers away from other fruits like tomatoes, bananas, and melons.