There is an opinion that cold significantly increases the shelf life of vegetables, fruits, meat, fish and prepared dishes. However, some products cannot be stored in the refrigerator: at low temperatures they lose their taste and aroma, and sometimes even spoil faster.
Products that are most often stored incorrectly
Each of us will easily find in his refrigerator, if not everything listed below, then a significant part of this list.
Bread
Often, bread is put in the refrigerator so that it stays fresh longer. However, the result is the opposite - at +6 ° C, baking stale faster. This is due to chemical reactions in which starch is involved. Therefore, putting bread in the refrigerator is undesirable. If necessary, it should be frozen in portioned slices, and heated before use in the microwave. The same goes for loaves, pies and sweet rolls.
Fruits
In stores, fruits are often put in the refrigerator, but this method is not very suitable for home storage. In addition, for some fruits, low temperature is contraindicated:
- Bananas in the cold lose their attractive appearance - their peel is covered with many dark spots. Over time, the flesh also blackens, becoming slimy and unpleasant in taste.
- Avocados in domestic stores are usually sold unripe. If you put it in the refrigerator, it will remain so, but at room temperature after 5-7 days it will become suitable for eating.
If you cut the ripe avocado fruit and didn’t completely eat it, the rest should still be wrapped in cling film and put in the refrigerator.
- Kiwi, like other tropical fruits, prefers warmth. Hard and sour kiwi at room temperature mature, become sweet. And ripe must be eaten right away - in the refrigerator, that without it they will begin to rot in 5-7 days.
- Apples produce ethylene during storage, a gas that promotes ripening. If in the open air it constantly evaporates, then it accumulates in a cramped cold store and leads to the fact that the fruits begin to rot. And not only apples, but also other fruits that lie nearby. Therefore, for storing apples, you should prefer a balcony or other cool place with free air exchange.
- Melon and watermelon lose their aroma when they are in the refrigerator for a long time. And if the refrigerator is equipped with the No Frost system, the juice evaporates from them, due to which the flesh becomes lethargic and quickly deteriorates. As for the cut fruits, they should be eaten immediately. In extreme cases, half a watermelon or melon, covered with a plate, will stand on the table for 2-3 hours without problems.
Ultra-pasteurized milk
Putting an unopened tetrapack with ultra-pasteurized milk in the refrigerator is not that impossible - rather, it makes no sense. This product is stored at temperatures up to +25 ° C, so that it does not deteriorate, even if it stays on the kitchen table for several months. Those who constantly do not have enough space in the refrigerator should take this information into service.
Potatoes
Under the influence of low temperatures, starch, which in potatoes from 15 to 20%, is broken down into its constituent parts. As a result, sugar is formed - it gives the tubers an unusual sweet taste. For this reason, it is undesirable to store potatoes at temperatures below +10 ° C (in the main refrigerator, as a rule, from 0 to +6, and in the freezer - up to -18 ° C). In addition, during prolonged storage in a tied plastic bag, the tubers will become condensed and moldy. And if you put them in a box without a package, they will begin to dry and quickly wrinkle.
However, there are two exceptions:
- French fries, prepared at the plants by shock freezing, perfectly transfers storage in the freezer.
- Pre-boiled tubers will spend in the refrigerator a day or two without loss of taste. True, at the same time they can acquire an unappetizing gray-blue shade.
Olive oil
All housewives know that the lower the temperature, the slower the oxidation of olive oil. To preserve its taste and aroma, you need to put the bottle in the refrigerator - this conclusion seems quite logical. But the problem is that even at + 4 ° C, oleic acid begins to crystallize. Also, due to wax precipitated, white flakes appear in the oil. Such metamorphoses in no way affect the quality of the product, but spoil its appearance.
To keep the olive oil homogeneous and transparent, you need to keep it in a place where the air does not heat above + 10 ° C and does not cool below + 7 ° C.
Chocolate wrapped in paper
The better and better the chocolate, the higher its melting point. On average, it is +28 ° C, so in summer, tiles and sweets should be stored in the refrigerator. However, this statement is true only for confectionery in sealed packaging. Despite the fact that most factories seal chocolate in a plastic film, there are still chocolates in paper wrappers - they must be evacuated in a bag or placed in a clean container with a lid before putting it in the refrigerator. The same rule applies to chocolates that have already been opened.
Such precautions are needed for two reasons:
- so that moisture does not accidentally get on the chocolate;
- so that the tile is not saturated with the smell of fish, cheese, smoked sausage and other products.
Garlic and onion
It is not for nothing that our grandmothers braided onion and garlic braids, which were then hung in a closet, - practice shows that onions and garlic are best stored in a dark, cool, dry room. But the microclimate "like in the refrigerator" is contraindicated for these vegetables. Already at 5–6 degrees Celsius, they begin to rot and become unpleasant. Some housewives store onions in a tightly tied bag - this further exacerbates the situation.
The ideal temperature for onions and garlic is +16 ° C. Put them in a kitchen drawer away from heating appliances, stoves, stoves and sinks - there they will lie for 4 to 8 months without any signs of spoilage or sprouting.
Why does food that can and should be stored in the refrigerator deteriorate there much faster?
There are several reasons for this:
- Insufficient heat treatment. For example, if you added poorly washed greens to the soup and after that did not let it boil, it is very likely that it will turn sour in a few hours.
- Dirty dishes. An unwashed container or plate from which someone ate, and then decided to put the rest of the dish in the refrigerator, becomes a source of microflora, which can provoke an accelerated spoilage of products. Moreover, dishes in which there is a lot of protein and fat will deteriorate sooner than fruits or vegetables.
- Spoiled products. If there is something rotten or moldy in the refrigerator, the rest of the food is immediately seeded with fungal spores and bacilli.
If the product has already begun to deteriorate, is it possible to save it by putting it in the refrigerator?
Not. If the process of decay or fermentation has begun, then the number of bacteria and fungi in the product is many times higher than the permissible values. In the cold, these microorganisms will not die, but only slow down the reproduction. The toxins secreted by them will also not disappear. In order not to risk health, food that began to deteriorate should be sent to the bin.
Can I keep medicine in the refrigerator next to food?
If the medicine is hermetically sealed, being in the refrigerator will not affect the taste, smell and safety of the food. But in order to avoid their accidental eating or drinking by children and elderly people, it is better to set aside a separate shelf for medications.
The list of products that does not have a place in the cold is not that big, so it will not be difficult to remember all its points and not to make mistakes anymore. This will help to save food from premature spoilage, as well as save on products that used to be thrown away.