Vegetables That Should Not Be Stored in the Refrigerator Potatoes, taro, sweet potatoes, and yuca (cassava, manioc) should not 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.
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.
Do carrots need to be kept in the fridge? Carrots do not need to be kept in the fridge, but this is certainly the best place for them. Storing carrots that are fresh here will make them last for 3-4 weeks.
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.
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.
Whole onions and shallots are best stored in a cool, dry, dark and well-ventilated room. Ideal places include the pantry, cellar, basement 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.
Do cucumbers need to be refrigerated? No. However, while room temperature is best for them, you can still keep them in the fridge if you fancy a cooler cuke. If you choose to do so, you must make sure the skin is a dry as possible.
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.
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.
Spinach is okay out at room temperature for a while, but to keep it fresh and slow the rotting process, you definitely want to store it in the fridge for the week.
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.
On your next shopping trip to Market Basket, notice how apples are displayed. They are unrefrigerated because apples do not need refrigeration until they began to soften slightly. Apples should be stored unrefrigerated for about 7 days after purchase. Apples refrigerated too soon lose flavor and sweetness.
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.
Because they don't release much ethylene gas, you can store root vegetables next to more gas-sensitive produce like leafy greens, cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower.
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.
You should store summer squash (like zucchini) in the fridge, but thick-skinned squash like acorn, butternut, or kabocha should stay at room temperature.
Do not wash your carrots before storage. Many vegetables have a waxy layer that protects them and if you scrub this off by with washing you'll compromise their storage life. If you're only storing a small amount of carrots for a short period of time you can feel free to wash them clean.
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).