Veggies / Fruits - Which to put in the fridge?

tara_seay

Hey everyone. This is only my first full week of doing the program, and I am confused. I am curious which fruits and vegetables do you put in the fridge and which you don't?

We keep finding conflicting answers on the internet.

For instance, I know you don't put bananas in the fridge...but what about:

Apples?

Oranges?

Tomatoes?

Pineapples?

Onions?

Potatoes?

Peaches?

Those are all the ones we have right now - but if you have other ones to keep in or out, I'd greatly appreciate those, too.

lyttlewon

Are you asking to prevent ripening? I don't put fruit in the fridge, because I have sensitive teeth and I cannot eat cold fruit. You don't need to refrigerate any of them unless you are attempting to keep a certain level of freshness and ripeness.

ambitious01

I personally just keep my potatoes in a cool and dark area (my pantry). I refridgerate most everything else with all this heat unless I want it to ripen more. Apples and the rest of the fruits like that I fridge immediately.:happy: I don't eat Pineapple tho, so I don't know. Tomatoes I do too. Onions are my other exception, I do not refridgerate.

tara_seay

I was asking just in general.... because for instance, I know if you put bananas in the fridge, they spoil.

Interesting... I usually put EVERYTHING as far as fruit / veggie in the fridge except bananas...

crzyone

I don't put pototates in the refridgerator and I've never bought a pineapple. Everything else I put in the refridgerator. They will all ripen and won't last long if left out. If you have something that isn't ripe enough, take it out a day or two before you want to use it and it will ripen up. I do this with canteloupe, peaches, plums. Canteloupes can last for a couple of weeks in the refridgerator but only a day or two on the counter/shelf. So, will peaches and plums. Oranges can last quite some time if left out but a long time inside. I, too, have sensitive teeth so keep a fruit bowl on my table and just put out a few things in the bowl the day before I might want to eat them, or if I know I"m eating something later in the day I take it out to warm up. I do this, also, with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, etc. It's too hot in my part of the world for anything to last on the counter.

mainelymama

My rule of thumb, if its not refridgerated at the store I dont refridgerate it at home unless I like it cold. like berries and grapes

mcarter99

The only things I don't put in the frig are tomatoes (kills some flavor compound when refrigerated), bananas (but I freeze them when overripe), and onions. But I live in the desert and the house is on the hot side.

mainelymama

this website www.stilltasty.com lists pretty much everything and how long it stays good for on the shelf, fridge, freezer. I love it!

lyttlewon

Onions, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, and pineapple should not be refrigerated. Also winter squashes like butternut and pumpkin. A good way to tell is if you don't buy it out of the cooler at the grocery store then don't store it that way at home.

JustPeachy044

I agree with mainleymama, to a point. It is a good rule of thumb if you aren't sure where to keep things in general.

However, for fruits and tomatoes, I will refrigerate everything but melons and pineapple to keep them from ripening too fast and spoiling, but I keep a fruit bowl on the table for a few of each for eating. When a fruit comes out of the bowl for eating, it gets replaced with one from the fridge. I think warm fruit is more flavorful and juicy...and I have sensitive teeth which are hurt by cold fruits.

tara_seay

I live in Alabama, in the deep south - so it's definitely hot here, too. But I keep my house cold (like 65-69)...

I'm gonna check that site out.

nataliexxxx

Apples? Not fridge

Oranges? Not fridge

Tomatoes? Fridge

Pineapples? Not fridge

Onions? Not fridge

Potatoes? Not fridge

Peaches? Fridge

Other things such as lettuce, plumbs, grapes, apricots I put in the fridge I sometimes put bananas in the fridge and sometimes I dont

carolebville

My rule of thumb, if its not refridgerated at the store I dont refridgerate it at home unless I like it cold. like berries and grapes

I agree, and I don't buy a lot of anything as it will spoil before I get to eat it. Buy 4-6 of peaches, bananas, etc. I can always swing back into the store to buy more FRESH as it is stocked / rotated at least daily.

lyttlewon

Do you have a root cellar or basement? Often they are cooler than your kitchen so that is a good choice. My mom grows her own onions and stores them in a bin with wood shavings under her house.

tara_seay

No, I live in a townhouse, so no basement for me...

But I was telling my fiancee' that it wasn't in the fridge part at Winn Dixie, it'll be okay out at our house. I think thats what we're gonna do.

kadinlucas

bananas - not in fridge as they go really crap
tomatoes - not in fridge as they can go icy and just seem to taste worse
onions, potatoes, garlic, sweet potato - not in fridge as they all last for ages anyway and should be in dark dry place.

Any other fruit I keep in the fridge mainly because I like fruit crunchy and harder and its more refreshing when its cold.
Citrus often ends up not in the fridge due to lack of fridge space though.