14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (2024)

  • 01 of 15

    How Did All This Stuff Get in My Fridge?

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (1)

    If you return home from the grocery store and reflexively place everything you bought in your refrigerator, you may be surprised to learn that some of those items don't belong there.

    Generally, items that are meant to be spread or poured do not require refrigeration; neither do many fruits, vegetables, or fats like butter. But some foods are harder to classify.

  • 02 of 15

    Ketchup

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (2)

    Ketchup is one of the most popular condiments in the nation, served with everything from scrambled eggs and steak to pizza, french fries, onion rings, and chicken tenders. We tend to store opened bottles of ketchup in the refrigerator.

    Yet in many eateries, the ketchup bottle is left out on tables, alongside the salt, pepper, and sugar—and this is acceptable because of ketchup's acidity. Acidity (as measured on the pH scale) is one of the six factors that contribute to the growth of bacteria in food. Most harmfulbacteria require a neutral to a mildly acidic environment, with a pH level of 4.5 or higher. Because of its acidic ingredients (tomatoes and vinegar), ketchup has a pH between 3.5 and 3.9.

    Conclusion: Keep your ketchup in the cupboard, not the fridge.

  • 03 of 15

    Maple Syrup

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (3)

    Like ketchup, we tend to refrigerate open bottles of syrup to keep them fresh but it's unnecessary. Because of the moisture content of syrup, it is immune to the bacteria growth.

    In the culinary world, the moisture content of food (i.e., how much water it contains) is described using a measurement called "water activity," which is notated aw.

    To support the growth of bacteria, food needs to have a moisture content that corresponds with an aw value of .90 or higher. Raw meat, for example, has an aw of 0.95. Syrup, on the other hand, has an aw of around 0.80, which means bacteria won't grow in it.

    (This applies to real maple syrup as well as commercial pancake syrup.)

    Syrup can sometimes get moldy, but mold can grow in the refrigerator too. If you see mold, just throw it out.

    Conclusion:Keep your syrup in the cupboard, not the fridge.

  • 04 of 15

    Peanut Butter

    Peanut butter should be spreadable; if kept in the fridge, it can harden like cement.

    But while high protein foods like meat, eggs, milk, and peanut butter are targets for the bacteria that can make us sick (protein is another of the six factors that contribute to bacteria growth in food), peanut butter has a low aw (around 0.70, even lower than syrup). Bacteria aren't going to grow in it.

    Peanut butter can sometimes go rancid—particularly the natural kinds— especially when exposed to heat, light, and oxygen. But store it in the cupboard, far away from the stove–with the lid on tight and the cupboard doors shut–and it will be safe.

    Conclusion:Keep your peanut butter in the cupboard, not the fridge.

    Continue to 5 of 15 below

  • 05 of 15

    Jams and Jellies

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (5)

    Jellies and jams do not need to go in the fridge because they have a water activity of around 0.80, and their pH is usually around 3. So they don't have enough moisture to support bacteria and are too acidic for them as well.

    Conclusion: Keep your jams and jellies wherever you want to.

  • 06 of 15

    BBQ Sauce

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (6)

    Barbecue sauce has the same primary ingredients as ketchup: tomato, vinegar, sugar, and salt.

    The median pH value for commercial barbecue sauce is 3.92, and it ranges from 3.47–4.15. Since food with a pH value lower than 4.5 is too acidic to support the growth of spoilage bacteria, it's safe to store barbecue sauce at room temperature, in your cupboard or pantry.

    Conclusion: Keep your BBQ sauce anywhere you want.

  • 07 of 15

    Butter

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (7)

    Butter is mostly fat and contains very little protein—not enough to support the growth of bacteria. Salted butter has an even longer shelf life. But unless you're following a recipe for pie dough, cookies or scones that calls for cold butter, there is no need to refrigerate it.

    Like peanut butter, butter can go rancid if exposed to oxygen, light, and heat. But as long as you keep it in an opaque butter dish and use it in a reasonable amount of time, it's perfectly okay to store butter on the kitchen counter.

    Conclusion:Keep your butter in a butter dish on the counter, not in the fridge.

  • 08 of 15

    Potatoes

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (8)

    Refrigerating potatoes causes the starches to turn into sugars, affecting not only the flavor but also the texture. The ideal temperature for storing potatoes is 55 to 60 F, but if you use them within a week, room temperature is fine. More important is keeping them out of light, such as in a paper bag, so they don't develop a green-colored toxincalled solanine. Try to keep them away from onions, which emit moisture that can cause potatoes to sprout.

    Conclusion: Keep potatoes in a cool, darkplace, away from onions.

    Continue to 9 of 15 below

  • 09 of 15

    Honey

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (9)

    Refrigerated honey will harden into an amber-like consistency that makes it impossible to squeeze out of a bottle. Moreover, refrigerating honey is totally unnecessary. Archaeologists in Egypt have found 3,000-year-old pots of honey that is unspoiled (thanks to acidity and absence of water), making it the most shelf-stable food in the history of the planet.

    Conclusion: Keep honey in the cupboard.

  • 10 of 15

    (Most) Oils

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (10)

    Oils go rancid when they're exposed to oxygen, light, and heat. So while you shouldn't store cooking oils near an oven, refrigerating them isn't necessary. In some cases, they will cloud or even harden in the fridge.

    Conclusion: Keep cooking oils tightly sealed in a cool dark cupboard and use them within three months. Exceptions: Nut oils like walnut and hazelnut oils are particularly prone to rancidity, so refrigerating them is not a bad idea.

  • 11 of 15

    Breads and Baked Goods

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (11)

    Bread and other baked goods (like cakes and cookies) are not prone to bacterial spoilage but they do go stale. It happens to all baked goods, but the process is much more rapid in the refrigerator as the cold accelerates the re-crystallization of the starches. Freezing, on the other hand, halts the process.

    Conclusion: Store bread and baked goods in airtight bags or containers at room temperature if you'll use them within a week or in the freezer for longer storage.

  • 12 of 15

    Tomatoes

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (12)

    Chilling does two things to tomatoes: It halts the enzymatic process that produces the chemical compounds that give a tomato its flavor, and it damages the cell walls of the tomato, giving it a grainy, mealy texture.

    Conclusion: Store unripe tomatoes at room temperature. As for ripe ones, don't store them, eat them!

    Continue to 13 of 15 below

  • 13 of 15

    Chocolate

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (13)

    While bar chocolate should not get too warm, it's fine to store it between 65 and 70 F, provided you keep it away from direct sunlight and tightly sealed to protect it from moisture. The refrigerator causes condensation to form on the surface of the chocolate, which in turn will cause the sugar to bloom, producing white blotchy patches on the surface.

    Conclusion: Store bar chocolate at room temperature, tightly sealed.

  • 14 of 15

    Onions

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (14)

    Onions keep best in a cool (55 to 60 F), dark place with plenty of ventilation, which is why they come in a mesh sack rather than a plastic bag. But provided you use them within a week, room temperature is fine. The cold damages their cell structure (like tomatoes), and the humidity of the fridge can encourage mold growth.

    Conclusion: Store uncut onions at room temperature for up to a week.

  • 15 of 15

    Garlic

    14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (15)

    Garlic is a member of the same family as onions and responds to cold in much the same way: the flesh can become mushy, and mold can grow beneath the papery skin. They prefer cool, dry places with good ventilation (i.e., not in a plastic bag).

    Conclusion: Store garlic bulbs at room temperature for up to a week.

14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate (2024)

FAQs

14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate? ›

No need. The bread will lose moisture and harden with refrigeration; whereas both spreads tend to keep well at room temperature. Better yet, prepare fresh as needed only.

What are foods that don't need to be refrigerated? ›

Read on to learn more about which vegetables don't need refrigeration.
  • CUCUMBERS. Keep cucumbers fresh by avoiding refrigeration, which can cause wateriness and pitted skin. ...
  • ONIONS. ...
  • POTATOES. ...
  • BELL PEPPERS. ...
  • AVOCADOS. ...
  • PICKLES. ...
  • WINTER SQUASH.

What 12 foods should not be refrigerated? ›

WHAT FOODS SHOULD NOT BE REFRIGERATED?
  • TOMATOES. Keep your tomatoes juicy, tasty and ready for your next Tomato and Ricotta Pizza by storing them at room temperature rather than in the fridge.
  • POTATOES. ...
  • ONIONS. ...
  • PICKLES. ...
  • CUCUMBERS. ...
  • BELL PEPPERS. ...
  • AVOCADOS. ...
  • WINTER SQUASH.

What foods last at room temperature? ›

  • Bread. Unless you prefer stale, dried-out slices on your favorite sandwich, stash loaves of bread in the pantry.
  • Oil. Much like honey, vegetable, olive, coconut, and other cooking oils will quickly solidify in the fridge. ...
  • Melons. ...
  • Avocado. ...
  • Onions. ...
  • Potatoes. ...
  • Garlic.

Does peanut butter and jelly need to be refrigerated? ›

No need. The bread will lose moisture and harden with refrigeration; whereas both spreads tend to keep well at room temperature. Better yet, prepare fresh as needed only.

What meat doesn't need refrigeration? ›

The solution is to bring meat that does not need refrigeration. Some long-lasting canned meat products fare well in cool and dry places. Canned chicken, chicken packets, sausage links, precooked bacon, beef jerky, and canned ham are viable protein substitutes.

Should you refrigerate peanut butter? ›

According to The National Peanut Board, an unopened jar of peanut butter can last six to nine months at room temperature. Once opened, they say that it can last two to three months in the pantry before you should move it to the fridge, where it can maintain quality for another three to four months.

What are 2 vegetables that should not be refrigerated? ›

Potatoes, taro, sweet potatoes, and yuca (cassava, manioc) should not be refrigerated. Keep these starchy tubers in a cool, dark, airy space, loosely stacked in a bowl or bins, but not in plastic bags (or moisture will accumulate and will encourage mold and deterioration).

Does butter need to be refrigerated? ›

Butter and margarine are safe at room temperature. However, if butter is left out at room temperature for several days, the flavor can turn rancid so it's best to leave out whatever you can use within a day or two.

Do liquid eggs need to be refrigerated? ›

Liquid egg products should be refrigerated at all times and eaten within two to six days of purchase, or they can be frozen. Refrigerated liquid eggs can be place unopened in the freezer and stored for up to one year.

Should you refrigerate ketchup? ›

Unless you're a busy diner going through and refilling ketchup bottles every day or two, you should store your ketchup in the fridge. This is because, just like pickles, the flavor and texture declines after you open the bottle or jar and the ketchup is exposed to air.

Which fruit should not be kept in the fridge? ›

Avocado, apples, bananas, citrus fruits, berries, peaches, apricots, and nectarines should be stored out of the fridge. Refrigerating these fruits will result in loss of flavors and textures. However, you can refrigerate these fruits for 30 minutes prior to eating if you want a crisp bite.

Does mayonnaise need to be refrigerated? ›

Mayonnaise. You may buy mayonnaise off a non-refrigerated shelf, but the second you pop the top, you must put it in the refrigerator. In fact, the USDA recommends opened mayo be tossed in the trash if its temperature reaches 50 degrees or higher for more than eight hours.

How long does a peanut butter sandwich last in a ziploc bag in the fridge? ›

PB&J and Other Combinations: These can be good for up to 5 days if air-tight container storage is used to avoid soggy sandwiches.

Do you refrigerate Uncrustables? ›

For best product experience, we do not recommend refrigerating Uncrustables as it may dry out the bread. If you choose to refrigerate the sandwiches, they should be eaten within 1 day or 24 hours for best taste. Uncrustables crustless sandwiches should be eaten within 8 to 10 hours of thawing.

Does a jam sandwich need to be refrigerated? ›

Jellies and jams do not need to go in the fridge because they have a water activity of around 0.80, and their pH is usually around 3. So they don't have enough moisture to support bacteria and are too acidic for them as well. Conclusion: Keep your jams and jellies wherever you want to.

What is a good picnic food that doesn't need refrigeration? ›

Here are 11 picnic foods that keep well in hot weather:
  • Fresh vegetable salads. Nothing beats a fresh, light summer salad full of colorful vegetables, Ali says. ...
  • Fish and chicken in pouches. ...
  • Mediterranean foods. ...
  • Fresh fruits. ...
  • Dried fruits, nuts and seeds. ...
  • Fruit salsas. ...
  • Slaws dressed in oil and vinegar. ...
  • Fruit bars.
May 30, 2022

What is a lunch that does not require refrigeration? ›

10 No-Refrigeration-Needed Lunch Ideas
  • Marinated White Beans. Think of this as mezze platter meets lunch box. ...
  • Peanut Noodles. ...
  • Peanut Butter & Banana Pinwheels. ...
  • Lentil Salad. ...
  • Rice Cake and Nut Butter Snack Box. ...
  • Ham and Cheddar Muffin. ...
  • Scrambled Chickpea Pita. ...
  • Soba Noodle Salad.
May 14, 2024

Do eggs need to be refrigerated? ›

Do Fresh Eggs Need to Be Refrigerated? Freshly laid eggs need to be refrigerated immediately. Fresh eggs purchased from a farmers market need to be refrigerated as soon as you get home. Per USDA guidelines, eggs should be stored at 40 degrees F or below to help minimize the risk of Salmonella.

What condiments do not have to be refrigerated? ›

Shelf-stable condiments, like stone ground mustard, red wine vinegar, strawberry preserves, and wing sauce, don't need to be as cold as other perishable foods like milk, eggs, and meat, so they can hang out on your refrigerator door.

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