July 8th (Monday) Five foods you should not store in the refrigerator during the summer season

During summer, the hot and humid weather causes food to spoil easily. For this reason, many people store food in the refrigerator during the summer, but surprisingly, some foods can actually deteriorate in quality or change in composition when stored in the fridge. The following are five types of foods that are recommended to be stored at room temperature.

1. Tomato🍅

Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. The lycopene content in tomatoes increases as they ripen, reaching its maximum nutritional value, but storing tomatoes in the refrigerator halts the ripening process. In particular, storing tomatoes at temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius causes the surface to become wrinkled and reduces their sweetness. It can also cause moisture to evaporate.

2. Potato 🥔

It is not recommended to store potatoes in the refrigerator. When stored cold, the starch in potatoes converts to sugar, increasing their sweetness. Additionally, storing potatoes in a place below 4°C is known to produce the environmental hormone acrylamide. It is also advisable to avoid storing them in places exposed to light, as exposure to light can produce the toxic substance solanine. Therefore, the best way to store potatoes is to wrap them in newspaper and keep them in a cool room temperature.

3. Onion, garlic🧅🧄

Onions and garlic are best stored in a cool place without peeling. Storing onions in the refrigerator can cause other foods to spoil due to their smell, and garlic can absorb moisture inside the fridge, making it sprout or develop mold.

4. Bread🍞

The carbohydrate content of bread crystallizes at temperatures lower than room temperature, causing it to harden quickly. Additionally, it absorbs odors from the refrigerator. Therefore, it is best to store bread at room temperature or in the freezer.

5. Banana🍌

Storing unripe bananas in the refrigerator not only halts the ripening process but also causes the peel to turn black and the flavor to deteriorate. This is because low temperatures destroy the cell walls of the bananas before they are fully ripe, leading to the production of melanin pigments. However, if the bananas are already fully ripe, it is fine to keep them in the refrigerator.