Refrigerating bread will not only ruin the texture but keeping it for so long will make it go stale and chewy as the cold air facilitates this process. Leave your bread on the counter or in the pantry. Store it in a cool, dry place, away from windows or heat.
A bread box is best, but most people keep bread wrapped in plastic, which is fine. After a few days, however, wrap it up and pop it in the freezer to keep it fresh. Bread is best the first day it is baked, but keeping it properly will optimize its quality.
Keep Your Apples Sweet
You can keep your apples sweeter for longer by leaving them out of the fridge. Put them in a basket in plain sight, and these colorful fruits will be devoured much faster than hidden in the fridge. So, unless you are hoarding them for yourself, leave apples on the counter.
Not only do they look spectacular when piled up in a bowl but storing apples in the fridge can turn them mushy inside. But, after a week or so on the counter, you might want to stick them in the fridge to get a longer shelf life out of them.
Need Some Fridge Space?
That big old jar of pickles can sit out. But many people like to eat pickles when they are cold and crunchy straight out of the fridge. Some don’t. Since pickles are a preserved food item, they can be stored either in the refrigerator or at room temperature without any issues.
That's why when shopping at the deli, we often see a large barrel of individually sold pickles sitting out on the counter. So why not leave your jars of pickles out at home? Pickle jars are filled with vinegar, which is high in acetic acid and naturally prevents bacteria from growing.
Treat Eggplant With Care
If eggplants could speak, they would beg us to release them from their prison sentences in the drawer of your refrigerator. Like many other vegetables, eggplants are susceptible to chilling injury. Pitting, bruising, brown seeds, and flesh result from storing eggplant at or below 41 degrees for an extended period.
Flavor and texture are both negatively impacted; plus, eggplants can overripen if they are stored in close proximity to bananas, apples, melons, and other fruits with high ethylene production. If you have too many to prepare and need to keep them in the fridge, try to use them within three days.
Don’t Ruin a Good Watermelon
Ummm, this is a tough one. Watermelons are packed with antioxidants, beta-carotene, and a significant supply of other nutrients. Health benefits include preventing cancer and sun-related skin damage. But you might want to know that a 2006 study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said that refrigerating watermelons saps those helpful nutrients away.
The bright red flesh of watermelon also contains more lycopene than any other fruit or veggie. But those, too, diminish with refrigeration. But cold watermelon tastes so much better! So it’s okay to chill before serving, that way you can enjoy your watermelon chilled. It is the prolonged refrigeration that deprives the fruit of its natural nutrients.