Keep cucumbers fresh for longer by wrapping them individually in paper towels and placing them in a plastic Ziploc bag.

We checked this method and were pleasantly surprised. Cucumbers really stay fresh much longer.

Keep cottage cheese or sour cream containers in the fridge upside down. This creates a vacuum effect that slows down the growth of bacteria.

To prevent flour bugs, put a piece of spearmint gum with the foil on it inside the bag.

It turned out that grandmothers of some of our employees had been using this method for decades.

To keep berries fresh longer, rinse them with a solution made from 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 3 cups of water.

Frozen tomatoes can be used in sauces and soups. They can be stored for up to 6 months this way.

Wrap herbs in a slightly wet paper towel, and put them in a plastic bag, being sure to get all the air out of the bag. Then put it in the fridge. The herbs will stay fresh and won’t wither.

When we were writing this article, we decided to check this method. A couple of weeks later, the herbs were as fresh as when we first put them in the fridge.

To keep the bread soft and mold-free, put a stick of celery in the bag.

To keep brown sugar soft and moist, use marshmallows. Just put a few pieces in the bag or container.

Once you’ve sliced an apple, put a rubber band around it to hold it together. It’ll keep the apple from turning brown.

This method is really convenient, we realized that when we were taking photos of it. But the effect is short-lived. The apple won’t stay fresh for a week, for sure.

If you want your avocado to ripen faster, put it in a bag with a banana. A banana gives off high levels of ethylene thanks to which avocados will ripen faster.

Store dry fruits in a glass airtight container in a cool place. This way, they’ll stay soft longer.

Wrap lettuce in a piece of aluminum foil. This way, it’ll stay fresh for 4 weeks.

We tested this method, and it proved to work. After 10 days, we took out the lettuce from the foil, and it was as fresh as before.

To prevent fresh berries from sticking together during freezing, freeze them on a plate where the berries are separate from each other first, and then put them in the bag.

One of our employees shared her own life hack. To keep fresh the lemon that has been cut, dip it into salt and put it in the fridge.

Do you have your own life hacks for keeping food fresh? Share them in the comments below.

By Glenda Taylor

Keep Fresh

The refrigerator is one of the greatest inventions of all time. It provides a safe and convenient place to store food, and it puts ice-cold beverages at your fingertips. You already know that your fridge is great for preserving leftovers and dairy products, but you might not know that some food items actually go bad when kept at cold temperatures. Keep reading to find out which things you should never put in your fridge.

Bread

Store your bread in a bread box or on a cabinet shelf, but not in the fridge. Refrigerating bread slows mold growth but makes the bread tough, chewy and stale-tasting. If you know you won’t use the whole loaf before it goes bad, wrap the excess in freezer paper and store it in the freezer for up to one month.

Raw Potatoes

Don’t dump that bag of spuds in the crisper drawer! Frigid temperatures alter the starchy complex carbohydrates found in raw potatoes, giving them a sweet taste and a gritty mouthfeel when cooked. For the best flavor and texture, store raw potatoes in a well-ventilated basket or drawer, out of direct sunlight.

Honey

Due to its high sugar content, honey, a natural preservative, needs no refrigeration. In fact, popping that honey bear in the fridge virtually guarantees you won’t be able to squeeze out the golden goodness. When refrigerated, honey hardens and crystalizes, so store it on a shelf in your pantry. If you already made the mistake of refrigerating it, don’t toss it out. Place the honey bottle in a pan of hot (not boiling) water until it returns to its liquid state.

Tomatoes

If you don’t want your fresh tomatoes to taste like cardboard, don’t put them in the fridge. Once harvested, tomatoes continue to ripen and develop flavor, but only when kept at room temperature. A big chill stops the ripening process and dulls the flavor. Store fresh tomatoes on the countertop, out of direct sunlight. If you grow your own tomatoes, snip off a bit of the vine when harvesting. The attached vine helps keep the tomato fresh longer and gives it a better flavor.

Onions

The chilly temps and high humidity of the fridge wreak havoc on onions, breaking down their fibrous structure, and leaving them mushy and prone to mold growth. For the best flavor and texture, store onions in a well-ventilated, dark, and cool (not cold) spot. An open-weave basket in the pantry is optimal.

Green Avocados

Many avocados available at the grocery are green and hard, and need a couple days to ripen before they’re ready to eat. They’ll only ripen, though, if you keep them out of the fridge. The only time you should refrigerate an avocado is when it’s completely ripe but you’re not ready to use it. Then, refrigeration will give you an additional day or two before it goes bad.

Strawberries

Refrigerating strawberries reduces their sweet flavor and gives them a mushy texture. For better taste, store fresh strawberries on the countertop, out of direct sunlight, and use them within a day or two of picking or purchasing. And don’t wash them until you’re ready to eat them; strawberries go bad more quickly after they’re washed.

Fresh Garlic Bulbs

Nothing adds flavor to Italian dishes quite like fresh garlic, but if you store the bulbs in the fridge, don’t be surprised if they sprout bitter green shoots. Another danger, garlic bulbs are prone to mold growth in the humid conditions of the fridge. For the best taste, store fresh garlic in a dark, well-ventilated spot. You can store leftover minced garlic in the fridge for a day or two, but the flavor can’t compare to freshly minced cloves.

Open Food Cans

Once opened, don’t store a partially filled food can in the refrigerator. While the cold temps will keep the product from spoiling for a little while, the food can develop a metallic taste due to metal acids that leach into the food from the can itself. The best way to store unused canned food, is to transfer it to a separate airtight plastic food container and then refrigerate.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is stable at room temperature for up to two years, so there’s no need to store it in the fridge where it becomes hard and virtually impossible to scoop out. Unlike some oils that remain liquid at cool temps, coconut oil contains a high percentage of saturated fats, which causes it to solidify in the refrigerator.

Winter Squash

Putting butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkins, or other types of winter squash in the fridge will dull their flavor and give them a mushy texture. You don’t need a fridge to keep these vegetables fresh. When stored in a dark, cool (not cold) spot, such as an unheated basement, these autumn favorites will remain viable for two months, or longer. Leftover raw winter squash can be chopped into chunks and frozen for an additional two months.

Cucumbers

The saying might be “cool as a cucumber,” but cukes are actually quite sensitive to the cold. The crisp greens fare best when left at room temperature.

Unripe Bananas

Like other fruits on this list, bananas will continue to ripen at room temperature—but when put in the fridge, the ripening process stops. Store unripe bananas on the countertop, out of direct sunlight. You can put a fully ripe banana in the fridge for a couple of days, but don’t be alarmed when it turns black. The blackening occurs due to the banana skin’s ethylene content, which undergoes a chemical change when subjected to cold temperatures.

Keep cucumbers fresh for longer by wrapping them individually in paper towels and placing them in a plastic Ziploc bag

We checked this method and were pleasantly surprised. Cucumbers really stay fresh much longer.

Keep cottage cheese or sour cream containers in the fridge upside down. This creates a vacuum effect that slows down the growth of bacteria

To prevent flour bugs, put a piece of spearmint gum with the foil on it inside the bag.

It turned out that grandmothers of some of our employees had been using this method for decades.

To keep berries fresh longer, rinse them with a solution made from 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 3 cups of water.

Frozen tomatoes can be used in sauces and soups. They can be stored for up to 6 months this way.

Wrap herbs in a slightly wet paper towel, and put them in a plastic bag, being sure to get all the air out of the bag. Then put it in the fridge. The herbs will stay fresh and won’t wither.

When we were writing this article, we decided to check this method. A couple of weeks later, the herbs were as fresh as when we first put them in the fridge.

To keep the bread soft and mold-free, put a stick of celery in the bag.

To keep brown sugar soft and moist, use marshmallows. Just put a few pieces in the bag or container.

Once you’ve sliced an apple, put a rubber band around it to hold it together. It’ll keep the apple from turning brown.

This method is really convenient, we realized that when we were taking photos of it. But the effect is short-lived. The apple won’t stay fresh for a week, for sure.

If you want your avocado to ripen faster, put it in a bag with a banana. A banana gives off high levels of ethylene thanks to which avocados will ripen faster.

Store dry fruits in a glass airtight container in a cool place. This way, they’ll stay soft longer.

To prevent fresh berries from sticking together during freezing, freeze them on a plate where the berries are separate from each other first, and then put them in the bag.

One of our employees shared her own life hack. To keep fresh the lemon that has been cut, dip it into salt and put it in the fridge.