By: Hilary Meyer

What’s the best way to store vegetables to keep them at their freshest? If you only go to the grocery store once a week, like I do, you need to keep your produce stored properly to avoid ending up with a giant pile of bad veggies ready for the compost pile at the end of the week.

And as it turns out, the refrigerator is not the go-to storage unit for all your produce.

Find out which 5 types of produce you shouldn’t keep in your fridge in the slideshow above.

Tomatoes:

OK, a tomato is technically a fruit, but taste-wise, it’s closer to a vegetable. The fridge is not the ideal place to store tomatoes. Store them there and your perfect tomatoes turn into a mealy disappointment. They’ll still be good for cooking, but not the best for eating fresh. Instead store them on your counter (not in direct sunlight) and enjoy them when they’re ripe.

Basil:

Tomatoes and basil go well together on your plate and it turns out they have similar needs in the storage department too. Basil will do best if it’s stored on your counter and treated as you would fresh cut-flowers. A fresh bunch of basil can be stored for in a cup of water (change it every day or two) away from direct sunlight. Covering it loosely with a plastic bag will help keep it moist (but make sure the bag has an opening to allow for some fresh air to seep in).

Potatoes:

Potatoes like cool, not cold temperatures. They do best at around 45 degrees F, which is about 10 degrees warmer than the average refrigerator. Most of us don’t have a root cellar (a cool, dark place to store root vegetables like potatoes), so keeping them in a paper bag in a coolish spot (like a pantry) is best. Why paper? It’s more breathable then plastic so potatoes won’t succumb to rot as easily.

Onions:

Onions don’t come out of the ground with that protective papery skin. To develop and keep that dry outer layer, they need to be "cured" and kept in a dry environment like a pantry, which is not as damp as the refrigerator. Also, lack of air circulation will cause onions to spoil, as will storing them near potatoes, which give off moisture and gas that can cause onions to spoil quickly.

Avocados:

Avocados don’t start to ripen until after they’re picked from the tree. If you’re buying a rock-hard avocado, don’t store it in your refrigerator, as it slows the ripening process. On the other hand, if you have a perfectly ripe avocado that you’re not ready to use, storing it in the refrigerator may work to your advantage by prolonging your window of opportunity to use it before it becomes overripe.


http://www.kitchendaily.com/read/5-fresh-foods-you-shouldn%E2%80%99t-keep-your-refrigerator?icid=maing-grid7|aim|dl21|sec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D254295

im hungry .

Fresh pepper

i keep my tomato in the freezer. it still taste and look fresh after cooking

If not for conveniency's sake, i wonder which food is not best consumed in fresh form.

We know before,Next.

this is a new year'for seun to make more money

ItsModella: who keeps potatoes and onions in their fridge?

I wonder õoooº°˚˚°º

Storing onions in a fridge
So tomatoes can no longer be stored in a refrigerator
SMH at all this loony advice

Lies!

Tomatoes dey kampe for fridge.

Also fresh palm wine.

Mmanya nkwu na ngwo.

ignis:
I wonder õoooº°˚˚°º

don't wonder dem they repete for here unless they won't say it

ItsModella: who keeps potatoes and onions in their fridge?

Well, I do .

I don't see the effect it has on onions. I notice that of potatoes. I sometimes put peeled potatoes in the fridge at night so that I don't waste anytime peeling in the morning to make breakfast.

I do notice the colour changes. That is it basically.

ItsModella: who keeps potatoes and onions in their fridge?

U ofcos, lol. Onion inside fridge, very funny!

executinal:
Okija your case no get cure this time

ItsModella: who keeps potatoes and onions in their fridge?

I don't know about onion but potatoes keep fresh longer in the fridge.

yes thats true also banana

Wrong, tomatoes rots faster when placed in the refrigerator.

Logicboy03: Lies!

Tomatoes dey kampe for fridge.

nikkyshyne: Well, I do .

I don't see the effect it has on onions. I notice that of potatoes. I sometimes put peeled potatoes in the fridge at night so that I don't waste anytime peeling in the morning to make breakfast.

I do notice the colour changes. That is it basically.

the color changes with the potatoes are normal.

KDULAR: Wrong, tomatoes rots faster when placed in the refrigerator.

Your tomatoes are fake.

Obinnau: the color changes with the potatoes are normal.

You see. Meaning no big deal refrigerating these items

I even see people keep apples and bananas and oranges in the refrigerator

But a good vegetable that does great in the fridge is plantain
Boy
They will last eh
If you buy ripe plantain and don't want them to turn rotten before you finish them,just put them in the drawer of your fridge
It will arrest the development and it can last up to 3 weeks
The outside may look black but the inside will still be good

So people store tomatoes for long?
What for?
Maybe those who like tomatoes in salads,I don't eat raw tomatoes
All my tomatoes turns to stew by the next day

@babyosisi you are right about the plantain. Correct!

Okija_juju: [b]Okro...

...thanks for given me a good laugh

nikkyshyne: You see. Meaning no big deal refrigerating these items

not entirely true really, cos refridgeration only inhibits the action of microbes hence, its advisable to atleast keep a little bit better than how its supposed to be when not refridgerated.