Friday, July 4, 2014

Does it Belong in the Fridge or Not?






 Should they be stored separately in or out of the fridge?


I’m have just about recovered from one of my lads infamous parties this week. He’s turning 16 so it was a full blown teenage affair with all of the associated angst and high jinks. I did the usual caring thing and headed off to the cinema for the evening leaving Julie to deal with the spills and thrills. It’s not through choice, I’m told to go. I would spend the evening shouting and pointing at the partygoers and be “a real downer” on the evening. So armed with a big bag of toffees and a two litre bottle of water I set myself up for a double bill. 

My fears materialised of course, when I got back I was greeted with the usual signs of a party, sticky everything, broken lampshades cans in the neighbours garden and dustbin liner bags full of party plastic and pizza boxes. It looked like fun was had in my absence indoors but what about the garden? I couldn’t really see until the following morning but it wasn’t looking promising as I did notice that a few of the sunflowers had been pulled out of the front garden and hurled down the road. They do fly well though, especially if you leave some soil on the roots. I was in my mid-twenties when I found that out. Young ones today find these things out much earlier.

In the morning I went outside to assess the damage. The marquee we set up was still standing albeit a bit lopsided. The grass inside the large tent was scorched; I think it was acid drinks that were spilled. There were a few broken ceramic pots and garden chairs, but apart from those and the sunflowers the garden came off unscathed. The partygoers didn’t even go anywhere near the polytunnel, which as usual I found a bit disappointing as they could have witnessed the lovely displays of salad vegetables growing in there. The garden will pick up in no time and the brown patches on the grass will grow over, nature will see to that. Indoors is a different matter, three days after the event and I still have my head behind the toilet bowl mopping up and the fridge looks like a plague of locusts got in… Teenagers can be voracious eaters!

Chill or Not
Now the summer heat is with us it’s tempting to put anything perishable into the fridge. I have found that some things don’t like being stored in the cold though and in some cases it can ruin the taste and even speed up the decay, salad leaves dry up overnight if they are not in a container or bag.  I never bother with bread for example  ( I freeze mine) as I think that there is a chemical reaction that makes bread go stale and it doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference where you store it. The bread will just dry out quicker in the fridge along with any salad vegetables we put in there that doesn’t go into the vegetable section or go into a sealed bag. Tomatoes don’t taste of anything when they are cold, you have to get them to room temperature although if you put them into the fridge in a paper bag they will ripen faster. 

There are other things that don’t do well chilled. 

Onions – Onions need air circulation. Onions rot when they are stored near potatoes too.
Potatoes – Refrigeration is a sure-fire way to kill the flavour of potatoes. Instead store potatoes in a dry paper bag, but not a plastic bag as this promotes moisture and mould.
Avocado – Avocados need to be ripe before they are refrigerated. Once ripe, they will last for up to about a week in the fridge.
Coffee – Refrigerating or freezing coffee drastically changes its flavour. This is due to condensation. This is true for both coffee beans and coffee grounds. Store coffee is in an air tight container in the cupboard.
Winter Squashes – Whether it is an acorn squash, a butternut, or a spaghetti squash you will get far more flavour and enjoyment if you leave it in the pantry. On top of that the squash will last about a month or longer out of the fridge.
Oils – Olive oil or vegetable oil, in the fridge goes thick and begins to look murky and cloudy, the same goes for honey. Nut based oils do better.
Garlic – Putting in the fridge causes mould and the bulb loses flavour
Melons – Taste far better at room temperature.
Fruits – Many fruits such as berries, peaches, apricots, nectarines, and apples ripen better out of the chilled air

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