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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