13 Food Items That Do Not Require Refrigeration

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

Save money on groceries by learning which food items don’t need refrigeration. Explore tips for proper storage and shelf life.

Enjoy The Quality Of Food That You Pay For

Before I met my wife, I must admit there were food items I thought needed refrigeration, but they didn’t.

Growing up, you may have learned about food storage in home economics class, reading books/magazines, or cooking shows, or your parents may have shared their knowledge with you.

If you grew up on a farm, you probably know more than your friends do.

Sometimes, I envy my farm friends because they know much about the earth and how food grows.

I have a green thumb, but I need time to get back at it.

Foraging Food

In the meantime, I’m foraging when I can and will continue to do so, all thanks to my father-in-law, who taught me where to look for mushrooms, asparagus, herbs, and berries in Ontario.

You can forage so many foods, but even then, you must know how to store food items or risk wasting them or losing valuable nutrients and flavors.

Coming from a gardening family, Mrs. CBB had a dad who knew how to store food items that he grew in his garden and on his fruit trees.

He was a master gardener who always read books and continued to educate himself until he passed away.

Anything to do with nature was part of his daily life.

I learned so much from him over the 12 years I knew him. He was like my second dad.

Food Storage Tips From A Master Gardener

Although we may not see the bounty of his extensive garden again, I took away some tips about food items that don’t do so well in refrigerated conditions.

One of my favorite memories was the half tomato I put in a bag to store in the refrigerator. Oh, did I hear about that?

Come on now just eat it. You don’t put tomatoes in the refrigerator.

His theory was that you could always find more space in your stomach, make a tomato salad, and leave it at room temperature until your next meal.

He lived for tomatoes, that guy, and the refrigeration of tomatoes would send steam out his ears. I’m sure he had a basket stash next to his bed.

I know I’m only skimming the surface, but I kept the list of everyday food items that consumers might put in their shopping carts.

1. Onions

Onions do not need refrigeration, especially cooking onions or red and white onions.

Even shallots can be left out for use in the pantry where it is dry and dark.

Onions are always kept in a basket outside the refrigerator on our basement landing, where they will not rot or mold unless left for long periods.

You might notice that onions begin to sprout if not used and will break down and mush from there.

Once we cut an onion, we store it in a sandwich bag on the counter, which typically gets used up quickly when cooking homemade meals.

Storing Spring Onions

How to store spring onions?

Spring onions, however, are a bit different, where you can store them in the refrigerator for long-term use.

Looking to have those onions last a while?

Then it’s best to keep spring onions in the refrigerator.

They contain more moisture than mature onions, so keeping them out at room temperature for longer than a couple of days could cause them to mold.

Keep them in the crisper drawer, sealed well in a plastic bag, and they’ll stay fresh for about two weeks.

2. Garlic

My father-in-law was a garlic expert, and with over 1000 bulbs of organic garlic coming from his garden each season, I’ve learned that you NEVER refrigerate garlic.

Some say that once the garlic breaks open, you must use the cloves quickly, but that’s not always the case.

I find the organic garlic to last us through the winter, hung in our garage in bunches.

Ideally, a not-so-cold garage or even in the basement would do.

If we break the cloves, we keep them in a basket and use them as we go along.

The easiest way to store garlic at home is in mesh bags or loosely woven baskets.

Garlic with flexible tops can be made into pretty braids to hang. 

But garlic with a stiff central stalk—often called hardneck garlic—will shatter if you try to braid it.

Garlic keeps longest when stored at 60 to 65 degrees and in moderate humidity. – Rodale Organic Life

Another idea is to peel the cloves and put them into a jar filled with extra virgin olive oil.

Not only do you preserve your garlic, but you get garlic-flavored oil too!

3. Potatoes

We store our potatoes and their bags in our basement.

If we buy potatoes in a plastic bag, we remove the bag and put them into a paper bag or cardboard box.

I remember my father-in-law had baskets full in his garage after picking season, and that’s where they stayed.

Potatoes are best kept in a well-ventilated container and stored in a dry location, away from sunlight, and at temperatures between 45 and 55 degrees F.

That isn’t too easy to find in most homes today, but if you place them in a paper bag, cardboard box, or bowl (not in a plastic bag) and keep them in the coolest part of the kitchen or a dry part of your basement, it should help their longevity.

Related: How to grow potatoes in a pot

4. Refrigeration Needs Of Nuts

There’s no need to refrigerate or freeze nuts as they will do fine in a cool, dry storage area but many people do freeze them when they buy in bulk.

When you freeze nuts or keep them in the refrigerator, they take on the flavors or odors that might linger.

For short-term storage, up to three months, storing in the pantry is fine and is the most commonly used form of storing.

For storage up to six months, store in the refrigerator and keep away from onions and other strong-smelling foods as the nuts will pick up their smells.

For longer term storage, the freezer will keep your nuts fresh up to a year.

As the water content is low, freezing won’t affect the taste. Just make sure that you don’t forget to add the label. – Tropical Foods

5. Tomatoes Are Fruit

Just don’t do it even if they say you can because, in no time, your tomatoes will turn to mush and lose taste.

I’m a huge tomato lover, mainly since we used to grow them ourselves, but my father-in-law was passionate about them.

You’d never, ever find tomatoes in the refrigerator at their house.

My mother-in-law keeps tomatoes in a basket next to the cooker and other fruits grown on their trees, such as peaches and plums, that don’t need to be refrigerated.

You don’t need to store bananas, apples, berries, oranges, mangoes, papaya, persimmons or mandarins in the refrigerator.

Tomatoes are meant to be eaten as soon as they are cut.

Don’t save half if you can eat it all. If you must, read what Taste of Home says below.

Skip the fridge if tomatoes aren’t ripe.

Store them at cool room temperature.

Should You Store Tomatoes in the Refrigerator?

• Not unless they’re fully ripe. Chilling stops ripening in its tracks, so unless your tomatoes are at their peak of ripeness, you’ll never get a ripe tomato.
• But if you have perfectly ripe tomatoes that you just don’t have time to use, then you can store them in the fridge.
• How long do tomatoes last in the fridge? Ripe tomatoes can go a day or two in there without ill effects.
• Always eat tomatoes at room temperature for optimum flavor and texture. Just let them warm up to room temperature before slicing and putting on a salad or sandwich.
• What happens if they’re in the fridge too long? Chilled tomatoes will start dehydrating, so kiss that juicy tomato slice goodbye. Also, the flesh of the tomato will get mealy or mushy.

6. Bread

Store your bread in the refrigerator if you want it to mold and dry faster.

There is no need to put bread in the refrigerator where moisture and humidity levels vary.

We also freeze loaves of bread and thaw them on the counter for use during the week.

How To Properly Store Bread

Bread actually goes stale faster in the refrigerator than it does at room temperature.

The best way to keep bread at its best is to keep it at room temperature for a day or two, then wrap it up and freeze it for longer-term storage.

Wiki

7. Refrigeration Needs Of Condiments

Most vinegar-based things are perfectly fine outside the refrigerator, as vinegar is a natural fighter of all things bacteria-related.

Keep your vinegar and bottles of hot sauce in the cupboard and save space in your fridge.

When you use vinegar to pickle, its high acidity prevents most bacteria from thriving, thus preserving the food as long as it is submerged in the vinegar solution.- Source

Dijon, Horseradish, and Sooo Creamy & Light mustards will lose their distinct flavors if not refrigerated, so we encourage refrigerating both.

For all other mustards, refrigeration will help maintain flavor.

However, refrigeration is unnecessary if you prefer to consume your mustard at room temperature.

There are no ingredients in mustard that spoil. “Refrigerate After Opening” is not required for food safety–we only recommend you do so to maintain optimal product flavor. – French’s Mustard

8. Avocado

If you love avocados, you know how expensive they can be, so I will first look at the reduced rack or the Flashfood app.

Either way, storing your avocados on the counter is best, where they will ripen pretty quickly, so only buy the amount you will eat within a week.

If we only eat half an avocado by some miracle, we either rub some lemon juice on top and cling-wrap it before refrigeration.

Another cool trick I learned was to save the skin of the half you ate and place it over.

How To Best Store Avocados

Over at The Spruce, they offer tonnes of information for avocado lovers, including freezing and pickling avocados.

Most importantly, do not refrigerate your avocados, at least not initially.

Once picked from the tree, avocados, much like bananas, produce ethylene, which triggers the ripening process.

The optimal temperature for this is 68°F/20°C. Fresh-picked avocados should ripen under these conditions within three to six days. 

When ripe, the avocado should yield gently to pressure, but not be squishy.

If you want to accelerate the ripening process, place the avocados in a paper bag.

This concentrates the ethylene gas.

If you add other fruits, such as bananas and apples, they will all ripen more quickly together.

Once an avocado is ripe, you can hold it in that state longer by placing it in the refrigerator.

While this will not halt the ripening process altogether, it will retard it greatly.

The best way to store and keep avocados– The Spruce

9. Honey

Just don’t do it, as honey does not require refrigeration!

Honey is meant to be silky and slide out in streams; however you serve it, the flavor and texture change when you refrigerate it.

If you find that your honey crystallizes in the cupboard after you open the container, sit in a bowl of hot water to melt it back to honey consistency.

If bacteria cannot grow in honey, then it cannot spoil.

This basically gives it an indefinite shelf life.

Liquid honey however should be stored in your cupboard at room temperature as if it is kept in the refrigerator; the cooler temperature will promote and speed up the crystallization of liquid honey. Bee Maid Honey

Related: How to harvest honey with photos

10. Peanut Butter/Spreads

Whether refrigeration is required for spreads often comes down to personal preference.

If you are one of those people who like to keep your peanut butter, chocolate spreads, or other spreads in the refrigerator, you know there is a vast flavor and texture difference between eating it cold and at room temp.

We never store any nut or chocolate spread in the refrigerator because it resembles cold, hard butter after about an hour.

It’s easier to use when it’s at room temperature.

Always read the product label because some spreads and nut butter require refrigeration due to their ingredients.

It takes time for room-temperature usage, and the flavors are far better when not chilled. Besides, spreads don’t last long in our house.

Shelf Life Of Peanut Butter

How long will peanut butter last?

Peanut butter’s shelf life may depend on the way you store it.

An open jar of peanut butter stays fresh up to three months in the pantry.

After that, it’s recommended to store the peanut butter in the fridge (where it can maintain its quality for another 3-4 months).

If you don’t refrigerate, oil separation can occur.

Food Average Shelf Life in Pantry according to the National Peanut Board

• Peanut Butter, unopened, 6-9 months. Refrigeration not needed
• Peanut Butter, opened 2-3 months. Lasts 6 -9 months in refrigerator
• Peanuts: Bagged, in the shell, or out for 1-2 months. Lasts 4-6 months in refrigerator
• Peanuts: in cans or jars, unopened two years
• Peanut Flour, unopened one year
• Peanut Flour, opened 2-3 months. It lasts up to 9 months in the refrigerator
• Peanut Oil, roasted, aromatic, unopened, 9 months
• Peanut oil is roasted and aromatic and opened for 2 months. Lasts 4-6 months in refrigerator
• Peanut Oil, refined, unopened one year
• Peanut Oil, refined, opened 4-6 months

11. Coffee

Unless you’ve made cold brew, coffee will never need refrigeration.

Coffee should be kept in an air-tight container in a cool place and nowhere near the refrigerator.

If you want to enjoy that smell and taste of roasted coffee, your best bet is to brew it up fast.

Keep only what you need on hand.

How To Properly Store Coffee

The fridge is not the place to store coffee in any form, ground or whole bean even if in an airtight container.

It isn’t cold enough to keep your coffee fresh, and because coffee works as a deodorizer, it will absorb all the aromas in your fridge.

This will definitely have a negative impact on the final taste of your cup of coffee.

Proper Coffee Storage

12. Fresh Herbs

We grow lots of herbs in the summer, especially Italian basil, because fresh herbs turn a dish into something unique, and herbs are great for garnish.

One thing you don’t need to do is refrigerate your herbs.

Please keep them in bunches in a jar on your counter with some water at the bottom, and tear them off as needed.

13. Oils

There is no need to put oil in the refrigerator; it will do perfectly fine on the counter in a bottle.

On our counter, you will find avocado and extra-virgin olive oil that we use daily.

The only oils we refrigerate are nut-based oils such as sesame oil, walnut oil, and sunflower oil because of the low-fat content in them.

If you don’t want to refrigerate your olive oil, keep it in a dark, cool cupboard away from the stove or other heat-producing appliances.

Olive oil connoisseurs recommend storing premium extra-virgin olive oils at room temperature.

If refrigerated, condensation could develop and adversely affect their flavor.

Refrigeration does not affect the quality or flavor of other olive oils.

Olive oil will keep well if stored in a sealed container in a cool, dark cupboard for about one year.

If unopened, the oil may keep for as long as two years.- Ultimate Guide to Olive Oil

Don’t Waste Money

Your grocery budget is critical to your monthly budget, which means you only spend what you can afford, and I’m sure wasting food is not something you bargain for.

Whether you choose refrigeration for any of the food items above is up to you, but remember you’re paying for the food to get the best quality, so store it properly for optimal taste.

Discussion: What other foods do you notice people refrigerate but don’t need to?

Share your comments below.

March Grocery Game Challenge

Join the 2018 Grocery Game Challenge (GGC), but before you do, you must read The Grocery Game Challenge Rules and Print the 2018 Schedule, including new prizes!

• Last shop February – How To Create An Organized Grocery List

2018 Grocery Shop Results

Yearly grocery budget for two + 1 Toddler 2018: $3600 or $300/month (The above total does not include the stockpile budget of $300/year or $25/month.

Points Overview (add any other sections you need to show us your savings or that you would like to track on your own.)

• Total Grocery Budget for this Month: $300
• Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs: $300
• Total Gift Cards used to date: $0
• Total Rewards Points redeemed this week: $0
• Total Rewards Points used to date: $0
• PC Optimum Points to Spend: 2,800,000
• Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP) to date $0

Coupon Apps (add any other apps you use to save money)

• Zweet -$0.
• Checkout51- $1.50

Our Grocery Shop This Week

Zehrs

• 2 x NN garlic baby dills sale $2.49 each $4.98
• 2 x Pepsi Zero Sale $3.99-$2.00 coupons $1.99 each 12 pack
• Cheerios Jumbo $4.99
• NN Sour Cream $2.49
• 18 Large Eggs $4.79
• Liberte Fraise Cheese $5.49-50% $2.75
• Liberte Greek Yogurt $5.39-50% $2.70
• 2 x Kraft Singles 24 packs $1.00 each-50% =$1.00
• 2 x Kraft Swiss Slices $2.00each -50% $2.00
• Mini pizzas for jr $3.99
• 2 x Krisda sugar-free chocolate chips sale $8.49 each lol $16.98
• PC Mushrooms $1.99
• PC Spinach $1.99
• Grape Tomatoes 1lb $5.99
• Bananas $1.14
• Lemon $1.29
• Green onions $0.99
• Fennel Sale $2.49
• Cucumber $1.29
• Romaine Lettuce $2.79
• Manns Sugar Snap Peas 1lb $5.99-50% =$3.00
• 2lbs strawberries $5.99-50% $3
• Lean ground veal $5.04 x 3-50% =$7.55
• Veal stewing beef $9.09-50% =$4.55
• Strip-loin Steaks $15.03-50% =$7.52
• 2 x D’Italiano Bread 2/$5-50%= $2.50
• 2 x Jalapeno Laughing Cow Pkgs $4.49 each -50%=$4.49
• Saputo mini bocconcini $11.99-50% =$6.00
• 2 x Mild Gouda Frico $9.79 each-50% =$9.79

• PC Optimum points earned 6400
• Total Out-of-Pocket $119.03

Note: All totals below have already been tax factored into them.

• Total to spend this month: $300
• Stockpile budget 2018: $25.00/month
• Stockpile budget used this month: $0
• Christmas Reserve Fund: $35/month  Jan, Feb $105 Saved
• Total coupons used this week: $0
• Total coupons used to date: $0
• Total in-store discounts this week: $
• Total in-store discounts to date: $64.90 (not too bad for 2 months)
• Total spent this week: $119.03
• Total spent so far this month: $119.03
• Total over/Under spend this shop: over
• Total left to spend for the month: $181.00
• Total Spent To Date 2018: (does not include stockpile budget) Jan $323.04+Feb $169.42+March $ + April $+ May $ + June $+July $+August $+September $+ October $+ November $ + December $

Weekly Overview

We picked up a few hundred (haha) bits this week to stock up since we’ve been away and found some great deals. After Sunday dinner at my sister-in-law’s, we came home with a tonne of cooked food. They were going away on holiday for March break and didn’t want it sitting around, so we got it. This week, there will be lots of ham!

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