Vegetables That Should Not Be Stored in the Refrigerator Potatoes, taro, sweet potatoes, and yuca (cassava, manioc) should not be refrigerated.
Throw out any fruit or vegetables that are spoiled or that are left out at room temperature for more than two hours after they have been peeled or cut.
In general, the heartier the vegetable, the longer it will last. That is, delicate leaves and softer veggies, such as green leaf lettuce and fresh herbs, will be the first to go bad in your fridge – eat these first.
Go ahead and refrigerate ripe tomatoes.
Put both cut and whole ripe tomatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator to prolong their shelf life.
You'll have to store your carrots in the refrigerator, but how you store them can actually make a difference. Raw carrots, when properly stored will usually stay fresh for around 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge. If your carrots are sliced or chopped, you can store them in the fridge and they'll last for about 2 to 3 weeks.
Ripe tomatoes should still be kept at on your counter, uncovered, if you are going to enjoy the tomato in the next day or two. But any longer than that – the recommendation is to refrigerate. A so-so tomato is much better than a rotten, moldy tomato. Refrigeration will slow down the decay.
Fruits That Should Not Be Stored in the Refrigerator
Apricots, Asian pears, avocado, bananas, guava, kiwis, mangoes, melons, nectarines, papayas, passion fruit, pawpaw, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapples, plantain, plums, starfruit, soursop, and quince will continue to ripen if left out on the counter.
Once an onion has been peeled, it is best stored in the fridge to avoid contamination. Halved, sliced, or chopped raw onions should also be refrigerated, in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag.
And here's the other thing to know: The refrigerator is not great for tomatoes—it can degrade their texture and dampen their flavor—but it's far more harmful to lower-quality and underripe tomatoes than it is to truly ripe, delicious ones.
Even though cucumbers are prone to chilling injury, the fridge is still the best place to store them. At room temperature, cucumbers will only last for about two days.
The best place to store broccoli is in the refrigerator, but like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli likes having some room to breathe. Keep it in a loosely wrapped or perforated plastic bag so it will still get some air circulation.
Do not rinse or wash carrots. Rinsing carrots before storage can actually cause mold growth, if you'll be storing them in a root cellar or plastic bag. Wait to wash your carrots until you're ready to cook.
Apples are safe at room temperature, but their higher ethylene content contributes to faster ripening. Apples stored in the refrigerator can last for several weeks. Cut produce is more susceptible to pathogens, so storing in the refrigerator can limit pathogen growth.
Wrap the carrots in a paper towel and store in an airtight container. Keep carrots in the coolest part of your fridge, and away from fruits that product ethylene gas, such as apples, to prevent spoiling.
Do Fresh Eggs Need to Be Refrigerated? Freshly laid eggs need to be refrigerated immediately. Fresh eggs purchased from a farmers market need to be refrigerated as soon as you get home. Per USDA guidelines, eggs should be stored at 40 degrees F or below to help minimize the risk of Salmonella.
*Never keep your bread in the fridge. The starch molecules in bread recrystallize very quickly at cool temperatures, and cause the bread to stale much faster when refrigerated. *Shop-bought loaves should be kept in an air-tight plastic bag at room temperature rather than in the fridge.
Don't store potatoes in the fridge.
Raw potatoes have lots of starches, and the cold temperatures can turn the starches into sugars. This can make your potatoes turn sweeter and darker during cooking.
Stashing your bananas in the refrigerator can slightly prolong the fruit's life—but there's a caveat. When it comes to refrigerating bananas, timing is everything. Refrigerating bananas will slow or stop the ripening process, preserving the fruit at its current state.