You might be in the habit of putting all your perishables in the fridge, but the truth is that not everything needs—or benefits from—an immediate cooldown. Some foods can actually spoil faster when refrigerated, while others lose texture or flavor when chilled.
Here are 15 foods dietitians say are better stored outside the fridge.
1. Avocados
Cold halts the ripening process of avocados and makes them hard and flavorless, Diane Lindsay-Adler, MS, RDN, CDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Boston Children’s Health Physicians and assistant professor at New York Medical College, told Health. Once they’re ripe, you can put them in the fridge to stretch the frustratingly short avocado-eating window a few more days.
2. Tomatoes
“Cold temperatures can break down cell membranes, causing a coarse texture and less flavor,” Lindsay-Adler said. Store them at room temperature away from direct sunlight. After they’re cut, though, tomatoes should be refrigerated.
3. Fresh Herbs
“The cold temperature of the refrigerator will wilt leaves, cause black spots, and reduce aroma,” Lindsay-Adler said. Instead, treat fresh basil, parsley, cilantro, and other herbs like cut flowers. Place the stems in a glass of water on the counter, with a plastic bag loosely covering the leaves.
4. Potatoes
“If stored in the fridge, the cold temperature converts starches into sugar, altering the flavor and making them gritty when cooked,” Lindsay-Adler said. Store them in a cool, dark spot with ventilation, like in a paper bag or in a pantry.
5. Onions
The moisture in the fridge can encourage mold and sprouting in onions, Lindsay-Adler said. Keep them in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place, like in a mesh bag or a basket. Refrigerate them after they’ve been cut.
6. Garlic
Storing garlic in the fridge can mess with its texture, turning it rubbery, according to Lindsay-Adler. Like onions, keep garlic in a cool place that’s well ventilated, and stick it in the fridge after it’s been cut.
7. Apples
Apples don’t have to go in the fridge, though some people might prefer them crisp and cold. Another storage tip: Keep apples (and also bananas and tomatoes) away from veggies like greens and potatoes. “The ethylene gas from the fruit makes vegetables spoil much faster,” Lindsay-Adler said.
8. Butter
Unsalted butter can stay out at room temperature for one to two days, according to the USDA’s FoodKeeper food-safety app. Salted butter can stay out longer in an airtight ceramic butter crock, as the salt acts as a preservative, Nicolette Pace, MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist, chef, and founder of NutriSource, told Health.
9. Hard Cheeses
A small chunk of an aged hard cheese, like Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano, can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature, Pace said. Freeze or refrigerate larger amounts to keep them fresh. “Put them in the warmest part of your refrigerator, like the vegetable bin, to prevent crystallization,” Pace said. High-moisture cheeses, like feta or mozzarella, must be refrigerated.
10. Eggs
If you’ve been food shopping in Europe, you probably saw eggs on shelves instead of in refrigerators. That’s because those eggs are unwashed—unlike in the U.S., where washing and refrigerating mass-produced eggs are required.
Eggs have a natural protective coating on their shells to keep bacteria out. Washing them removes that coating. If you get eggs straight from a farm or from backyard chickens, they can stay at room temperature. But once they’ve been washed, they need to go in the fridge, Pace said.
11. Bread
Refrigerating bread makes it go stale faster, Pace said. Instead, keep it in a bread box or an airtight container. If you’re not going to use the whole loaf right away, freeze it, especially if it has seeds and whole grains. “The fat content in the grains can cause some rancidity and spoilage,” Pace said.
12. Certain Sauces
Even after they’re opened, the vinegar and salt in hot sauce are natural preservatives, Lindsay-Adler said. Same goes for the salt in soy sauce. They can be kept at room temperature in a cupboard.
13. Coffee
The moisture in refrigerators can make coffee not only lose its flavor more quickly but also pick up flavors from other foods, Pace said. No one wants their morning cup to taste like last night’s leftover salmon.
14. Peanut butter
Peanut butter can be stored at room temp in a pantry. If you buy natural peanut butter, though, refrigeration can help with the oil separation, Lindsay-Adler said.
15. Chocolate
The fridge is a hard no for chocolate, as the cold humidity affects its flavor and texture. In what’s known as a sugar bloom, condensation settles on the chocolate, pulls out the sugar, and turns it chalky and white.
