Although the refrigerator helps extend the freshness of many foods, certain items can cause others to spoil faster or create safety issues when stored together. Whether it’s due to bacteria, strong odors, or risk of contamination, here are 19 foods you should never store side by side.
Grapes and Peppers
Ethylene-producing grapes don’t last long anyway, but avoid storing them with anything sensitive to ethylene, such as peppers or cucumbers. Better Homes & Gardens warns that the ripening grapes will turn your peppers soft, discolored, and spoiled in no time. Keep them in separate compartments, or use a decent ethylene gas absorber.
Fresh Herbs and Cooked Food
Fresh herbs should be stored in a glass of water in the fridge; even then, their shelf life can be disappointingly short. Never store them close to cooked foods, as the moisture from the herbs can promote bacterial growth on the cooked food. Keep leftovers in a fully airtight container, far from any moist produce, and always heat them thoroughly before consuming.
Apples and Leafy Greens
Just like grapes, apples are producers of ethylene gas, which is involved in the ripening process. According to the Washington Post, apples are one of the biggest ethylene producers, which can severely impact sensitive leafy greens like herbs, lettuce, and kale, making them wilt and rot faster. To avoid unappealing produce and food waste, keep these two well apart.
Bananas and Asparagus
Once again, bananas produce a lot of the ‘ripening’ gas, and this ethylene quickly destroys the delicate skins of asparagus, particularly the delicious tips. Never keep bananas next to asparagus or other thin-skinned vegetables. Store them in separate crisper drawers in the fridge, or keep the bananas on a hook at room temperature.
Onions and Potatoes
While they both are long-lived root vegetables, avoid keeping these two in close proximity. The ethylene-producing potatoes will speed up the sprouting process for onions, while the strong odor and flavor of onions can be easily transferred to delicately-flavored foods, like potatoes, when stored together.
Raw Meat and Fresh Produce
Raw meat and poultry can harbor harmful bacteria that are typically killed by the high heat of cooking processes but can easily contaminate other foods through contact or airborne droplets. To avoid food poisoning, store uncooked meat at the bottom of your fridge (so it can’t drip onto other foods) and never store it with fruits, salads, or vegetables, especially if eaten raw.
Avocados and Pumpkin or Squash
Avocados are one of the top five biggest ethylene gas producers and will speed up the internal ripening of autumn vegetables like pumpkin, squash, and other gourds. Keep avocados at room temperature until ripe, then store them in water in the fridge—far away from any ethylene-sensitive produce that you have in there!
Cooked Food and Uncooked Food
Better Health Channel writes, “Raw food and cooked food should be stored separately in the fridge. Bacteria from raw food can contaminate cold cooked food, and the bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels if the food is not cooked thoroughly again.” To maintain food safety, store cooked food above raw food and ensure both are in sealed containers.
Melons and Tomatoes
While both are fruits, they aren’t good neighbors in the fridge. The ethylene gas emitted by both can impact the other, but melons, in particular, will have a significant adverse impact on thin-skinned tomatoes, causing them to ripen unevenly and develop a tough, unpleasant texture. Store them separately, or use an ethylene gas absorber.
Berries and Dairy Products
The delicate skins of berries make them susceptible to mold growth, which the moisture from dairy products like milk, cream, and yogurt can accelerate. Wash strawberries, blueberries, and other berries in a mild vinegar solution after purchase (to kill mold spores and bacteria) and keep them in a colander in the fridge, far away from liquid dairy products.
Citrus Fruits and Mild Flavors
Lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, and other citrus fruits do release small amounts of ethylene gas, but the biggest issue with them is the transference of powerful odors and even tastes. Avoid storing strong citrus flavors alongside mild foods like bread, cake, and yogurt, or you may find that these foods develop an unwanted, citrusy tang!
Mushrooms and Other Vegetables
Unlike other fresh produce, mushrooms don’t belong in the crisper drawer. This is because they have a high moisture content and are susceptible to mold growth, which can impact any fruit or vegetable they are stored alongside. Use an aerated, paper-towel-lined container for mushrooms and place them high in the fridge, away from other veggies.
Human and Non-human Food
You may love your pets like people, but that doesn’t mean you should store their food in direct contact with your own. Pet food, like dog meat and trays of cat paté, has strong flavors and a high protein and water content that can make your own food taste ‘meatier’ and attract bacterial growth. Make sure you separate animal food from human food in sealed containers.
Garlic or Onions and Mushrooms
Highly absorbent and thin-skinned mushrooms easily absorb strong flavors, so they shouldn’t be stored next to pungent, intensely flavored root vegetables like onion and garlic. If you must store garlic and onions in the fridge, separate them from any food that could absorb their strong odors and flavors.
Spices and Anything
As with garlic and onions, spices quickly impact the flavor of nearby produce, which may cause foods to taste like cumin, cinnamon, or cloves! As a rule, spices shouldn’t be stored in the refrigerator, so keep them well sealed in a dark, cool place like your pantry or kitchen storage cupboards.
Raw Fish and Fresh Produce
Uncooked fish shouldn’t be kept in your fridge for long, but when it is, keep it at the bottom and far away from foods that don’t require cooking before consumption—like fruit, salad, vegetables, cheese, and cold desserts. Fresh fish attracts rapid microbial growth, and while these microbes are destroyed when cooked, you don’t want them anywhere near other foods!
Mangoes and Broccoli
These delicious, tropical fruits produce a lot of ripening gas when stored, particularly as they approach peak ripeness. Don’t store mangoes close to broccoli or similar vegetables, like Brussels sprouts or cauliflower, as they will cause the veggies to rot, become discolored, and wilt as they’re exposed to excessive ethylene levels.
Pears or Plums and Carrots
Once again, these ethylene-producing fruits will quickly cause your crispy carrots to become soft, tasteless, wrinkled, and unappealing. Both pears and plums produce a lot of ethylene, so store them in a separate compartment from any fresh produce sensitive to this gas, including root vegetables like carrots.
Human Food and Medicines
Although modern medicine bottles and pill packets are generally leak-proof, accidents can happen (like failing to put the lid back on properly). Not only can medicines change the taste of your fridge produce, but they may contaminate it with unknown (potentially dangerous) doses or be accidentally ingested by other family members.