Foods You Should Store in Your Refrigerator
By Sara Butler
There are foods that everyone knows belong in the fridge, but there are a few many people don’t know belong there, too. There may be some foods in your pantry you are storing incorrectly that could be harboring an unhealthy dose of mold and bacteria because they aren’t being kept properly. Here are a few of the surprising things that should be stored in your fridge!
Whole Wheat Flour
Most people keep their flour in the pantry. That may be true for plain old white flour, but if you buy whole wheat it needs to be refrigerated. The wheat germ in this type of flour can go rancid in hours, so you should store in the fridge or freezer after you open it in order to keep it safe to eat for longer. Just make sure you store it in air-tight container or freezer bag to keep it from picking up flavors in the fridge or freezer, and never store it next to items with strong odors such as garlic or onions.
Baked Goods Filled with Cream or Custard
Maybe this one seems self-explanatory, but many people leave these items out, not realizing they should be refrigerated. The custard needs to be refrigerated as soon as possible; otherwise, it becomes a love shack for the breeding of bacteria that will turn it rancid in a few hours. If you buy doughnuts or cream puffs from time to time, always store them in the fridge.
Butter
Some people don’t understand butter should be stored in the fridge, but if you want it to last for a few weeks you should be doing this. Even though butter is mostly fat, which isn’t very friendly to breeding bacteria, butter also contains milk and that makes it far more attractive to bacteria.
So what about salted versus unsalted butter, does it make a difference? It’s good you’re wondering this because it does actually make a different aside from the way they taste. Salted butter contains salt that makes it less likely to grow bacteria. This is the type of butter that can safely be left out on the counter for about a week -- after that, it needs to go in the trash. So, you may as well make it a practice to put all butter in the fridge.
So, how many of these things did you already know about? Hopefully after reading this, your kitchen will be a little safer for your health!