Cupboard or fridge? Food analyst reveals which foods should be kept in each

Cucumbers and tomatoes should be stored in cupboards

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Whether certain foods should be stored in the fridge or in the cupboard is a contentious issue, with many people disagreeing on where certain foods will stay the most fresh.

Now, a leading food analyst and dietitian has revealed exactly where various foods should be kept – and there are some surprising inclusions.

Dr Sarah Schneker devised the list for consumer watchdog Which?

Natalie Hitchins, head of home ­products and services at Which?, commented: “Many of us won’t realise we’re ­compromising the taste or texture by keeping things like tomatoes, ­cucumbers and even bread in the fridge.

“A common misconception is that any food will be kept fresher for longer and therefore is safer to eat.

“While this is certainly the case with meat, fish or milk, when it comes to raw potatoes you could be doing more harm than good.”

The list states that mayonnaise, salad cream and other sauces such as pesto should all be stored in the fridge to prevent mould.

However, certain items such as cucumber, tomatoes, bread and raw potatoes should always be kept in a cupboard so as to keep them fresher for longer.

Chilling such foods can also be damaging. For example, leaving tomatoes in the fridge could mean they lose their flavour due to the way that chilling them inhibits the activity of enzymes in the tomatoes.

Similarly with cucumber, chilling it can cause the skin to shrivel and the texture of the cucumber to become soft and mushy.

See the full list below.

Fridge

• Salad cream
• Maple syrup
• Tartare sauce
• Pesto
• Mayonnaise

Cupboard

• Potatoes
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Bread

Now you know, you can enjoy fresh food for longer.