Why Some Fresh Fruits Need To Be Refrigerated And Others Don't

Shopping for fresh produce is an integral part of any grocery trip; those fruits and veggies are essential for a balanced diet. If you pick up a package of pre-sliced fruit, some whole avocados, and a bunch of bananas, you've just purchased three types of produce with different storage requirements — but why?

There are a few reasons why some produce has different storage instructions than others, and each fruit or veggie might fall into a different category. But the biggest reasons are: some produce, specifically pre-cut produce, has a greater risk of developing pathogens; some produce omits more ethylene, causing it to ripen quicker; cold temperatures cause a few types of produce to lose flavor; AND finally, some fruits and veggies require a low-humidity environment, such as a refrigerator, to stay fresh. Those reasons might sound a little confusing at first, but how to store your produce just depends on where a specific fruit or vegetable falls in any of those above categories.

The refrigerator is a cold environment, and the crisper drawer can help limit or increase humidity, depending on air flow. Most fruits benefit from being stored in a low-humidity crisper drawer because it helps delay moisture loss (there are a handful of exceptions, such as watermelon and berries). That low-humidity drawer is also home to fruits because many of them release ethylene, which is a gas produced by some plant cells that can cause other produce to ripen much faster. It's important to keep the high-ethylene-producing foods away from other types, so two separate drawers are essential.

Many green vegetables, such as broccoli and asparagus, as well as others like eggplant, need higher humidity and to be away from the ethylene of fruits. These types of produce should be stored in a separate, non-vented crisper drawer the lack of vent helps create that high-humidity environment. And finally, pre-cut fruits and vegetables should always be refrigerated because their exposed interior means they easily harbor bacteria and pathogens.

Although the refrigerator benefits certain fruits and vegetables, some do thrive at room temperature. It's long been known that tomatoes, for example, lose their texture and flavor in cold air. That's why storing tomatoes in the fridge will leave you with nothing but mushy, flavorless fruit. Keep these at room temperature. Other fruits, like bananas and uncut pineapple, do better at room temperature as well for ripening reasons. Some fruits can go either way; apples and citrus fruits can be stored at room temperature but will last longer in the fridge.

There are a number of vegetables that are better-suited for a room temperature environment in terms of ripeness, fresh flavor, and texture. Garlic, for example, loses freshness quickly if it's exposed to moisture and light — two things it will undoubtedly see in the refrigerator. For that reason, it's best stored in the pantry along with onions. Potatoes are another room-temperature veggie. Interestingly, this has to do with how cold temperature affects their metabolic structure; it basically sweetens them over time. For the best flavor, keep potatoes in a dry, cool place like the pantry. Ultimately, mastering fruit and veggie storage just depends on understanding how temperature and light impact each piece of produce.