25 Things In Your Fridge That Don’t Need To Be Refrigerated

In the kitchen, all of us are prisoners to a simple, three-word phrase: "Refrigerate after opening."

By PocketEpiphany

Published 1 year ago in Ftw

In the kitchen, all of us are prisoners to a simple, three-word phrase: "Refrigerate after opening."

But what if we could break free as Freddie Mercury so lovingly put it. Turns out, plenty of things in your fridge don't actually need to be refrigerated. Time to free up some space and start living your dreams.

1
Tomatoes. -u/catfoodspork

2
Onions or potatoes. Honestly most produce doesn’t necessarily need to go in the fridge but it does help it last longer. -u/DannoWhamo

3
Bread. We put it in the fridge because my precious little ones and pets (cats) like to take chomps out of the bag. -u/ChipTheOcelot
4
Molasses in the refrigerator, Grandma's molasses turns to "sludge." -u/Back2Bach

5
Soy sauce. -u/ToothbrushGames
6
Bananas. -u/Viker2000
7
Peanut butter. Why people do it, I don't know. -u/TrukerJay

8
People who put honey in the fridge should be charged as criminals. -u/DuckingGolden
9
When I got married my wife showed me that butter can just sit there right on the counter, even right next to the stove, forever. What is this conspiracy to make people think butter needs to be refrigerated? Is it by the margarine makers to sell their stuff as a softer alternative to butter? -u/obsertaries
10
Revenge. -u/PossessivePronoun

11
Nutella in the fridge should be a major felony. Who tf wants rock-hard Nutella? -u/BackHDLP
12
I just tried leaving cucumber and zucchini on the counter for the first time, and they've stayed fresh for over a week. -u/DubUbasswitmyheadman
13
Pepto Bismol. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated but it tastes just awful if it isn’t. -u/pantzoptional

14
Store-bought mayonnaise. I was raised in the South, and my mother (born in 1924) was kind of obsessed with the idea that mayonnaise left out of the refrigerator would "turn" and grow a bunch of salmonella. We were repeatedly cautioned to be sure to return the mayonnaise jar to the fridge immediately. When Mom was a girl, mayonnaise was homemade out of raw egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cooking oil. Then I took a food safety course (I was an RN and got assigned to be the safety inspector at my hospital) and to my great surprise, the county food safety instructor told us that unrefrigerated commercial mayonnaise only very rarely was ever a problem. I still don't trust it though. (My mama never steered me wrong, I don't care what the county food safety guy says.) -u/KaBar2
15
Vinegar. -u/Pilzoyz
16
Mustard. -u/slip1byyou123

17
Those 2-month-old leftovers hiding in the back in the takeout container. -u/Dylsnick
18
In the US, you have to refrigerate eggs. You don't always in Europe. -u/Sir_Distic
19
Tortillas. -u/jolie-renee

20
Batteries. -u/stick_psd
21
Vinegar-based hot sauces are generally shelf-stable. -u/JustTheTipAgain
22
Cinnamon rolls....at least that's what my family does. -u/herax79153

23
My wife insists that we keep the ketchup in the fridge. The large bottle we refill it from every now and then is kept in the pantry. -u/lessnonymous
24
In our household, the older generation insists on keeping the eye drops and eye medicine cold. -u/urbankittypryde
25
My Argentinian flatmate used to keep coffee powder in the fridge. I didn't know why but this was working for him. -u/jehacas74