The refrigerator door is a convenient place to store food, but you should not store this popular item there. It turns out that some foods will spoil if stored in the refrigerator door, including a very popular cooking food.
What items should not be placed on the refrigerator door?
There are a few things that don't belong on the refrigerator door. But perhaps the most surprising is avocado.
In fact, some refrigerators have a separate compartment in the door just for butter. Technically, it does work. However, you shouldn't use it that way.
That little shelf with the lid was originally designed to hold butter, which goes down quickly, in about a week, says Kathleen Benson, a nutritionist at VNutrition. " If you use up butter quickly, it's okay to leave it there for a short time. " But if it takes longer than a week to use up a stick of butter, you should store it somewhere else.
Why is it bad to store avocado in the refrigerator door?
You may have heard that the door isn't as cold as the back of the fridge. While that's true, that's not the main reason you should avoid storing your avocados there. The real problem is the temperature fluctuations.
"Every time you open your refrigerator, warm air rushes in, and the door shelves are the first place the air comes into contact with," Benson explains . "This constant warming and cooling can cause butter to soften and harden, speeding up spoilage and rancidity ."
A spoiled or rancid butter won't necessarily make you sick—pathogenic bacteria need protein to survive and multiply, and butter is mostly fat—but it won't taste good. Benson says these temperature changes can make butter taste sour, stale, or have a slightly grainy texture.
Where should avocado be stored?
' Keep butter in the middle or top shelf, near the bottom of the refrigerator ,' suggests Benson. ' That area maintains a cooler, more stable temperature and helps protect the butter from light, which can oxidize the fats and cause flavor loss. '
This will help preserve the flavor and texture of the butter, especially if it is stored in its original packaging or in an airtight container. Sealing the butter will also help prevent it from absorbing odors from surrounding foods.
As mentioned above, if you use up a stick of butter within a week or so, you can store it in the door compartment with the lid. But if you want it to last longer or buy a box of four or more sticks, store the leftover butter in the inner compartments.
How long does butter last in the fridge?
According to Minerva Dairy, a family-owned ice cream shop founded in 1894:
- Unsalted butter will stay fresh in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to three months.
- Salted butter can stay fresh for up to five months.
You can even freeze avocados for up to a year without losing flavor or texture.
Aside from butter, some foods need to be kept at a constant cold temperature to avoid spoilage, so the refrigerator door is not the ideal place to store them. Here are some foods that should not be placed on the refrigerator door:
- Milk
- Egg
- Raw meat
- Seafood
- Soft cheese
- Leftover food
The refrigerator door is the best place for foods that are less sensitive to temperature, such as spices, pickles, jams and bottled water. It is also a good place for items that need to be kept cool but not too cold, such as some probiotics, medicines or cosmetics.
But for foods that are susceptible to spoilage (like butter) or contamination, it's best to store them further back in the refrigerator.