In our bustling day to day lives full of packed schedules and activities in our city of Yorba Linda, buying and storing food are often taken for granted. Thanks to the invention of the refrigerator, any of our left over foods or groceries could stay cold and fresh for longer periods of time. Because we can often be distracted with other things, throwing different food items in the fridge can be the easy way out. But did you know that there are actually some foods that are better off staying out of the cool storage container? 

One surprising fruit type that is better off staying on the counter are any melons. According to the USDA, the different antioxidants are more intact and thus creating a more enjoyable flavor in melons. Thus, melons should not be stored in the fridge, only if they are left not cut that is.

Keeping up with the fruit trend, different types of berries should also not be kept in the fridge. Better to be consumed very soon after purchase, berries can easily become mushy and moldy after being in the fridge for too long. If you do decide to keep them in the fridge, make sure to rinse those little delights every so often to clean off any bacteria that may be growing.

Another shocking surprise that you should never keep in the refrigerator is bread! Almost everyone has kept a loaf of bread in the fridge to keep it stored and “fresh.” But according to Food Network, the cool air from the fridge can actually dry out the bread. So instead, you should keep bread on the counter in room temperature. And if you have a lot of bread on you, freeze the excess and defrost and toast when ready.

A vegetable that is almost always refrigerated due to the norm of chilled cucumbers on spa days, cucumbers should not be stored in the cold. They actually become more and more “watery and pitted” after being kept in a fridge, according to delish.com. But since it is hard to not to keep them cool, Delish recommends wrapping them in plastic wrap to make them tastier.

And the most shocking food item that you should not keep in the fridge is BUTTER! It has actually been proven that butter can stay a week outside of the fridge (in reasonable temperatures) without going bad. Oftentimes chilled butter makes it hard to slice or spread to begin with, so save that extra space in the fridge for something that needs to be kept cool.

To her dismay, Sarah Kim (12) was shocked to hear that “all of these food items are actually in [her] fridge right now.” With the impressive invention that is the refrigerator, make sure to save some room and use these tips to ensure fresher and better quality food items.