Saving & Spending Home & Auto

Grocery Savings Secrets: 12 Foods That Last Longer (And Taste Better) Outside of the Fridge

Refrigerating these common foods might cause them to spoil sooner — or to lose their taste faster.

woman holding brown grocery bag with vegetables and fruits
Updated Dec. 17, 2024
Fact checked

Common wisdom holds that if you want fruits, grains, and vegetables to last as long as possible, you should store them in the fridge. But is that good advice?

It might seem counterintuitive, but some foods really do last longer when you keep them on the counter instead of cooling them in the fridge.

To save money on groceries by making foods last as long as possible, consider storing these 12 items outside the fridge.

Earn 2% cash rewards at grocery stores and Costco

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card(Rates and fees) is a powerful rewards card that allows you to earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases — including on groceries, even at warehouse stores like Costco.

New cardholders can also earn a one-time cash rewards bonus — $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months!

If you’re looking for a powerful rewards card that offers an extended intro APR period, look no further, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card checks that box too!

This card also offers an intro APR of 0% for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers (then 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable). Which is great for someone who wants a break from high interest rates, while still earning rewards.

The best part? There's no annual fee.

Click here to apply for the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card now.

Tomatoes

Mara Zemgaliete/Adobe fresh red tomatoes sliced on wooden table

Your tomatoes will last longer and taste better if you keep them on the shelf rather than in the fridge. Cooling a tomato changes its texture and firmness — and not for the better.

If you have an overripe tomato, stashing it in the fridge can give you an extra day to consume it before it goes bad. But let the tomato return to room temperature just before you eat it.

Potatoes

Brent Hofacker/Adobe fresh organic whole potato scattered on table

Root vegetables such as potatoes last longer in cool, dark spaces. However, fridge-level cool is too cold for starchy potatoes, which tend to turn sickly sweet in the fridge.

Instead of keeping them in the fridge or on the countertop — where they could be exposed to sunlight and higher temperatures — keep your potatoes in a cool, dark spot in your pantry.

Onions

sea wave/Adobe organic onion in a basket

Keep your onion out of the fridge until you’ve sliced and diced it. Like potatoes, onions last longer away from direct sunlight and in a dry, cool spot.

Remember, the gasses onions produce as they ripen will cause your potatoes to ripen and rot too quickly. So you’ll need to store both items well away from each other.

Once you peel and slice an onion, store the leftovers in the fridge — preferably in an airtight container that keeps the onion’s smell sealed away.

Stop overpaying when you shop online at Costco

Shopping online has its perks. It's super convenient, but it can be time consuming to find the best deals. Instead of hunting for coupon codes (that don't always work!) and opening tons of browser tabs comparing prices, you can try Capital One Shopping.

Capital One Shopping makes saving money effortless. Just add the browser extension and when you check out, it'll scour the internet for coupon codes to help you save cash. And before you check out at 25+ major retailers, Capital One Shopping will notify you with a friendly pop-up if the item you're buying is available cheaper somewhere else.

Capital One Shopping is free to use and won't show you ads. Add it today and stop overpaying!1

Get Capital One Shopping now

Bread

Pineapple studio/Adobe fresh baked bread scattered over wooden table with wheat

Bread and potatoes are both starchy, which is why neither food lasts long in the fridge. Cold temperatures break down starch, turning your bread stale.

To keep your bread fresh, seal it in an airtight bag or wrap it. Then store it in a cool, dry place like the pantry or a breadbox.

If your bread starts turning stale, throw it in the freezer instead of the fridge. That way, you can thaw it slice by slice as needed.

Butter

exclusive-design/Adobe butter slices over wooden cutting board

Butter won’t go bad in the fridge, but it will be firmer and harder to spread. If you prefer to have spreadable butter on hand, keep it in a covered butter dish in the kitchen. Salted butter lasts even longer than unsalted.

Just make sure to set your butter away from the oven, stove, toaster, and window. Heat can turn butter rancid, which means it tastes truly awful.

Fresh basil

nolonely/Adobe fresh green basil placed at table in bowl

Most fresh herbs do just fine in the fridge, especially when you wrap them in moist paper towels, place the paper towels in an airtight bag, and put the bag in your humidity-controlled vegetable drawer.

Basil can outlast the fridge’s chill if you wrap the leaves, but it’s easier (and tastier) to simply put the fresh-cut basil in a small cup of water on your counter. For best results, cover the basil leaves with a plastic bag.

Garlic

bit24/Adobe whole garlic with garlic cloves on table

Unpeeled heads of garlic can last months if stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry. Just make sure not to wrap the garlic in plastic or stick it in a bag.

Once you’ve peeled and sliced a clove of garlic, it will last longer if you do just the opposite: Wrap the clove or put it in an airtight container, then store it in the fridge for a few days to a week.

Pro tip: Purchasing your groceries with a rewards credit card can help you earn cash back or other perks.

Bananas

hanna_photo/Adobe dozen of yellow bananas scattered over brown background

Bananas seem to stay green for a long period of time, then turn brown and mushy practically overnight.

Unfortunately, putting your bananas in the fridge won’t stop this process. The peels will turn dark quickly. Even worse, the banana’s flavor will turn sour and unpleasant.

If your bunch is hovering on the edge of overripening, you can try storing them in the fridge — but don’t wait more than a day to consume them after that.

Cantaloupe

nolonely/Adobe sweet orange melon garnished with mint leaves in wooden tray

Cantaloupe — and any other melons, such as watermelon and honeydew — need to stay on the counter until you slice them. They’ll taste better and may even stay more antioxidant-rich if you do so.

Once you slice the melon, wrap the uneaten portion in plastic or store the chunks in an airtight container. Then, refrigerate and consume within a few days.

Get a protection plan on all your appliances

Did you know if your air conditioner stops working, your homeowner’s insurance won’t cover it? Same with plumbing, electrical issues, appliances, and more.

Whether or not you’re a new homeowner, a home warranty from Choice Home Warranty could pick up the slack where insurance falls short and protect you against surprise expenses. If a covered system in your home breaks, you can call their hotline 24/7 to get it repaired.

For a limited time, you can get your first month free with a Single Payment home warranty plan.

Get a free quote

Peaches

Gresei/Adobe fresh peaches placed in white tray at outdoor wooden table

Unless they’re perfectly ripe when you buy them, don’t immediately put peaches — and most other stone fruit, such as plums — in the fridge. Instead, leave them on the counter to ripen, preferably with each fruit spaced a bit away from the others.

To speed up the ripening process, place your peaches or plums in a paper bag or set them in the sun. Once they hit peak ripeness, refrigerate them right away and eat them ASAP.

Eggplant

Svetlana Kolpakova/Adobe dew drops glisten on fresh eggplants.

Like tomatoes, eggplants are easily damaged and spoiled by cold temperatures.

While you want to keep eggplant somewhere cool to make it last, that place ought to be your pantry rather than the fridge.

Acorn squash

DiAnna/Adobe acorn squash on cutting board

Along with other hard-shelled squash, acorn squash should be kept on the counter until ready to cook.

It won’t spoil when left out, so there’s no point in wasting your fridge space on bulky, awkwardly shaped squash. Squash with relatively thin shells, like summer squash, are happiest in the fridge, however.

Bottom line

Drobot Dean/Adobe happy woman at home standing in kitchen preparing salad while using laptop

Knowing the best ways to store food can improve your home cooking by leaps and bounds.

Best of all, it can boost your bank account by saving you from spending additional money on food you already bought and had to toss. And that means you’ll have even more money to spend on your favorite foods.

Lucrative, Flat-Rate Cash Rewards

5.0
info

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Current Offer

$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks
Card Details