Things you put in the refrigerator/freezer that don't need refrigeration

my ice cubes are free range ice cubes, reverting to their natural state.

chewy candy often is better starting frozen.

I know you’re not supposed to store potatoes in the fridge, but mine spoil before I have a chance to use them otherwise, and there are very few things nastier than a rotten potato.

If you slice a cold onion, you won’t “cry”, either.

One of my bottom fridge drawers is dedicated to candy. Doesn’t matter what kind, it all goes in there. I also put bread in the fridge, it lasts weeks that way rather than days. A bunch of condiment stuff that doesn’t really need to be refrigerated stays in there anyway, since I don’t have a pantry and only so much space in the single cabinet that I do use as a pantry. The fridge is bigger.

I keep cooking oil in the refrigerator since I seldom use it and it would rancid before I’d use even half a bottle. I would just buy smaller bottles of it, but they don’t sell little bottles of soybean oil around here.

My shoes. I always get cold feet.

I keep my flour and Bisquik in the freezer to keep the flour weevils out.

But in the USA they should be put in the fridge because the majority of chickens, about two thirds, are not vaccinated against salmonella. The refrigeration helps slow the growth of salmonella, particularly after a few weeks of storage.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2012/10/25/why-american-eggs-would-be-illegal-in-a-british-supermarket-and-vice-versa/3/

Pretty much everything above, although I never thought about putting the cans of tuna in there - BRILLIANT!

Also a slew of cooking sauces, including Worcestershire and Tamari/Soy and Better Than Bouillon which probably have ample sodium to make them shelf stable, but CYA “refrigerate after opening” labels on them anyway.

My homemade ranch dressing mix powder, which doesn’t need to be refrigerated until it’s mixed into something to make ranch dressing with, but it stays less clumpy in the fridge.

I keep a ready to eat loaf of bread on top of the refrifgerator. If that loaf is almost done there’s a loaf defrosting inside the fridge. There can be up to three loaves of different kinds of bread in the freezers.

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I don’t believe sugar particularly needs to be refrigerated…

We keep ketchup and mustard in the cupboard, because they taste better at room temperature.

Condiments and fruit

Not a good idea.

Per Energizer (PDF)

No, but now and then on the boat someone’s uniform would get soaked and then put in the freeze box… 8)

Nail polish.

(And I put bottled water in the fridge because it tastes better when it’s cold)

My ketchup bottle label says: “For best results, refrigerate after opening.” I’m not even sure what that means.

Possibly the texture that they want you to experience is better cold? Certainly I’ve noticed refrigerated ketchup to be smoother than room temperature.

I’d sure like your recipe for homemade ranch dressing powder.

Yes, when I was a kid there were always clothes rolled up in the refrigerator, mostly my father’s dress shirts.

Insulin
Film (in case I feel nostalgic about my old film camera)
Bottled water
Condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish, various sauces, etc.
Jams, preserves, etc. (opened)
Bread crumbs
Canned fruit
Beer, which I don’t drink, but keep on hand anyway
Poppers, same as “beer”

NOT onions, except cut

Why, of course! This is just a launching pad…fiddle with it to your heart’s content; you really can’t mess it up, it seems.

1 cup buttermilk powder
2 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Just mix it all up. If you’re in a humid environment, your buttermilk powder(it’s in the baking aisle, usually on the high shelf you don’t look at) may already be a bit clumpy. If so, just toss everything into a food processor or blender and give it a quick whirl. Store in an airtight container and use as needed.

To make the dressing or a dip, I like to use
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Hellmann’s lowfat mayonnaise (yes, it has to be Hellmann’s in my house - it’s the only one that tastes right!)
A couple of spoonfuls of the ranch mix - sorry, I don’t measure.
Enough milk to make it as thin or thick as you like.

As a variation, sometimes I add some lemon juice and honey and thin it out fairly thin with milk - it’s almost, but not quite, Sweet Tomatoes’ ranch dressing. I’m still missing something I can’t put my finger on. Tarragon, perhaps? Still experimenting. :smiley:

I keep all potato and snack chips in the freezer. Not to preserve them (they’re never around that long) but because they’re just much better eaten cold.