Growing up, my parents always kept fruit (except bananas) in the fridge. Now that I’m on my own I have found most fruit tastes better if kept at room temperatures. Is there a rule as to what fruits to refrigerate and which to keep out?
Fruit keeps longer if it’s refrigerated, but I prefer it at room temperature. So I generally refrigerate fruit like berries that get moldy quickly, as well as if there’s more than I expect to eat before it goes bad, but take an individual piece of fruit out a couple hours before I plan on eating it so it won’t be cold.
I’ve got this one banana I’m REALLY fond of, and usually I just put it…eh, nevermind.
It varies. Delicate stuff like berries I keep cold and use within a few days. Apples, oranges, lemons, limes, etc. keep better under refrigeration but I always pull them out a few hours beforehand. Pears, bananas–nope; ripen on the counter. Of course there’s a huge issue of “bought local and ready” versus edibility NOW, without the timing problems of modern shipping practices.
Mostly I use the fridge as a cold cellar for produce, as a means of storage. (I can never find a tall glass; they’re all in the fridge, with fresh basil, asparagus, etc. tucked into water w/ a plastic sack over top.) Apples, oranges, lemons, etc. snuggle in their engineered drawers with humidity controls I’ve never deciphered.
But before eating–or cooking–they all come out of the cold. I’m guessing most of what you’re eating is store-bought so it’s a matter of storage versus getting ripe in the first place. Berries, pears, bananas and tomatoes just don’t take kindly to refrigeration. With most everything else, store cold and bring to room temp before eating/using; it’s just a way of delaying produce almost “garden fresh”.
(Not lettuces, greens, etc. Wash, dry thoroughly then store and serve cold.)
Sheesh, I’m a bore. Wanna know how to “schnitz” fall apples
on a gravity-air furnace?
Amateur but enthusiastic–but too wordy,
Veb
In a can.
< snort >
No really, I don’t buy much fruit, never really have but here are my tips.
Bananas stay on the counter.
Tomatoes stay on the counter (technically a fruit.)
The rest go in the fridge, especially apples.
However, I did live in a townhouse that had a buttload of strawberries in the small space called a yard outside my front door. They were good fresh off the plant and chilled…if it weren’t for those damned birds I would have strawberry preserves up my yahoo for years to come. The snakes (really we had snakes too) didn’t do a damn bit of good for scaring off the birds.
What, you want my address?
I forgot to add, peeled and frozen grapes are a good snack on a hot summer afternoon.
< yummy >
One on either side of my sausage.
d&r