SALAD vegetables can commonly be found in the fridge at home. However, there are some which should actually be stored in the cupboard or at room temperature. Have you been storing your salad vegetables wrong?
Your salad vegetables might typically find their home in the fridge. However, according to science, some of these fruits and vegetables are actually better suited to a mild environment. In fact, keeping the likes of cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions out of your fridge could help to increase their life span.
Keep cucumbers in the cupboard
According to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, if cucumbers are stored below 10C for more than three days, they can get a “cold injury”.
The symptoms of this include wateriness, pitting, and even faster decay.
Instead, cucumbers need a shaded, cool environment away from direct sunlight.
Based on this theory, it is better to keep cucumbers in the cupboard, rather than the vegetable crisper in your fridge.
According to experts from Food52, cucumbers should not be stored near fruits such as avocados, tomatoes, or melons.
This is because such fruits give off ethylene gas as they ripen.
They explained: “The cucumbers are more likely to yellow quickly due to the exposure of ethylene gas.
“Although not harmful, ethylene is a gas that is released from fruits and vegetables that causes produce to ripen more quickly.”
