Apples make a deliciously nutritious snack and can be added to a variety of dishes for flavor and texture enhancement.
Should apples be refrigerated? Simply put, the refrigerator is the best place to store your apples.
However you use apples, you want them to stay fresh for as long as possible. Some of us simply enjoy the way apples look when they are arranged in a bowl.
Keep reading and learn more tips on apple storage.
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Do Apples Need To Be Refrigerated?
Simply put, the refrigerator is the best place to store your apples. Have you ever observed how apples are occasionally kept in refrigerators in stores? This is done for a purpose. They remain fresher for a lot longer because of it.
Refrigerators offer the ideal conditions for storing apples, according to a team of experts from the New York Apple Association, which sounds like a fun place to work.
Unexpectedly, apples prefer cold weather. According to research, apples kept in the refrigerator tend to remain fresher for up to ten times longer than those kept at room temperature.
Apples kept at room temperature typically start to go bad after a week, whereas apples kept in the fridge can last up to two or three months.
Apples thrive in arctic conditions between 30 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Maximum humidity shouldn’t be higher than 90% to 95%.
Therefore, your apples will be at their happiest in the bottom drawer of your refrigerator, which is usually the coldest part. In some refrigerators, the humidity in this drawer can be changed. For the best environment for your apples, set it to the highest setting if that is the case.
The apples should be put in the refrigerator as soon as you get home from the grocery store. It’s not always necessary to refrigerate storage if you intend to use and consume the apples within the first week.
More Fruit Storage:
How Long Will Apples Stay Fresh?
Don’t get us wrong; you can still place a few apples in the fruit bowl for decorative and snacking reasons, particularly if you do consume an apple each day. Don’t forget that apples only maintain their peak quality for about seven days when kept at room temperature. The fridge, on the other hand, keeps apples fresh for anywhere between three weeks and three months, making it the clear winner if you intend to buy (or pick) in large quantities.
Temperature And Humidity For Apple Storage
Keeping apples at a temperature between 31 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended, as we’ve already mentioned. The colder the better for apples because they love the extreme cold.
Even some experts advise storing your apples in a different refrigerator that isn’t opened frequently. This is due to the fact that it will always maintain a low temperature and keep your apples fresh for an extended period of time.
You might be surprised to learn that the majority of grocery stores frequently mist apples. This will increase humidity, which will keep them fresher for longer. There are other ways to add humidity to your stored apples if you don’t have a misting device lying around your house.
Using a damp towel to cover the apples is one example. Although apples shouldn’t be overly moistened, this will allow them a small amount of moisture access without drowning in it.
Another illustration is putting apples in a plastic produce bag. The humidity will then be trapped inside as a result. However, since apples release ethylene gas, it’s imperative that you pierce a few holes in the bag to prevent this gas from becoming entrapped. The apples will spoil much more quickly if the gas is kept inside.
Storage Tips
There are a few other things you can do to ensure your apples have the longest lifespan possible:
- Keep your fruit away from moisture, the pros at Don’t rinse your apples until you’re ready to eat them, suggests PickYourOwn.com. Humidity is good but actual wetness is not.
- Practice social etiquette by making your apples distant. The experts also advise against storing apples in such a way that they are actually touching each other: “Those points of contact will spread mold!” Before placing each apple in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, wrap it in a page of the newspaper to prevent unwanted intimacy.
- A bruised apple shouldn’t be kept in the refrigerator for too long. Any apple that has been handled roughly should be quickly consumed because it won’t fare well even in the refrigerator.
- Keep them away from foods with strong flavors. Apples release the gaseous hormone ethylene, which speeds up the ripening of other fruits and vegetables, especially if the apples themselves are bruised or overripe.
Fruits That Don’t Require Refrigeration
Not all fruits and vegetables can be safely stored in the refrigerator, even if you can do so with apples.
The list of fruits that do not require refrigeration and are preferable when left at room temperature is provided below.
- Tomatoes – The fridge is not a place where tomatoes should be kept. Tomatoes typically lose their flavor and texture after being refrigerated before becoming mealy and soft. Leaving these on your kitchen counter is the best option.
- Potatoes/sweet potatoes – When storing, potatoes do indeed need a cool, dark place, but a refrigerator is not what is needed. Because low temperatures harm the natural starches in these vegetables, ruining their flavor and texture, the refrigerator is far too cold for potatoes. Instead of storing, use a paper bag.
- Pears – These can be chilled, but refrigeration is not required, unlike apples. The texture of pears can be weakened by the cold air, but if you like your fruit cold, this shouldn’t be a problem.
- Oranges, limes, lemons, clementines – The counter is the best place to keep citrus fruit. As one moldy fruit can spread to all the others, try to avoid letting them touch.
- Peaches and plums – All stone fruits shouldn’t be kept in the refrigerator, particularly if they are still young. They cannot ripen once inside the refrigerator. The alternative is to keep them on your counter and consume them as soon as they are ripe.
- Berries – Fresh berries don’t stay fresh for very long, as was intended by nature. After being rinsed, keep these at room temperature and consume within a few days.
- Bananas – The texture of a banana will change if you put it in the refrigerator because the peel will prematurely turn brown. The best results come from keeping on your kitchen counter.
- Melons – Place these on your countertop for storage. The flesh of melons often becomes quite mealy in refrigerators. But once it’s been cut, you can keep the melon pieces in the refrigerator.
- Avocados: Whole avocados are best kept at room temperature. You can store them in the fridge for a few extra days after they soften, but doing so will dilute their flavor.
- Onions and garlic – Apples, for example, can take on the smell of these strong alliums over time, softening as a result. The ideal container for storing onions and garlic is a paper bag. However, if the onion is very tightly wrapped, you can store it in the refrigerator.
- Winter squash – For long-term use, acorn, spaghetti, and butternut squash should be kept out on the counter.
- Peppers – These can be kept in the refrigerator in a suitable bag, but they should be kept at room temperature in a paper bag. But beware—the crisp texture of peppers is known to soften in refrigerators.
Conclusion
Apples should be kept in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature to keep them fresher and crisper for longer. In this colder climate, your apples may remain fresh for several weeks or even months.
But you should always choose crisp, spotless, slightly underripe apples that have not yet developed bruises.
Once picked, place your apples in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator and add moisture with a plastic bag or damp towel. Apples will always be fresh for you!