12 Foods You Should Avoid Storing Together to Keep Them Fresh

Some foods that pair well in dishes shouldn’t be placed together in your fridge. For reasons such as food safety, odors, and maintaining freshness, certain commonly found supermarket items should have separate spots in the refrigerator. Just like a well-planned seating arrangement at an event, your fridge and countertop should be thoughtfully organized so each item remains at its best. A little 'fridgescaping' can go a long way in helping you maximize your grocery haul (and budget) while ensuring everything stays fresh. Be mindful of keeping fruits that release ethylene gas, like apples and bananas, apart from other produce. This invisible, odorless gas can hasten the ripening process of other fruits and spoil them. For this reason, it’s a good idea to designate a specific space for bananas, either in a rack or a separate part of your kitchen.

Here are the foods you should never store together:

Raw Meat and Fresh Produce

For safety reasons, raw meat of any kind, including poultry and fish, should never be stored alongside fresh produce. Undercooked meat may carry harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses, and if it comes into contact with raw fruits or vegetables, the bacteria can transfer—even after washing. To avoid contamination, store raw meat in its packaging on a fridge shelf and consider wrapping it in an extra plastic bag to prevent any leaks.

Apples and Onions

Ever bitten into an apple that has a strange onion-like taste? It’s likely because the apple was stored too close to onions. Apples and pears stored near onions or other alliums (like garlic or leeks) may absorb their strong flavors, which are difficult to remove. To prevent this, store apples and onions separately. If your apples have already absorbed the flavor, you can make a delicious Caramelized Apple, Onion and Sausage Pasta to embrace the flavor combination.

Carrots and Apples

Carrots are known for absorbing odors, so it’s best to keep them away from ethylene-producing fruits like apples, which can pass on their flavor to nearby carrots. Store carrots with other root vegetables such as beets or sweet potatoes, and ensure apples are kept in a separate produce drawer to prevent flavor transfer.

Figs and Cabbage

Figs have a short shelf life due to their ethylene production, which isn’t ideal for cruciferous vegetables like cabbage. Cabbage should be stored in the fridge wrapped in plastic to retain moisture, especially after it’s been cut. Figs should be placed on a shallow plate to allow them to breathe and kept separate from other produce sensitive to ethylene gas.

Mushrooms and Garlic

Although mushrooms and garlic can be delicious together in cooking, they should be stored separately in the fridge. Mushrooms, being fungi, tend to absorb flavors and odors, so keeping them near garlic may result in an off taste or smell. It’s also important not to store mushrooms in the crisper drawer, as moisture encourages spoilage. Instead, keep them in a breathable container, like a paper bag, in the main part of the fridge.

Bananas and Avocado

To speed up the ripening of avocado, place it in a bag with a banana or apple, as these fruits release ethylene, which accelerates the process. However, if you keep bananas and avocado apart, they won't interact in any way. The avocado's tough outer peel ensures that it won’t take on any of the banana or apple flavors. This method of ripening doesn’t work universally, but it can be a quick trick for avocado.