Baker shares unexpected ingredients you should always keep in fridge – including flour

What to keep in your fridge, and what not to, has long been a point of debate, from bread to eggs and, of course, chocolate. Now a baker has come forward to reveal once and for all which ingredients should and shouldn't be kept in the fridge, and some additions may surprise you.

This comes after the Food Standards Agency recently reversed its previous advice about keeping potatoes out of the fridge. For a long time, it was believed that refrigerating potatoes would result in the production of acrylamide, a chemical believed to increase the risk of cancer. Now it's understood that chilling your potatoes is actually quite safe.

Storing food correctly is hugely important for retaining freshness and quality (Stock Photo) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As reported by baker and food writer Sarah Rainey in the Mail Online, you're probably putting food in your fridge that shouldn't be there - and vice versa.

Salad and fruit

According to Sarah, tomatoes and cucumbers can be kept at room temperature, just like at the supermarket, with dietitian Dr Duane Mellor explaining that these are "prone to chilling or cold damage" which could well affect flavour.

Peppers and aubergines can also be kept at room temperature for around three to seven days and can end up going soft if they're kept in the fridge.

Most fruits - including berries, apples, and oranges - will stay fresher for longer in the fridge, but bananas will end up turning black, with the chill causing a reaction that produces melanin.

Most fruit will stay fresher for longer in the fridge - but you have to be careful with banannas (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Tomato ketchup

Sarah advises against chilling your trusty bottle of tomato ketchup, brown sauce, or Worcestershire sauce, as the ingredients - which are high in both sugar and vinegar - will act as natural preservatives. This remains true even if you've already opened a bottle.

You will have to be more careful when it comes to condiments like mayonnaise or salad cream. These contain less sugar, and will often contain dairy, meaning they must be kept in the fridge to avoid the growth of Listeria and E. coli.

Some experts advise freezing flour for up to a week (Stock Photo) (Getty Images)

Flour

Flour, and in particular wholegrain or coconut flour, should be refrigerated to prevent the oil from oxidising and spoiling the product.

According to Sarah, some food experts even recommend freezing flour for a whole week after purchase to make sure any weevil eggs, laid by bugs that thrive in dry goods, are killed off.

Do you have a food hack story to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com