Do you have leftovers? Experts say you shouldn’t store all the components of last night’s dinner in the refrigerator.
In fact, keeping some foods cold could lead to life-threatening food poisoning, one expert has warned.
According to Jhanvi Sanghvi, a clinical nutritionist and influencer based in India, there are three ingredients that should never be refrigerated.
At the top of your list: onions.
Keeping them in the refrigerator can lead to mold growth, Sanghvi told her 11,000 followers on instagram.
He explained that the excess moisture in the onion provides the perfect environment for fungal spores to grow that can cause vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea if consumed.
This is because mold (a type of fungus) in food can produce mycotoxins, which are poisonous chemicals that can make you sick.
This is precisely why onions should be stored in a cool, dark and dry place, like a cupboard, Ms Sanghvi said.
Putting garlic in the refrigerator poses similar risks.
Mrs Sanghvi said: “Garlic can germinate and become gummy when refrigerated, losing its flavor and potency.”
“It can taste bitter and less appealing, and at the same time develop mold and mildew that are harmful to health.”
Potatoes are another food that could be harmful if kept in the refrigerator, according to Sanghvi.
“Refrigeration causes starches to convert to sugars, resulting in a sweeter flavor and gritty texture,” he warned.
“But cooking these altered potatoes at high temperatures can produce acrylamide, a potentially harmful compound,” he added.
Scientists previously warned that keeping raw potatoes in the refrigerator could pose a cancer risk.
However, whether this is the case or not is still debated.
For decades it was thought that storing vegetables at low temperatures led to the formation of additional sugars.
Experts thought these could convert to cancer-causing acrylamide when potatoes are fried, roasted or baked.
In 2023, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) updated its guidance to state that potatoes can be kept “in the refrigerator or in a cool, dry place.”
Professor Thomas Sanders, of King’s College London, has questioned the science behind the cancer theory.
He previously told MailOnline: ‘Acrylamide is formed at high temperatures through a reaction with an amino acid asparagine.
«This mainly happens when frying and roasting. Blanching or soaking potatoes before roasting or frying reduces the formation of acrylamide.
“Potatoes cooked in the microwave, baked or boiled do not contain acrylamide.”
As well as pointing out ingredients that are toxic to store in the fridge, Ms Sanghvi also highlighted foods that simply taste bad when stored this way.
A food that should stay in the fruit bowl and out of the refrigerator are bananas.
Sanghvi warned that low temperatures can cause bananas to “turn brown and mushy” because they interrupt their ripening process.
Another food that stays fresher out of the refrigerator is ginger.
This is because refrigeration can cause ginger to dry out and lose its freshness and flavor, making the root useless for cooking, he explains.