Which Foods Should Not Be Stored Together?

Many home cooks unknowingly shorten the shelf life of their produce by storing fruits and vegetables together. The culprit is ethylene, a natural plant hormone gas that promotes ripening. Some items release significant amounts of ethylene, while others are highly sensitive to it.

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Often the problem is not the quality of the produce, but the way we store them at home.

High ethylene producers include bananas, apples, and pears. These are often used to ripen other fruits, like avocados. However, keeping them near ethylene-sensitive produce, such as cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, and leafy greens, can cause these items to age faster, lose quality, and spoil prematurely.

Specific combinations to avoid include tomatoes and cucumbers, as the ethylene from tomatoes can make cucumbers soften and yellow. Apples can impart an off-flavor to carrots, so carrots are best stored in a sealed bag or container. Broccoli, being very sensitive to ethylene, will yellow faster when stored near apples.

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Ethylene is a natural plant hormone in the form of a gas that promotes ripening.

Pears also release a lot of ethylene as they ripen, which can cause leafy greens like lettuce and spinach to wilt and develop brown edges. Onions and potatoes should also be stored separately; the moisture and gases they release can cause potatoes to sprout and spoil faster.

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Some produce release large amounts of ethylene, while others are very sensitive to it.

To properly store produce, utilize separate refrigerator drawers for fruits and vegetables. Keep ethylene producers like apples, bananas, pears, avocados, and tomatoes away from sensitive items such as cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, and leafy greens. Bananas are best kept at room temperature until ripe.

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If you have a hard avocado, you can place it next to a banana for a day or two.