Garlic deteriorates at a quicker pace when stored in the refrigerator due to the added moisture, unless already peeled and prepared. It's best kept in a dry place with good air circulation, at room temperature and away from the light. The bulbs will also last longer if left whole until you're ready to use them. If you're looking for a way to use up extra garlic bulbs, why not try making your own garlic oil.

While lower temperatures may help to preserve the natural oils in nuts, the cold can also impair their flavour. If you plan to use them in the next few weeks it's best to store nuts in an airtight container in the pantry, where it isn't too warm either. However, if you need them to last for longer than a month and up to six months, put them in the freezer.

Whole onions should ideally be kept in a cool, dark place. They contain starch so they'll become damp and soggy, and ultimately spoil if left in the fridge for too long. Once cut, onions should be sealed in a container and kept in the fridge.

The moisture from the fridge can impact this vegetable's quality and cause it to go off rapidly. A whole squash should be stored on a shelf or table at room temperature. Once cut, it can be placed in the fridge for around four days, or frozen, ideally in cubes. Looking for a way to use butternut squash? Try this squash, sage and Comté risotto recipe.

Storing oils in the fridge will often cause them to become cloudy and grainy. Stocking them at room temperature maintains their colour and consistency. However, olive oil does have a tendency to deteriorate quickly when exposed to high temperatures or sunlight. Keeping it in a cool, dark place such as the kitchen cupboard is better than leaving it out on the worktop. Read our complete guide to olive oil here.

Cold temperatures mean a potato's starch turns into sugar, which can make it discoloured and tasteless. Potatoes should be stored, unwashed, in a spot well away from any sunlight. If possible, keep them in a burlap sack. Looking for some spud inspiration? Potatoes have never tasted this good before.

Like potatoes, storing sweet potatoes in the fridge will change the vegetables' chemical composition, ruining its texture and flavour. Sweet potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark, well-ventilated cupboard or pantry. Check out these 25 ways to celebrate the humble sweet potato.

If you're going to eat all your bread within a few days, don't put it in the fridge. Much like potatoes and sweet potatoes, cold temperatures change the structure of bread making it taste stale. On the other hand, you can freeze bread if you want to use it over a few weeks. Popping frozen bread in the toaster or oven will refresh it.

Pumpkins should first be left to 'cure' in sunlight, ideally on a well-lit windowsill, to toughen their skin and keep them fresh. Then, they should be stored in a dark, dry well-ventilated area which is no colder than 10°C (50°F). Leaving them in the fridge will cause them to turn faster. Cured and well-stored pumpkins can last up to six months.

Avocados that need ripening should be kept well away from the fridge for four to seven days. Chilling them will prolong the process and can cause them to go off more quickly. Once ripened they can stay in the fridge until you want to eat them. Want to try something other than avocado on toast? Check out these 22 surprising but brilliant ways to use avocados.

Coffee naturally takes on the smell of the ingredients around it and moisture, so the fridge can damage its flavour. It should be kept in an airtight container and stored in a dark place at room temperature, so it stays fresh until the time comes to brew it. 

Aubergines don't need to be in the fridge, but be careful not to leave them somewhere too warm, or they'll shrivel up. It's important to find a happy medium if you want to get the best from this ingredient: house them in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. 

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Your cake will taste much better if it's not too cold. To keep it fresh, secure it in an airtight container for three to seven days. Of course, if the cake is topped or filled with cream, you'll need to refrigerate it. For more baking tips read 33 genius hacks for perfect cakes every time.

Warm temperatures, around 15-20°C (59-68°F), are needed for a banana to ripen correctly, and this process is halted when it's put in the fridge. The skin may also eventually turn black in the fridge because of the impact the temperature has on the fruit's cell walls.

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If you've been storing your hot sauce on a fridge shelf, there's no need. It's usually full of vinegar which will prevent any bacterial growth. Much like other foods, the heat of the chilli will also be much more potent if it's kept at room temperature. 

While you should definitely find space for creamier sauces in the fridge, many dressings are oil or vinegar-based and will be just fine left in the cupboard for a few days, says the USDA's FoodKeeper App. 

Putting dried fruits in the fridge will only add unwanted moisture. They’re best preserved somewhere dry and dark, in an airtight container. When kept correctly, they may last for up to six months, says the FoodKepper app. 

If you're the kind of household that gets through a jar of syrup within a few months, it's perfectly safe to store it in the cupboard. A low water, high sugar concentration means most syrups, including maple and golden syrup, last perfectly well outside the refrigerator. At fridge temperatures, syrups become stiff, which isn't ideal if you plan to pour them over your pancakes.

The fridge is the worst place for your bar or box of chocolates. The temperature and moisture of the fridge can tamper with the taste, colour and texture. Chocolate (specifically the cocoa butter) also absorbs the smell of surrounding food, so it’s best kept away from other, odorous ingredients. Instead, protect your chocolate in a cool, dry place, in an airtight container if you’ve already broken into it.

Processed peanut butter can become hard and stodgy in the fridge, meaning spreading a layer of the stuff on your toast will be an arduous task. When it comes to natural peanut butter, it’s more of a grey area. The spread may last longer when kept in the fridge, but the oils generally separate and at cooler temperatures, it’s harder to mix the product back to the right consistency. Eat it within six to nine months and it will be safe outside of the fridge.

So long as you’ve not contaminated the jar with a dirty spoon, the preservatives used in manufactured pickles mean they should last just fine in the cupboard, freeing up precious fridge space. Make sure the lid is tight, and check the use-by date (and any specific instructions on the label). However, if you're storing fermented pickles or you've pickled your own veg, these are best kept in the fridge.

The refrigerator is the enemy of dried spices as unwanted condensation is likely to get in every time you remove them. To maximise shelf life, keep in a dark, dry place, and keep them away from extreme heat too. It’s worth having a regular clear out of spices that have been lurking in your cupboard for more than a year. Don't know your coriander from your cloves? Read the A–Z of herbs and spices that should be in your kitchen.

It's highly debated whether ketchup should be stored in the cupboard or fridge. However, bottled ketchup was sold years before refrigerators became commonplace. Ketchup’s high vinegar, salt and sugar content mean it’s safe to store at room temperature without spoiling. 

Providing jam is properly sealed inside a sterilised jar, it can be stored outside the fridge for up to two years. Once it’s opened, jam should be kept inside the fridge to prevent mould growing. However, always read the label on individual jam jars if you’re unsure.

Labels on bottles of soy sauce may state it should be refrigerated, but restaurants safely leave the condiment on tables all day. The truth? The high salt content means it can be stored at room temperature for up to six months.

If you’re not planning on opening a bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine within the next five days, don’t keep it stored in the fridge as the fluctuating temperature of the door opening and closing will wreak havoc on it. Champagne is best stored on its side, away from light, in a room with a consistent temperature. Chill a couple of hours before you want to open it.

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Citrus fruits are juicier and more flavourful at room temperature. Store lemons, limes, grapefruit and oranges in a cool, dry space and consume them within a couple of weeks. However, if you want them to keep longer, store them in a plastic bag inside the fridge crisper drawer.

Butter is virtually unspreadable straight from the fridge and it’s perfectly safe to store butter in a covered dish on a worktop for a day or two, says the USDA's FoodKeeper App. However, you don’t want it to melt or go rancid so transfer it somewhere cooler, out of direct sunlight in the hot summer months. If you don’t plan to use butter in the next few days, it’s best kept in the fridge.

You may be surprised to see eggs on the list, because in the US the fridge is where they should be. Eggs are sterilised after production to kill bacteria (which also weakens the egg shell) and must be kept cool to prevent it returning. But if you’re in Europe, eggs should not be put in the fridge. They are not sterilised and their shell is a good barrier. 

Soft herbs like basil, coriander, mint, parsley and dill should be treated like bunches of flowers – cut and keep them in a glass with fresh water. If confined to the fridge, the leaves will wilt and quickly become soggy. However, hard herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano should be wrapped in a paper towel and stored in an airtight container in the fridge crisper drawer.

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It’s widely accepted that white wines are best served chilled, however, storing bottles in the fridge isn’t the best option for mature white wines such as Chardonnay and Viognier. While sparkling wines and lighter white wines should be served at colder temperatures, complex whites are better appreciated at slightly warmer temperatures. If you have one, a wine fridge set at 10-13ºC (50-55.4ºF) is the most ideal option. For more wine hacks read everything you wanted to know about wine but were afraid to ask.

Fridge temperatures damage tomatoes' membranes, causing them to become watery and mealy. Storing them in the fridge will also permanently dampen their flavour. The best place to put tomatoes is out on a counter or worktop. If you find you have too many for this, try canning or roasting them.

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