Which vegetables belong in the vegetable drawer?

Without thinking twice, you put your fresh tomatoes, cucumber and broccoli in the refrigerator. Stop, don’t! The refrigerator may seem like the most logical place to store them, but cold is not always good for vegetables.

Fruit vegetables – tomatoes, bell peppers, aubergines, courgettes, chillies and cucumber – should never be stored in the refrigerator. The cold is not good for these delicate vegetables. It breaks down flavour compounds, which can cause them to taste stale and develop bruised spots. Moreover, the cold damages the outside, causing the vegetables to spoil more quickly once you take them out of the refrigerator.

Winter vegetables – carrots, potatoes, celeriac and onions – absorb moisture quickly and therefore stay fresh much longer outside the generally humid refrigerator. It is better to store them in a cool, dry and dark place: a pantry, kitchen cupboard or cellar. They will stay delicious there for two to four weeks.

Leafy and brassica vegetables  – lettuce, endive, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, leeks and celery – should be stored in the refrigerator. More precisely: in the vegetable drawer. This is the coldest and most humid section of the refrigerator, which benefits these vegetables. VPre-cut vegetables should also always be stored in the vegetable drawer, regardless of which vegetable they are. Always leave them in the bag in which you bought them.