9 Food Pairings You Should Never Store Together

Although some products can go together very well, they actually can’t coexist when it comes to storage. Some foods emit ethylene, which is a gas that ripens other produce prematurely. There are also products that are sensitive to the gas and can go bad faster if exposed to it. That’s why some foods should avoid each other at all costs (unless you want to ripen them quicker).

Bright Side explains which fruits and vegetables make good friends and which ones should stay away from each other.

1. Apples and carrots

Apples produce a lot of ethylene, which is why you have to be careful when you store them with other foods. Don’t put apples next to carrots especially. Otherwise, the carrots will develop a bitter taste after just 2 weeks.

2. Cucumbers and tomatoes

Cucumbers are highly sensitive to ethylene. It’s better not to store them with tomatoes, although they make a perfect pair in a salad. Cucumbers will start yellowing earlier than they should. It’s better to store them in the fridge, and tomatoes on the counter.

3. Onions and potatoes

Onions absorb moisture quickly but should stay dry, and potatoes give off too much moisture, so they can’t coexist in this battle. With time, potatoes grow roots from the eyes and onions produce green shoots.

4. Bananas and avocados

It’s a tricky one, and it depends on your goals. If your avocado is overripe, then keep it away from bananas. However, if you want it to ripen faster, then you can safely put an unripe avocado in a paper bag and store it next to bananas.

5. Peaches and bananas

Ripe peaches should stay away from bananas since all the ethylene emitted by bananas will cause peaches to ripen faster than usual. The riper a banana is, the more gas will be released.

6. Eggplants and melons

Melons can make eggplants spoil faster. So make sure you don’t store them in the cupboard together with melons. However, if you want to store eggplants in the fridge, it’s better to keep them away from any fruit at all.

7. Grapes and mangoes

Grapes are very “fragile and delicate” when it comes to storing them. They don’t tolerate any other fruits or vegetables nearby. Mangoes give off too much ethylene gas and the process of ripening and rotting happens faster. Besides, strong-smelling vegetables are only terrible companions for grapes since the latter absorbs odors easily.

8. Blueberries and strawberries

Blueberries are climacteric (emit ethylene), and strawberries are non-climacteric. If you store them together, strawberries might get overripe and go bad earlier than they should. It’s okay to store unripe strawberries with blueberries together, however, if both types of berries are overripe, eat them within a few days.

9. Nectarines and cabbage

Nectarines produce a lot of ethylene, so if you store them together, cabbage will go bad quickly. It’s better to store cabbage in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, while nectarines can be stored in bowls or plastic bags.

What other foods can’t we store together? How do you separate them?