One of the biggest issues with food items is spoilage. If not preserved properly, these items tend to spoil without fail. For this reason, people store their food products in various ways to preserve them and maximize their shelf life. While some consumables are stored via refrigeration or by curing, others require freezing or drying in order to be preserved.

As safe as the cupboard may be for keeping certain food items with a longer shelf life, there are perishable goods that would spoil if stored there. We will now look at four food items that must never be stored in a cupboard.

Pexels| Date fruits

Dates

Given their appearance and outer texture, you might be fooled into believing that dates were dry goods that could be stored in a kitchen cabinet. On the contrary, dates are more hydrated than most dry fruits and if stored outside the refrigerator, they tend to lose their moisture, and with it, their flavor too. So, it is best to store them in airtight containers and place said contained inside a fridge.

Pexels| Tortilla served for dinner

Tortillas

A tortilla is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread that can either be made from maize or from wheat flour. Maize tortillas last anywhere between 7-10 days when stored in a pantry and if stored in a refrigerator, they are good for as much as 6-8 weeks. By comparison, wheat flour tortillas typically last a week in the pantry but last between 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator. This is because they can become moldy when exposed to higher temperatures.

Mustard

Mustard will be fine in the pantry as a result of the preservatives used in its manufacturing process. However, you can improve their durability and life span if you store open jars of mustard in the refrigerator as opposed to the pantry.

Pexels| Jars of jam in a pantry

Jam

Jam can be stored in the pantry but it is best when kept in the fridge. Stashing jars of jam in the fridge helps to preserve its taste and color while also preventing mold in the jars. Once opened, your jam will spoil faster in the pantry than in the fridge.