Fridge or pantry? Age old question of where to store kitchen staples answered by academics

It’s the divisive issue causing tension in homes and workplaces around the country — what belongs in the fridge and what belongs in the pantry.

But now academics have weighed in to settle the debate once and for all, with Edith Cowan University associate professor Therese O’Sullivan saying the choice could affect the longevity of your food — and your health.

“You’d be surprised how many foods people are actually storing incorrectly in their homes,” she said.

Foods like butter, chocolate tomato sauce are the ones that cause the most confusion — and fierce debate.

Hit 929 breakfast presenter Xavier Ellis reckons he knows what goes where.

“I like it the way I like it and no one else can tell me I like it the other way,” he said.

At home, Ellis says his partner Emily is usually the boss — except in the kitchen.

“That’s probably about the only thing in my life where she will follow,” he said.

“Generally I’m the follower and lost at life but in the kitchen’s my sort of game.”

Ellis says eggs, fruit (except apples) and butter are all stored in the fridge.

Chocolate can be stored in either — if you have the self control to keep it around for more than a day.

Ellis said he stored vegemite, potatoes, onions and — most controversially — tomato sauce in the cupboard.

“(Tomato sauce) often goes onto something hot,” he said.

“So there’s no point putting something cold on top of something hot. It just needs to be room temperature.”

However, Associate Professor O’Sullivan said it was not that simple.

“(Tomato sauce bottles) are OK to store in the pantry until you open them, then once they’re open they really should go in the fridge,” she said.

You may have gotten away with it in the past, but according to the Professor, the recent push towards healthy eating has led big companies to slash salt and sugar contents.

“So products like tomato sauce that perhaps in the past would have lasted fine in the pantry — now they’ve got less salt, which acts as a preservative, they’re actually better off being kept in the fridge,” she said.

As for chocolate, storing it in the fridge affects its taste and appearance.

“Chocolate is a bit of a tricky one because the ideal temperature for storing chocolate is between 15 and 20 degrees,” she said.

“It’s still going to be fine to eat (if stored in the fridge) but it does develop a whitish bloom on the outside of the chocolate due to the temperature fluctuation.”

As for the rest of the list, Associate Professor O’Sullivan says potatoes and onions should go in the cupboard, most fruit was fine in the fruit bowl, and bread was best in the freezer.

She said butter and jam were best kept in the fridge, as well as eggs — whicvh should be kept in their carton to maintain moisture.

And vegemite can be kept anywhere.

“Always read the instructions and inspect your food before consuming it,” Associate Professor O’Sullivan said.

“(Anyone with) a compromised immune system, the elderly, young children and pregnant women really needs to make sure they are storing their food correctly,” she said.

So the argument is settled — but that doesn’t mean everyone has to settle for cold sauce on a hot sausage.

“You can pour a little bit in an airtight container and put it out on the bench to go to room temperature before you use it,” Associate Professor O’Sullivan said.