What's YOUR Number?

Mine is 5.

As in the number of these items out of 10 that I store in the refrigerator.

How many SHOULD be stored in the refrigerator?

ZERO

According to Real Simple magazine, the following items SHOULD NOT be refrigerated:

1.  Winter squash. These could be stored in the pantry up to a month. Oops! I've had a spaghetti squash in my refrigerator for about a MONTH. Guess I'd better hop to it and cook it!

2.  Nail polish. (Really? Some people do this?) Obviously refrigeration causes the polish to thicken. (DUH!). Should be stored at room temperature and away from sunlight.

3.  Coffee (ground up or beans). Keeping coffee in either the refrigerator OR freezer can cause condensation to build up which in turn can affect the flavor of the coffee. Coffee SHOULD be kept in an airtight container in the pantry. Jim is a connoisseur when it comes to coffee. He USED to freeze his coffee beans until he read about the condensation. Now he follows this rule.

4.  Tomatoes. Or do you say to-mah-toes? These red jewels should NEVER be put into the refrigerator because they can become mealy. Just store on your counter - but NOT in the plastic bag! If they need to ripen, put into a brown bag for a day or so. Presto-chango! Ripe tomatoes!

5.  Garlic. Another item to be stored in the pantry. Real Simple recommends storing them so "air" can get around them. Another plus? If a vampire is stalking you, perhaps he would smell the garlic vapors better if it were not refrigerated.  So add "PROTECTION" to the list of pros of storing garlic in the pantry.

6.  Batteries. Extreme cold OR heat can cut down on the performance of the battery.  (I remember storing batteries in the refrigerator. I also remember licking the tops of the batteries before inserting them into an item to make sure they'd work. Did anybody else do that?)

7.  Potatoes. You should take them out of the plastic bags they usually come in and put into paper bags. The plastic bag traps moisture and causes the potatoes to rot. Potatoes can last up to three weeks in the pantry. Refrigeration can drastically alter the taste of potatoes. (Guess I have to throw that potato out that's sitting in my fridge!)

8. Onions. These guys have to b-r-e-a-t-h-e, people! That's why they come in that netting bag! (slaps forehead!) Store in pantry. BUT - keep away from the potatoes. Potatoes do NOT play nice! They let out GAS (EXCUSE ME!!) and moisture which causes the onions to rot. Like they say - "with friends like these, who needs enemies?"

9. Bread. Storing bread in the refrigerator can dry it out. Real Simple recommends taking out what you would use for four days, then freeze the rest of the loaf. I'm pretty organized for suppers, but not lunches. So I would have no clue how much bread we would go through. But hey, if this works for you, I'll do a happy dance!

10.  Hot sauce. Refrigerator = cold. Sauce = hot. Refrigerator = bad. HOT SAUCE - thus the name. No, seriously, hot sauce does NOT need to be refrigerated. Can have a shelf life of up to THREE years in the pantry. Who knew?

So there you have it. The top ten things that don't belong in your refrigerator.  My five?

1. Onions
2. Potatoes
3. spaghetti squash
4. hot sauce
5. garlic

I am lucky enough to have a wonderful walk-in pantry with a "magic" light that turns on whenever I enter it. As you can see, it is very roomy.

You may notice that many of the answers above state that you should store the item in your pantry. Obviously I am one of the lucky ones. For those of you who don't have a pantry? You are totally screwed.