Please settle a furious family argument....

[TheValeyard]

...do you keep bread in the fridge?

I’ll keep in in the bread bin, or i slice it and freeze it.

But never fridge.

Absolutely not, it’s kept in the bread bin. However, bread doesn’t last that long in this house so what do I know !!!

Ooh no never in the fridge. It affects texture and it's not necessary. We have a bread bin we use for all types of bread. Obviously it will go off after a few days, depending on the type of bread, so we also freeze some.

The only person I know who does this was Australian, but she put most food in the fridge that I wouldn't in the UK. We don't even put butter in the fridge. The kitchen is not warm even in the summer.

Fridge...I like my bread to be cold..it's refreshing

Never

Bread, eggs and tomatoes do not belong in the fridge. HTH.

I freeze it myself, and then microwave it briefly before toasting it. It's not bad at all.

We keep ours in the fridge because we have cats who will eat it if it’s left anywhere that they can get to it and we don’t have space for a bread bin in our kitchen it does seem to last longer when it’s stored in the fridge though.

@Proudmumtoday is correct. Everyone knows that bread goes stale faster if you put it in the fridge. If you want to make it last, put it in the freezer and use/toast a slice at a time!

Never keep your bread in the fridge. The starch molecules in bread recrystallize very quickly at cool temperatures, and causes the bread to stale much faster when refrigerated. Shop-bought loaves should be kept in an air-tight plastic bag at room temperature rather than in the fridge.

Usually, espacially in hot weather.
For longer periods it does fine in the freezer.

Never used to, but my husband does and so we now do it with all bread. Ours doesn’t seem to go stale, and keeps really well. I did draw the line when he tried to put yum yums in though.

Yep, otherwise a whole loaf would go mouldy quickly in our house.
In the fridge it can last a couple of weeks and doesn’t taste stale.

Interesting...bread, no, but tomatoes, ketchup, eggs, cakes, chocolate yes...

I like cold tomatoes.
Egg whites seem to stay firmer for poaching.
Chocolate doesn't have immediate melt factor the same as if its kept in a cupboard. Same with biscuits.
Cakes with icing/frosting always better cold and slightly chewy- especially cupcakes.
Ketchup, not sure why, there's just a handy space for it next to the mayo!

😏 I know a family that is having this exact same argument at the moment…. No idea if it’s you!

I’m short; no. No it doesn’t. Anything that isn’t in the fridge at the shop, doesn’t belong in the fridge at home.

Eggs are best kept in the fridge:

www.egginfo.co.uk/egg-safety/storage-and-handling

Tomatoes are fine in the cupboard in winter, but in summer will over-ripen way too soon, so fridge is better:

www.seriouseats.com/why-you-should-refrigerate-tomatoes

As for the bread - this is a really good article on how stale bread is better than mouldy bread, so whilst the fridge is not ideal, and the freezer is better than the fridge, if the alternative is mouldy, then fridge is better. And heating the bread will de-stale it
culinarylore.com/food-science:does-storing-bread-in-the-fridge-make-it-last-longer/

No but I did once ‘lose’ my bread 🤷🏼‍♀️ Wanted to make tea and toast. Eventually found it in the fridge when I went to get milk. The milk was in the cupboard where the bread is normally kept

@TruJay

No but I did once ‘lose’ my bread 🤷🏼‍♀️ Wanted to make tea and toast. Eventually found it in the fridge when I went to get milk. The milk was in the cupboard where the bread is normally kept

Ha ha, that's easy to understand, after all bread & milk look exactly the same as each other!

I put my bread in the fridge in a moment of bleary-eyed confusion last night and found it there this morning. Was horrified with myself! Ruins the texture and makes it go stale and chewy in minutes.

@Avoidance

No, starch gelatinisation happens faster at lower temperatures so in fact does the complete opposite of “keeping it fresh for longer”.

Also why companies blast freeze product as the faster the product is below -18 degrees the fresher the product will be when defrosted/refreshed. Compared to a longer freezing process (home freezing) which takes much longer to get the core of the product frozen and why it never tastes at good as when bought fresh.

^ this

Bread, and other bakery based foodstuff, does not belong in the fridge!

Those who think it keeps their bread fresh.... what the fuck kind of plastic, chemical-filled bread are you buying that it would benefit from refrigeration?

@Maggiethecat

Yep, otherwise a whole loaf would go mouldy quickly in our house. In the fridge it can last a couple of weeks and doesn’t taste stale.

If you are taking a couple of weeks to eat a loaf bread, you should be freezing at least some of it. 2 week old refrigerated bread might not be fully stale, but the texture will be utterly rank.

We buy unsliced large loaves from the farm shops, cut them into halves or thirds, and then freeze. We then take the chunks of bread out as needed and let it defrost naturally. Lovely and fresh, and means we don't need the bread to last for weeks.

@Ozanj

Fresh bread - no Processed bread - yes

I think this is the crux of it. All the people saying that improves the bread are buying processed plastic shite.

Btw: For those in North Yorks who like to eat PROPER bread, I highly recommend Seasons Bakery in Ingleton. Absolute heaven.

NO

YES !!! Lasts longer.
Although growing up in my family home, we never put bread in the fridge.
When I got my own place I started putting it in the fridge, as myself and dh hardly eat bread so it would go off, lasts soooo long in the fridge! The texture of it doesn't change, as long as you tie the bag properly it won't go hard.
At my mums, bread goes off super quick, always having to throw almost a full loaf of bread. I got told off when I stored their bread in the fridge! Then when my brothers wife moved in, she started to store it in the fridge and guess what!!! My mum said to me omg bread last so much longer in the fridge, I was like helllllooo I've been saying that to you for years!!
My dad hates bread in fridge tho, he says it tastes cold 😳

as long as you tie the bag properly

Decent bread doesn't come in a plastic bag ime.