Poultry

It’s never a bad idea to freeze a few pieces of chicken, which can safely be stored in there for about four months. “The most important staples I keep in my freezer are boneless, skinless chicken breasts,” Chef Shelley of Chef In The Burbs tells Woman’s Day. “It’s a good lean protein and extremely versatile.” Defrosting chicken is faster than other pieces of meat, and you can then throw it into almost any type of dish.

Bananas

Bananas can go from not-so-ripe to overripe pretty quickly. Once that happens, you have two choices: you can either bake or cook with them right away, or you can freeze them, and the second option may be the best.

“When bananas become too ripe or brown for your personal taste, the best thing to do with them is to peel them, ziplock bag them, and save them in the freezer for later use,” Jessica Randhawa, the head chef, recipe creator, photographer, and writer behind The Forked Spoon, tells Woman’s Day. “Ripe frozen bananas are a perfect ingredient to make healthier waffles/pancakes, banana bread, or a strawberry banana smoothie.”

Avocado

Avocados are another fruit that can get way too ripe way too fast – and once they’re ripe, they have an even shorter shelf life than bananas. So, once they’re ready to be eaten, freeze them. “Frozen avocado chunks are great to keep on-hand,” Chef Mee McCormick, the author of My Pinewood Kitchen, tells Woman’s Day. “You can add these to smoothies or whip up a chocolate avocado mousse for a healthier take on dessert.” You can also let them thaw and then use them for avocado toast.

Crusty Bread

Sure, there’s nothing like a soft, fresh piece of bread. But if you’re worried about not using it right away, you can freeze it for up to six months. “After slicing the end off a loaf, I wrap the bread in the paper it came in, then in a plastic bag, squeeze the air out, tie with a twist tie and freeze,” Chef Bruce Hill, owner of The Chef’s Press, explains to Woman’s Day. “The frozen bread can be thawed by placing it cut-side down on a warm griddle, then slice off a slice at a time. Frozen bread also can be made into breadcrumbs, which are handy for meatballs.”

Frozen Berries

Not every fruit will do well in the freezer, but berries definitely do. “I am a big fan of frozen berries,” Shockey says. “Often the quality will be just as good as fresh berries (especially when berries are out of season) as frozen produce tends to be picked at its peak. Frozen berries are great for making pies or scones or an easy smoothie.”

Lime or Lemon Juice

If you use limes and lemons often, then freezing the juice is a good way to ensure you always have it when you need it. Chef Marie Surakul, head chef of Bamboo inside Pechanga Resort Casino, recommends squeezing out the juice and storing it in ice cube trays. “You’ll gain the ability to have pre-made juice, sauce and pastes at the ready just before you begin cooking,” he tells Woman’s Day.

Broth

Homemade broth is delicious and extremely versatile. Unfortunately, it only lasts about a week in your fridge. But in the freezer, it can stay good for at least six months. “Having some chicken or vegetable broth on hand can help any time you’re in the mood for soups and sauces — and it never hurts to kick things up a notch when sautéing veggies either,” Steph Young, founder and writer at CampingCooks.com, tells Woman’s Day.

Shiitake Mushrooms

You’ve probably never thought about freezing mushrooms to use for later, but why not? They freeze well and are a great addition to most recipes, like soups and stews, according to McCormick. To freeze, “just place mushrooms on a parchment-lined tray and place in freezer until they are frozen. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight reusable freezer bag,” McCormick says

Herbs

Fresh herbs can hang out in your freezer for up to a year without going bad. That means that the over-abundance of basil you grew during the summer can easily be stored and then used in the middle of the winter. Mitch Prensky, an award-winning Chef and seasoned culinary professional, tells Woman’s Day he chops up fresh herbs and then portions them out in ice cube trays. “These are great for adding to a sauce or making a dressing,” he explains. “They are pre-portioned and stay fresh forever.”

Butter

“I freeze salted and unsalted butter in bulk, as I go through a lot of it, and if others do too, it’s a great thing to freeze and then you never run out of it,” Jessie Sheehan of The Vintage Baker tells Woman’s Day. She adds that you can freeze butter for up to four months.

Bacon

While many types of meat will only last about four months in your freezer, bacon can last up to six months. And Chef Jennifer Scism, chef and co-founder of Good To-Go, has the best method for storing it. “I lay it onto a sheet tray lined with plastic wrap. Freeze it until it is good and hard, an hour or so. Then wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap and pop it into a freezer bag,” he tells Woman’s Day. “The pieces are separate so you can pull out what you need and will defrost quickly. So easy and so good.”

Pesto

Spend some time whipping up a huge batch of fresh pesto, then freeze it so that you can enjoy it for months to come (it can last in the freezer for up to six months). “It freezes perfectly, and is standing at the ready for your next pasta, grilled chicken, or burrata recipe,” Chef Dennis Prescott of Netflix’s Restaurants On The Edge, tells Woman’s Day. He recommends portioning the pesto into ice cube trays so you can easily pop them out and use small amounts at a time.

Fresh Cut Flowers

There’s a good reason why you often see flowers stored in refrigerated cases at florists and floral departments! The cold environment helps prevent the petals and stems of fresh cut flowers from wilting like they tend to do at warmer temperatures.

You can use this fact to your advantage the next time you buy flowers for someone, because you can buy them a day or two beforehand and keep them fresh in your fridge. That’s one less thing to worry about!

Eye Cream

While most eye creams are perfectly fine to store at room temperature, a lot of people prefer to store theirs in the fridge. Applying a cool eye cream in the morning can feel really refreshing, and it will help reduce puffiness and redness around your eyes too!

Lipstick

The oils in lipstick can eventually spoil and render your favorite shade unusable! You can avoid this unfortunate scenario by storing your most expensive or treasured lipsticks in your fridge.

Refrigerated lipsticks do have a tendency to “sweat” when brought back to room temperature, which isn’t necessarily harmful—the moisture beads can leave marks, but it’ll still be perfectly wearable. I recommend refrigerating “special occasion” lipsticks you don’t wear all that regularly, because they’ll last a lot longer that way!

Eyeliner

Warm, slightly softened eyeliner might be easier to apply, but it’s almost impossible to sharpen! When your eyeliner needs to be sharpened, stick it in the fridge for a while to firm up, and you’ll have no problem achieving the perfect point!

Pillowcases

Sleeping during the summer can be challenging for me because I have a hard time relaxing when I feel hot or sweaty. I often find myself seeking refuge on “the other side of the pillow” to feel some relief, if only momentarily.

Nail Polish

Storing nail polish in the fridge can extend its lifespan dramatically. Refrigeration can make nail polish more viscous and tricker to apply smoothly, but it thins out a bit as it starts to come back to room temperature. As with lipstick, I recommend refrigerating shades you don’t wear very often to help preserve them.

Homemade, Organic, And Natural Cosmetics

If you own any organic or natural cosmetics, or have a few of your own homemade concoctions, you definitely want to store those in your fridge! Many of these types of products are made without preservatives, and refrigeration is your best bet at keeping them fresh so you can actually use them before they spoil.

Metal Kitchen Tools

One of the keys to making a good, stiff whipped cream is keeping everything as cold as possible. The easiest way to do that is to just toss your mixing bowl, whisk, or whisk attachment in the fridge for a while before you want to make some.

You’ll find that it’s much easier to achieve those stiff peaks with chilled equipment. (This tip is something you can use any time of year, but it’s especially useful during the heat of the summer!)

A Sealed Envelope

Ned to add something to a letter you’ve already sealed? Pop that envelope in a plastic bag in the freezer for an hour or two to loosen the adhesive. Once it’s room temperature again, you should be able to re-seal it.

Tights & Pantyhose

Possibly an old wives’ tale, but some people swear that freezing your tights and hose strengthens the fibers against runs and pulls and makes them last twice as long. You only need to do this routine every once in a while (like at the start of the fall tights season): Get the tights damp, fold them into a plastic bag and freeze them overnight. Let them “thaw” the next day and they’re good to go.

Jeans

Good jeans get to look and feel really good if you never wash them. When they (inevitably) start to feel dingy and saggy, a quick stint in the freezer will help them feel fresh.

Foods without a lid

Will you get sick if you use the uncovered can of tomato paste you opened days ago when making your pasta bolognese? Or could you be harming Fido if you neglect to put a lid on his half-empty can of dog food? Probably not…but don’t expect those products to have the same punch when you pull them out again for Dinner 2.0 (yours or your pup’s). Think of your fridge as a giant food dehydrator—anything directly exposed to air will quickly dry out and probably take all the flavor with it.

According to the USDA, products will retain better flavor if transferred to a glass or plastic storage container that can be properly sealed. This 20-piece set from Amazon is BPA-free, has more than 10,000 five-star reviews, and is fully see-through, so you can avoid excessive lid-popping that exposes food to even more air and spoilage.

Moldy berries

This may seem like a no-brainer, but how many times have you poked through that carton of blueberries or strawberries to remove the offenders and eat the rest? Not always a good idea. “Sure, you can pick out one or two of the offending berries, wash the rest in clean, cold water, and you should be fine,” Schaffner says, but don’t try to salvage individual berries by cutting away the spoiled portions. “Throw out the entire bad strawberry—even if it’s half moldy, and make sure there are no other moldy ones around it.”

To get the most bang for your buck, store fruit in an aerated container that elevates berries from any moisture that may have dripped down and regulates the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide to reduce spoilage. 

Foods you’ve double-dipped

Pulled out the tuna salad and enjoyed a few forkfuls for lunch, then popped it back into the fridge? Tons of onion dip left after watching the big game with friends? Put thoughts of food waste aside and toss the lot—they may be contaminated with pathogens. “Staphylococcus aureus is commonly found in and around people’s noses,” Schaffner explains, “and it could be transmitted to foods by sneezing or by cross-contamination from nose to hands to food.”

A safer bet: Always keep food pristine by transferring individual portions with a clean serving spoon, and throw out the dip unless you’ve had a food cop watching the bowl for all four quarters. To avoid waste, set out only half the dip to start, and keep the rest safely in the fridge until needed. Or hand out cool individual dip “caddies” so guests can avoid contaminating the big bowl.

“Dead” shellfish

You may have purchased those clams, crabs, and mussels in the last 24 hours, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe to eat. In addition to making sure you buy them from a vendor who refrigerates seafood and/or presents them on a thick bed of fresh ice, perform your own safety check once home: Discard ones with cracked or broken shells; do a “tap” test (live clams, oysters, and mussels will close when the shell is tapped); and look for leg movement in crabs and lobster. To keep seafood as safe as possible during transport home from the store, consider keeping an insulated tote in your car. 

Homemade salad dressing

Unlike commercially prepared salad dressings, which can be kept for one to three months after opening, homemade salad dressings (or ones you purchase fresh from a restaurant or deli) are far more perishable—their shelf life is in the one- to two-week range. Craig keeps track of hers by using a permanent marker to label the container or bottle with the date of purchase and date of opening, but you can also use these handy premade labels, which dissolve in water so they won’t ruin your storage containers. “This reduces food waste and helps me rotate and use refrigerated foods,” Craig explains. “It’s an easy habit to adopt and takes very little time.

Cooked chicken or beef that’s more than three days old

“Most harmful bacteria cannot grow at refrigeration temperatures, but spoilage organisms can,” cautions Yavelak, who urges consumers to trust their “gut” instincts. “My rule of thumb is always to look at it first, then to smell it, and, if everything else seems fine, to finally taste it. This method will keep you from smelling or tasting something that may be unpleasant, as that can make some people sick to their stomach. However, getting an upset stomach after smelling or tasting spoiled food is likely not a food-borne illness caused by pathogens.”

Eggs in the door

Your fancy fridge might come equipped with a convenient built-in egg rack in the door, but pull it out to make room for other items and place eggs on a fridge shelf instead, says Vlatka Lake, a marketing manager at the storage company Space Station. The frequent door opening exposes eggs to fluctuating temperatures and can cause them to rot faster, she explains. This elegant holder, which can house up to 21 eggs, keeps them protected and visible for longer storage.