Do you throw anything that’s not dairy or fresh veggies in the pantry? It's time to change your ways.
Bread
Yes, you read that right. To preserve its freshness and extend its shelf life, pull your bread out of the pantry and put it in the … freezer? Yep: “Bread is best stored in the freezer in an airtight bag or container,” says Baker. “Freezing slows staling and mold growth while helping maintain texture and flavor.”
Whatever you do, don’t put it in the fridge. “In contrast, storing bread in the refrigerator accelerates moisture loss and starch retrogradation, causing it to dry out and become stale more quickly,” she says. When you’re ready to enjoy it, simply defrost a slice of bread in the microwave (not too long!) or pop it in the toaster, and your taste buds will be none the wiser.
Pure maple syrup
The maple-flavored stuff can live in the pantry, but if you’re talking about pure maple syrup, it needs to be in the fridge. “Pure maple syrup should be refrigerated after opening to maintain freshness and help prevent mold growth on the surface during storage,” says Baker. “Although its high sugar content makes it relatively shelf-stable, refrigeration slows spoilage, extends shelf life and preserves the syrup’s characteristic flavor, color and overall quality.”
Pure maple syrup also freezes well, which is a great solution if you buy in bulk. Of course, it might be a little cold on your pancakes!
Nuts
Raw or salted nuts are a tasty and healthy snack, but they can be expensive, which makes it tempting to buy them in bulk. If that’s your preferred way to buy nuts, make sure you’re storing them in the refrigerator or the freezer.
“Nuts contain natural oils that can oxidize over time, leading to rancidity and off-flavors,” explains Baker. “Cold storage slows this oxidation process and helps preserve freshness and overall quality.” While nuts stored in your pantry likely won’t make you sick, their flavor and quality will start to fade over time.
Tortillas
Baker says that you can store your flour and corn tortillas in an airtight container or package in the pantry for a short period of time, but they’ll last much longer in the fridge. “Cooler storage slows microbial growth and helps maintain freshness,” she says.
This is especially true of corn tortillas. They contain more fats than flour tortillas, so they can become rancid faster, Baker says. Plus, if you’re buying authentic ones, they may not contain many preservatives, further shortening their pantry shelf life.
Open red wine
Cold red wine? Really? Yup, you should move red wine to the fridge once you’ve opened the bottle to preserve its flavor and aroma. Baker says this will slow oxidation and limit air exposure, which can make the wine taste dull or sour over time. If it takes you weeks to finish a bottle, Baker also suggests using a wine vacuum pump to remove excess air from the bottle before corking it to further extend its drinkable life.
Butter
Depending on where you live or how you tend to use butter (as a spread on toast vs. for cooking or baking), you may have grown up keeping butter in a covered dish on the counter or in the pantry. But even if you’re using it often, Baker says butter should always be in the fridge—though not in the door.
“It is a perishable food that requires temperature control to remain safe and maintain quality,” she notes. That goes for both the salted and unsalted varieties. “Although salt can slow microbial growth, both salted and unsalted butter can support the growth of spoilage organisms and potentially harmful bacteria if left at room temperature for extended periods,” Baker says.
Tomato sauce
Regardless of whether you buy your tomato sauce in a jar or a can, it needs to go in the fridge as soon as you open it. “Once the jar or can is opened, the product can become exposed to contamination from yeasts, molds and potentially harmful bacteria,” says Baker. “Although unopened tomato sauce is shelf-stable, exposure to air and utensils introduces microorganisms that can grow if the sauce is held at room temperature.”
Natural nut butters
If you prefer a preservative-free nut butter, get it out of the pantry once it’s opened and stirred. “The natural oils in nut butters can become rancid over time, leading to off-odors and unpleasant flavors,” Baker says. “Storing nut butters in the refrigerator slows oxidation, helping preserve their freshness and overall quality.”
Fans of natural nut butters know that keeping it spreadable is key. Popping it in the fridge after mixing in the oil will help. The cold temperature helps keep the oil from rising to the top once you’ve fully mixed the nut butter, making it more convenient to grab and enjoy.
Whole-grain flour
“Whole-grain flour contains the germ—the part of the grain that holds natural oils,” explains Baker. “Because these oils can turn rancid when exposed to air, heat and light, whole-grain flour should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.” That goes for 100% whole wheat flour, whole-grain flour blends and any other flours made from whole grains, such as spelt, millet, buckwheat, teff, oat, corn, sorghum or rye flour.
Certain cooking oils
Most of us have a bottle of canola or vegetable oil in the pantry, and that’s fine. Other oils? Not so much. “Several cooking oils benefit from refrigeration to extend shelf life and prevent rancidity,” Baker says. These include coconut oil, flaxseed oil and sesame oil, plus tree nut oils like walnut, hazelnut and pecan.
Rancid oil is not going to win you any compliments the next time you use it to sauté veggies or add to your favorite recipes. Once any of the above oils are opened, send them to the fridge.
Cornmeal and grits
Here’s another surprising one! “Cornmeal and grits, while safe to store in the pantry, retain their quality longer when kept in the refrigerator,” says Baker. Again, it’s about the fats. Just like corn tortillas, cornmeal and other corn products like grits contain small amounts of natural fats that can become rancid, damaging the flavor.
Pickles
Pickles are, well, pickled, which means they are swimming in natural preservatives like salt and vinegar. Still, you should move them to the fridge once you open the jar—and that goes for refrigerator pickles and shelf-stable ones.
Pickles that are sold in the refrigerator section are not thermally processed, so even with all that salt they can become contaminated. Shelf-stable (heat-processed) pickles have a longer shelf life, and while storing them in the pantry might not make you sick, they could lose their crunch and flavor if left at room temperature.
Open condiments
Condiments like mustard and ketchup often take forever to use up, so if they’re in your pantry, it’s best to get them into the fridge. Even though most condiments are sold at room temperature and will keep there for quite some time, as soon as you start using them, you should move them to the fridge to avoid spoilage. “It also helps maintain color, flavor and consistency when a longer shelf life is desired,” Baker adds.
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Sources:
- Kimberly Baker, food systems and safety program team director at Clemson University; email interview, February 2026
- Journal of Food Science: “Effects of a brief blanching process on quality, safety, and shelf life of refrigerated cucumber pickles”
- International Journal of Electrochemical Science: “Comprehensive electrochemical and machine learning-based study of rancidity in four edible oils over various storage periods”
