If you were to look in my refrigerator, you would notice that everything is close to the front of the shelves and squeezed into the refrigerator doors. While I’m fully aware that this means I’m not using the space in my fridge to the fullest, I also wouldn’t change it. The way I see it, there’s no reason to tuck things way in the back of each shelf when I could just pop them in the doors, where it will take me two seconds to extract them instead of 10. At least, that was the way I saw it.
A recent discussion with a registered dietitian set me straight. It turns out that certain items will spoil if stored in the refrigerator doors, including one very common cooking item. Here, I’m revealing the surprising food you should never store in the refrigerator door, plus where a registered dietitian says you should put it to make it last longer and to maximize the flavor and texture. Read on for the tips that have me rearranging my refrigerator!
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Which surprising item should you avoid storing in the refrigerator door?
There are a few items unfit for your fridge door, and you’ll find more of them below. But perhaps the most surprising is butter. Yes, butter!
Now, hold on just a minute, you may think. Isn’t there a shelf in the refrigerator door specifically designed for butter? Technically, yes. But that doesn’t mean you should use it that way.
“That little covered shelf was originally designed for butter that is used up quickly, within about a week,” says Kathleen Benson, a registered dietitian nutritionist at VNutrition. “If you go through butter fast, it is fine to keep it there short term.” But if it takes you more than a week to use up a stick, you might want to store it somewhere else.
What’s so bad about storing butter in this spot?
You may have heard that the temperature in the refrigerator door is not as cold as the temperature at the back of the fridge. While this is true, it’s not the main reason you should avoid storing butter here. The real problem lies with temperature fluctuations.
“Every time you open your fridge, warm air rushes in, and the door shelves are the first place that air hits. This repeated warming and cooling can cause butter to soften and firm up over and over again, which speeds up spoilage and rancidity,” Benson explains.
Spoiled or rancid butter won’t necessarily make you sick—illness-causing bacteria need protein in order to survive and multiply, and butter is mostly fat—but it’s not going to taste good. Benson says that these changes in temperatures can cause the butter to taste sour or old or develop a slightly grainy texture.
So where should you store butter?
“Keep butter on a middle or upper shelf toward the back of the fridge,” suggests Benson. “That area maintains a cooler, steadier temperature and helps protect butter from light exposure, which can oxidize fats and cause off flavors.”
This will help preserve the taste and texture of the butter, especially if it is kept in its original wrapper or in a tightly sealed container. “Keeping it tightly wrapped also prevents the butter from picking up odors from nearby foods,” she adds.
As we mentioned above, if you use up a stick of butter within a week or so, it’s fine to store it in the covered shelf in the door. But if you want it to last longer or you are buying boxes of four or more sticks, keep any extras on the interior shelves.
Just how long does butter last in the fridge?
According to Minerva Dairy, a family-owned creamery founded in 1894:
- Unsalted butter will stay fresh in the coldest part of the fridge for up to three months.
- Salted butter will likely stay fresh for up to five months.
You can even freeze butter for up to a year without compromising the flavor or texture.
But wait—can’t you store butter on the counter?
Technically, you can. But there are rules to remember. “Salted butter can safely sit out at room temperature for a few days if it is kept covered in a dish,” says Benson. “Unsalted butter or flavored butters, like those mixed with garlic or herbs, should not be stored on the counter since they spoil more quickly and can harbor bacteria more easily.”
What’s more, it’s not smart to keep butter at room temperature for a day or two, pop it back in the fridge for a week, then bring it back out to the counter. Just like with the refrigerator door, these changes in temperature can affect the texture of the butter and may make it spoil faster.
What else should you avoid storing in the refrigerator door?
Along with butter, there are several foods that Benson says require consistently cold temperature in order to prevent spoilage, so you shouldn’t store them in the door of the refrigerator. They include:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Raw meat
- Seafood
- Soft cheese
- Leftovers
If you can’t store all that in the refrigerator door, what can you store there?
“The door is best for foods that are less temperature-sensitive, such as condiments, pickles, jams and bottled drinks,” Benson says. It’s also good for items that need cool but not super-cold storage, such as certain probiotics, medicines or cosmetics.
But for foods that are more likely to spoil (like butter) or become contaminated, it’s best to tuck them away farther back in the fridge. And yes, it’s well worth the extra few seconds it takes to move things around to get these items out.
RELATED:
- This Quirky Trick Can Keep Your Bread from Going Stale
- Here’s Why Costco’s Butter Tastes So Good
- Here’s Why Costco Milk Stays Fresh Way Past Its Sell-By Date
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Sources:
- Kathleen Benson, CSSD, CPT, RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist at VNutrition; email interview, October 2025
- Minerva Dairy: “How Long Does Butter Last in the Fridge?”
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