Nutritionist Kiran Kukreja has issued a serious warning: storing garlic, onions, and potatoes in cold temperatures could be doing more harm than good-potentially even increasing cancer risk.

Garlic: A mould magnet in the fridge-  Garlic doesn’t like the cold. Refrigeration causes it to sprout bitter green shoots and grow mould, which Kiran warns could lead to cancer. Her tip? Buy it fresh, unpeeled, and store it in a cool, dry spot with good ventilation.

Onions: Sugar traps in disguise- Putting onions in the fridge turns their starch into sugar, making them unnaturally sweet and prone to spoilage. Even worse, a half-cut onion left in the fridge acts like a sponge for bacteria, leading to food contamination. Just don’t do it.

Potatoes: From comfort food to cancer risk? Potatoes stored below 8°C undergo “cold sweetening,” turning starch into sugar. When cooked at high heat (like frying), this sugar mixes with asparagine to form acrylamide-a potential carcinogen.

Safer cooking tips?
Soak sliced potatoes for 15–30 minutes before cooking, avoid charring them, and opt for boiling or steaming instead of frying.