There’s a simple joy in eating the fresh fruits and veggies you get from the supermarket. The snap of leafy greens, the crunch of raw carrots, and the juice of fresh lemons – can you imagine anything more satisfying? But the sad part is once you get home with these perishables, keeping them perky can be a real challenge.
That is why we have curated some simple strategies to help you enjoy your fresh fruits and veggies for a longer time. Follow these tricks to minimize food wastage and make the best out of your money.
Don’t Separate the Bananas
Some diet-conscious people have the habit of separating bananas into day-to-day portions. But this practice is chiefly responsible for the fruits going brown in a day or two. If you want to enjoy 3-5 extra days of perfectly ripe bananas, wrap their stems in clingfilm sustainable packaging as soon as you buy them and snap off only when you want to eat.
Best-Before Dates are Merely Guidelines
One of the biggest misconceptions about the food industry is that you cannot eat the food after the best-before date. But it is actually just a recommendation that tells you how long the product will be in its prime condition. If you eat the food for a couple of more days than what the label says, it will just taste dandy and not affect your health. But ensure it passes the visual and smell test.
Put an Apple With the Potatoes
You might not believe this, but keeping an apple with a bag of potatoes can help prevent them from turning into a reject. It is because apples produce ethylene gas which keeps the potatoes fresher and firmer for weeks.
Treat Herbs Like Flower
Keeping the herbs fresh for a long time can be a challenging task. While some people swear by wrapping them in newspaper before popping them in the fridge, others store them in a glass of water by placing a plastic sheet over the top. The second method is an excellent choice as it creates a greenhouse-like environment for the herbs, which keeps them fresh for a longer time.
Store Apples & Bananas Away
Ethylene gas produced by the apples may be suitable for potatoes, but it is not good for other fruits and vegetables in your refrigerator. That is why you must store them separately instead of in a fruit bowl. On the other hand, bananas are one of those fruits that emit more ethylene than any other fruit. So, store them separately as well.
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Put Paper Towels With Salads
Excess moisture can make your food wilt much faster. That is why lining the salads such as lettuce with a few sheets of kitchen roll can help absorb the condensation released as the veggies chill. Thus, your veggies remain fresh for a long time without any extra effort. It also lets you enjoy your day off binge-watching instead of cleaning the fridge.
Wash Berries in Vinegar
If you are fond of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, or blueberries, washing them in a solution of one part vinegar and three parts water is the perfect way to store them. This method helps kill off any bacteria already on the fruit and lowers the chances of anything growing on it while it is in the fridge.
Let Avocado Ripen at Room Temperature
Nothing could be sadder than you planning on making an avo-toast for breakfast only to find a rock-hard looking avocado in the fridge! But you can put off your plans by keeping these fruits out till they are ripe, then putting them in the refrigerator again to halt the process. Remember, once you have cut them, keep the stone in the other half squeezed on lemon juice to prevent further ripening.
Don’t Store Tomatoes in the Fridge
You probably have been told this numerous times that keeping tomatoes in the fridge prevents them from ripening and their flavour from developing. It means that they can be a bit hard and watery straight from the cold, but if they are already looking ripe to eat, not storing them in the refrigerator can stave off the rotting process. However, if you don’t plan on eating them for a little while, it is worth popping them in the fridge to delay the ripening.
Wrap Cheese in a Sheet of Paper
Wrapping the cheese keeps it from stinking the whole fridge and your kitchen, but paying attention to what you are covering it in can make all the difference. The answer is none other than porous paper like baking paper or paper pouch as it lets the cheese breathe and thus avoid stinking. You may also use a kitchen towel with some vinegar sprinkled on it to kill off any bacteria.
Special Packages For Certain Items
- Wrapping broccoli and celery in tin foil keeps them crisp because the tin foil is porous enough to escape any ethylene (a ripening hormone).
- Putting onions in tights and hanging them in a cupboard can make them last up to eight weeks.
- Freezing spring onions in a bottle after chopping them up and leaving them out to dry. As long as the moisture does not enter your bottle, you can enjoy the onions for months!
- Keeping mushrooms in a paper bag helps reduce the moisture levels, thus keeping them clean and dry for a long time.
- Storing the raisins in an airtight container to keep them fat, moist, and porridge-perfect.
Final Words
Keeping your food fresh for a long time is not an easy task. Some need to be stored in plastic bags, airtight containers, or tin foil; others should be stored in water or at room temperature. We totally understand that there is nothing more heart-wrenching than seeing your food wither away in front of your eyes. That is why we carefully made this list in the hope to help you make the best out of your purchases and minimize any wastage.
