Looking to lengthen the time between your shopping trips? Check out these storage hacks to keep your food fresher than your clique.
If you’ve been limiting the number of times you’ve been going to the grocery store lately, you’re not alone. These hacks will help extend the life of your groceries.
Refrigerating bread is not the answer.
Yes, throwing your bread in the fridge may seem to keep it fresher longer (it won’t mold as quickly), but it pulls out the moisture faster, thus leaving you with stale bread. If you take awhile to loaf through, store half in the freezer.
Not all produce should hang out.
Even though they’re supposed to taste similar to the blind eye, potatoes and onions should be separated from each other. They both literally emit gasses to cause each other to spoil faster in storage. To extend the life of your onions even further, place them in panty hose, tie a knot in between each one, and hang them up in your kitchen. It keeps them from bruising, and also allows for easy evaporation of any environmental moisture.
Combat moldy berries.
Fresh berries are delicious, but also seem to go bad fast. Get in the habit of washing your berries when you bring them home. Use one part vinegar mixed to ten parts water and your berries will stay mold-free for days longer.
Flip your dairy.
Did you know you can slow bacteria growth in some dairy products? Flip your cottage cheese and sour cream upside down to make them last up to twice as long. By inverting the tub it creates a vacuum effect that slows the growth of spoil causing bacteria.
Use foil for more that wrapping up leftovers.
Tin foil can be used to wrap individual veggies to preserve them longer in the fridge. Try it with broccoli, lettuce, and celery to keep them crisp and delicious.
Return root veggies to their “natural” habitat.
Store root vegetables, like carrots and radishes, in damp sand or sawdust to extend their shelf life. It may seem counterintuitive, but according to the World Carrot Museum, this method is called clamping, and can keep root vegetables edible for months!
Banana stems need protection.
Does it ever seem like bananas go from green to black, leaving only a few precious hours in between? This is because bananas release ethylene gas from their stems, which speeds up ripening. Separate the bananas and plastic wrap the stems to keep them fresher for up to 4 days longer. By capping their stems in plastic wrap, you’re limiting the fruit’s exposure to ethylene.
Asparagus Bouquets?
Asparagus stores best when given the ability to continue soaking up water. Cut off the ends and store vertically in a water jar for maximum shelf life.
Know the best places to store food.
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Make sure you keep perishable food off of the refrigerator door, and push dairy towards the back where it is cooler. Raw meat is best on the bottom shelves where it can’t drip on anything.
Add water to your guacamole.
Avocados and guacamole can turn brown fast, making it unappetizing, and spoiling your dip. By adding a thin layer of water to the top, you prevent air from getting to the guacamole, therefore prolonging the time before it turns brown.
Don’t let one bruised apple hang out with the bunch.
We’ve all heard the saying “it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch” and have probably experienced situations where it has happened with people. But did you know it actually does happen to apples? As fruit ripens it emits a gas called ethylene that causes the ripening process to speed up. The riper a piece of fruit is, the more gas it produces.
Consider buying an ethylene gas absorber.
Ethylene gas is responsible for shortening the shelf life of both fruits and vegetables.. Ethylene gas absorbers, available on amazon, help to absorb the gas, therefore keeping your produce fresh for longer. If you store fruits and vegetables in the plastic bags they came in, make sure to poke a few holes or open the bag slightly to let gas escape.
