Do you enjoy going grocery shopping? Whether you’re a small or big family, you might consider getting enough food for a whole week. However, most of the time we end up having to preserve our fruit and veg.
In this case, you need to be smart about storing the food items and other ingredients for the week ahead. Not only to save money but also to keep your food fresh!
Check these 48 simple tips to keep your fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs fresh for longer!
1. Keeping green onion fresh for longer
Green onion can be kept for longer by treating like a flower in a vase. Get a tall and clear glass of water that is half-filled and put the onion so it can soak up water and remain fresh for longer compared to just placing it in the fridge.
This tip simply helps because the paper bag on which the mushroom is placed will be absorbing the moisture from them. Just remember not to wash or slice the mushrooms before placing them in the bag.
Paper towels are more useful than you can imagine. By putting your salad greens in a bowl covered with a paper towel and plastic wrap, your greens will surely stay fresh for longer.
When it comes to storage, it cannot be helped that some veggies need to be stored together. That’s fine as long as you don’t mix onions with potatoes! Why? It’s because potatoes and onions both release moisture which results in spoiling each other faster.
To keep your herbs from drying out, one thing that you can do is by putting them in olive oil in an ice cube tray and then, freezing them. This way. you can keep your herbs ready to be cooked in olive oil. Just take some cubes out of the fridge when you finally use them.
Another useful way to store cheese is by wrapping it with wax paper. Afterward, put it in a plastic bag and put the cheese in the fridge. This will keep the moisture from going out and keep the cheese fresh for longer.
Don’t you just love guacamole? If you are a certified guacamole fan, you might want to know about this useful tip that will help in keeping your guacamole green and fresh. The solution? A spray of olive oil and your guacamole stays fresh and delish!
Do you have a plastic bottle that you’re about to throw out? Don’t throw it in the bin just yet because it can still be recycled for a unique purpose! Placing your cut green onions inside a plastic bottle is actually a great way to keep the veggies fresh!
The solution to berries going moldy or soft too fast is by rinsing them with a combination of water and vinegar before putting them in the fridge! Mix one part vinegar and ten parts water. Put the berries in this solution, swirl them and rinse them with it. Raspberries can last up to one week and strawberries can last to a couple of weeks! The vinegar won’t taste strong as it is diluted with more water.
10. This can make your fridge more fit for storage
Fruits and vegetables emit ethylene that causes them to spoil faster as well as the other veggies and fruits stored around them. Adding ethylene gas absorbing pods inside your refrigerator will help in keeping your produce fresh up to three times longer!
Bananas are quick to spoil, so if you love bananas and want to keep them longer then this tip is for you. Just cover the stalk with aluminum foil and store it at room temperature. You’ll be surprised at how long your banana will last with this amazing trick.
In simple words, your asparagus need to be treated like flowers on a vase. You only need to cut the stems, place them in a jar half-filled with water, put a plastic bag over it and then, refrigerate it. They will surely remain crisp for about a week.
If onions are not supposed to get stored next to potatoes, apples should be placed near them. This trick will keep the potatoes from sprouting and always ready to be cooked!
Some veggies are kept fresh by wrapping them in aluminum foil. These are broccoli, celery, and lettuce leaves. The next time you buy these, make sure you also buy aluminum foil so you can store them better.
Storage may require some products to be in separate containers. With this, you may find yourself in need of more containers than what you already have. Worry not because you can always make your own containers with just plastic bags and bottle caps. This image shows the step-by-step and simple way to make them!
Freezing ginger is actually a genius way of keeping it fresh and for longer. Slice it into thin layers and place the slices inside a plastic bag. Place it in the freezer so it will remain fresh until the time that you will use it for cooking.
When it comes to storing fruits, especially apples, it is best to really look at how they look and how they feel. If one apple in the bunch is already soft and looks like it is about to get spoiled, better not to place it with the other fresher ones because it can easily make the other apples spoil faster.
Storing tomatoes depends on its current state. Green tomatoes are best stored inside a paper bag or cardboard box and not on top of each other. Keep them stored this way until they turn red. Once they turn red, you can keep them on the counter, but make sure that they are not under direct sunlight.
Cereals are not complete without fresh milk. But, sometimes, buying milk at one go can be a difficult option because it can only be stored for several days. If you want to buy more milk to keep yourself from going back and forth to the grocery store just for it, you can try freezing your milk to prolong its life.
Before storing your nuts, be sure to roast them. This way, you can store them in room temperature without having to worry about them drying up or getting spoiled.
23. Turning containers for sour cream and cottage cheese upside down
This tip may seem unusual but it does work! Turning the tub of sour cream or cottage cheese upside down will create a vacuum effect inside the container. This will slow down the growth of bacteria which causes this food to spoil.
Here’s a different way to store your onions. Put them inside a pantyhose, put a knot between each onion, and hang them on your kitchen wall. This is not only a genius, but it can also be really eccentric decor!
Who said eggs can’t be in the freezer? Actually, placing them in the cold can be a good way to store them. Get an ice cube tray, put raw eggs in it and freeze. You can easily get them when it’s finally time to cook them, plus you get to have ready to cook eggs for longer!
The best way to store your fresh greens for salads is by storing them inside jars. They are not only pleasing to the eye, but they also remain crisp and green because glass is non-reactive and no chemicals can reach into your food.
Do you have left-over sauce in your refrigerator-that takes up more space than necessary? Worry no more because there is a much better way of storing it and it requires a small amount of space! Get a ziplock bag, create partitions using a sealer, and pour your sauce in each opening. Put it in the freezer and get a bag for every occasion that you need sauce.
If you don’t have any idea on what and what not to put in your fridge, then this list might just be what you need! It even gives you a guide on what to put on a cool pantry or room temperature. It is a simple list that gives a lot of benefits.
Adding butter on the edge of cut cheese will keep it from drying out. This tip will surely keep your cheese for longer and will save you from throwing out leftover cheese.
Too much moisture can cause lettuce leaves to easily spoil and become soft. To help in slowing down this process and to keep the leaves crisp, just grab the paper towels and wrap them around the veggie.
What? Sand in your kitchen? Yes, you got it right! You can use sand to keep your carrots fresh. Using a breathable container like a cloth box inside a metal case, you can now bring a little sand in your kitchen where you can place your carrots and keep them fresh for longer!
Do you have kidney beans in your storage and do not know how to correctly store them? This is the only thing that you need to remember: dry them and keep them in an air-tight container. This will give them a longer shelf life.
Although it may seem unusual, not washing fruits and vegetables is actually the right thing to do. You can store them without washing them unless you are ready to cook them. Washing the product adds moisture in their peelings which will cause faster spoilage. To keep them for a longer period of time, you must not wash them before storage.
Did you know that onions and garlic like cool, dark, and well-ventilated storage areas for them to stay fresh for a longer time? This method is called curing and it helps in ensuring that these veggies are kept dry which will also lead to them lasting longer.
Avocados are quite hard to maintain, especially when it is already cut open. However, with a spray of lemon or lime, avocado slices can last for longer! Just spray lemon or lime, place the fruit in an air-tight container and leave it in the refrigerator. It can now last for a day, which is a fairly long time for an avocado that’s already been cut.
Well, glass jars are totally must-haves in storing food for longer. They are best used for storing peeled veggies. With glass jars, you can do a lot of magic to your food, even those already cut and peeled!
Rice is actually not that hard to store. It does not expire easily but of course, there is always a proper way to store rice. It can be kept for an average of 6 months in your pantry must always be kept in a cool, dry place. Keep rice in an air-tight container to maintain its dryness.
Sugar can be used for about a year so it is really something you can keep for longer. However, it is always optimal to keep it inside an air-tight container that is kept away from anything that is filled with moisture. You don’t want your sugar getting clumps because of too much humidity in the room where it is kept.
