How to properly store food

Following our article on the colossal losses of food on the planet, we are in a hurry to share tips on how to prevent these very losses and preserve the properties of products for as long as possible. What you should know first:

Don't buy more than you need. Take only as many products as you can use in any recipe or consume before the expiration date.
Correctly use the sections in the refrigerator designed for different products. The temperature inside the refrigerator is not the same: different departments have their own temperature regime and air circulation (the warmest zone is above, the coldest is below).
When ripe, fruits and vegetables (especially apples, apricots, pears, bananas, figs, plums, avocados, and tomatoes) release ethylene. So if you don't want other products to go bad, store them separately. Or vice versa, if a certain product needs to ripen, you can put it together with one of the ripe fruits that release ethylene.
It is best to store fruits in paper bags.
Many fruits, vegetables and root vegetables (potatoes, beets, pumpkins, etc.) can be stored without refrigeration in cool, dark places. For this, it is best to use a wooden box or a cardboard box. But it is important that there must be air access from all sides of the container.
Once a month, wipe down your refrigerator shelves to remove accumulated stains and invisible germs.
Do not store perishable foods (cheese, butter) in the refrigerator door, as this is its warmest and most unprotected place.
In the fruit box, you can put a special sponge mat in order to avoid mold.
Keep cooked foods and foods with a strong smell in special closed containers so that the aroma does not spread to other foods. Chocolate should also be kept closed, otherwise it becomes loose when moisture evaporates.
Store fruits and vegetables separately if possible.
If some products have begun to rot, they should be separated from the rest to prevent the spread of bacteria. Disappearing vegetables or fruits can be consumed by cutting off the unusable part, making sauce, mashed potatoes or jam - as fantasy allows.
Do not clutter up the refrigerator closely, as this disrupts air circulation, which leads to changes in temperature and, as a result, spoilage of many products.
For long-term storage of products, there are special vacuum containers with an air pump that slow down the growth of bacteria.

Now let's take a closer look at the correct storage conditions for specific products or groups.

Fruits

The optimum temperature for storing fruit is +8..10 degrees, it corresponds to the lower drawers of the refrigerator. However, remember that most fruits are suitable for storage outside the refrigerator at room (but not hot) temperature. In addition, this way you always have them in front of you and you can eat them fresh faster. Tropical fruits, including citrus fruits, pineapples, and bananas, do not tolerate cold and cannot be stored in the refrigerator for long periods of time. In addition, lemons and limes absorb various odors, so keeping them in the refrigerator can just spoil these citrus fruits. It is best to wrap fruits in paper and store them in a drawer or on a shelf. Or, cool them in the refrigerator for a while, but then take them out. Only grapes must be refrigerated, wrapped in a plastic bag.

Cut avocados If you've cut fruit, it's best to eat it right away. But if you decide to leave it for storage, you need to put it in a resealable container and put it on the middle shelf of the refrigerator. Fruits that darken quickly should be sprinkled with lemon juice at the cut points.

Dried fruits should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Vegetables

Because most vegetables are 75% to 97% water, and losing even 5% water causes wilting and loss of nutritional value, they should be stored in cool, damp areas such as a garage, cellar, pantry, non-sunny, unheated balcony. All vegetables are best stored in wooden boxes or canvas bags, only unwashed and unpeeled. Tomatoes should not be refrigerated. From this, they acquire a more powdery structure and lose their taste and aroma. If you bought very juicy soft tomatoes and they are overripe and cracked, they can be used to make tomato soup, sauces, or tomato paste. If you purchased unripe tomatoes, place them along with the ripe ones.

Potatoes cannot be stored in the refrigerator, where they begin to absorb moisture and germinate, and at low temperatures, starch turns into sugar. A dark, cool place with good ventilation is best. To prevent potatoes from sprouting, you can put a couple of fruits rich in ethylene (pear, apple, banana) to it.

But peppers, white cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli are best stored in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment, but no more than 3-4 days. Celery stalks must be put in an airtight container and also sent to the refrigerator.

Asparagus is best stored wrapped in a damp towel in the refrigerator, or left in cold water. Under such conditions, asparagus will even grow for one or two days. Zucchini and eggplant should be left in a dark, cool place and consumed within 2-3 days. Mushrooms should not be sent to the refrigerator, where they gain moisture. It is better to leave them in a dark, cool place and wash only immediately before use.

Berries

Fresh berries are stored in containers on the middle shelf of the refrigerator. Strawberries, red and white currants can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-4 days, black currants - up to 5 days, sea buckthorn - 1-2 days. Berries should be spread out in a thin layer all over the bottom of the container. You can make several layers by separating them with thick cooking paper. If you do not have time to consume all the berries, it is better to send them to the freezer until the right time. So be careful and do not get a lot of berries. They have a very thin shell and easily choke, burst, releasing juice, so that they cannot be stored for more than 2 days.

Greenery

All spicy greens ( cilantro, parsley, basil, celery, dill ) are better preserved if you cut the ends and put in a glass of water by 0.5-1 cm. The glass can be put in the refrigerator or stored in a cool dry place. Another long-term storage method is to rinse, cut off the bad parts, dry with a towel and pack the dry herbs in a glass jar, cover with a lid, and refrigerate. An interesting fact: if parsley is rinsed abundantly in warm water, it will become more fragrant.

Leafy greens ( spinach, arugula, all types of lettuce ) are best washed in cold water, dried thoroughly (with a special dryer or soaked with a towel) and packed in an airtight vacuum container.

Well, if you bought more greens than you need, you can prepare it for further use. Cut it into small pieces, put in ice molds and pour olive (or other favorite) oil and refrigerate until the best hour.

Grocery

For storage of groceries ( flour, cereals, grains, sugar and salt ), it is better to use lightproof tins. If there are none, you need to remove glass or plastic containers in a dark, cool place. For prevention, it is useful to sift the flour before storage to avoid insect pests. For the same purpose, you can put bags of flour in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or in the freezer for a day.

Cereals can also be stored in linen bags, boiled in saline beforehand to avoid pest infestation. On shelves with groceries, you can put a clove of garlic or lemon peel, which release phytoncides, which also protects against insects.

Dairy products should be stored on the highest shelves of the refrigerator or in special compartments, if such are provided. A clean, tightly closed container should be used. The optimum temperature for sour cream and cottage cheese is from 0 to +4 C, for milk, curdled milk, kefir and cream - from +3 to +6 C, for cheese and butter - +4 C.

Cottage cheese, kefir and yogurt should preferably be consumed within a day after purchase. To prevent the cheese from drying out and becoming moldy, you can first wrap it in clean parchment paper, then put it in a plastic bag or other container (more environmentally friendly) and place it in the refrigerator. Without a refrigerator, the cheese is stored in a linen napkin soaked in salt water in a dark place.

The optimal shelf life of hard cheese is 7-10 days, soft cheese is 2-3 days, processed cheese is up to 2 days. If you expect a longer shelf life, then you can put the cheese in the freezer, but after that it may begin to crumble, although it will not lose its taste.

Well, and the simplest recommendation - look at the packaging for the indicated shelf life after opening the container. Basically, for dairy products, it is 1-2 days. So shop wisely.

Bread

Black and white bread must be stored separately. And in no case in plastic bags, where it suffocates, which causes the development of bacteria. Paper bags and bread bins with minimal vents work best. To prevent mold, you can wash the bread box with vinegar solution or put a handful of salt. Store in a cool dry place.

nuts

If you purchased shelled nuts or seeds But if you bought shelled nuts or seeds that contain a lot of oils, then it is better to put them in the refrigerator or freezer for longer storage.

And now the most interesting! What you can buy once and then grow at home:

Bok choy (Chinese cabbage) is easy to grow in a pot! To do this, cut the stems, and place the root in a container of water for 1-2 weeks and place in a well-lit place. After that, you can transplant into a pot and wait for the harvest. The same can be done with romaine lettuce (the water should cover half of the plant), the base of the celery basil sprouts , and onion .

coriander leaves (cilantro) , cut tops of carrots and beets , garlic sprout perfectly in the water .

You may know some of your personal ways of storing food. Please feel free to share them with others in the comments. Together we will make our life and the Planet better!

May all living beings be happy! 🙂

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