Food expenses form a major part of monthly family budgets, so it is important to buy smartly and to store them properly. If you want to reduce the food wastage, the answer is not just buying less, you also need to make sure that you store it properly. Sometimes it may be more budget friendly to buy in bulk, especially when an item is available at discount offers.
Though refrigerators have made the storage of food products much easier, you do not always need to rely on a fridge to increase the shelf span of food products. Here are some useful tips for storing foods and making sure that the food stays fresh for a long time.
1. Keep fresh produce away from gas stoves
Make sure that you do not store fruits and vegetables near a gas stove. Their natural gas can enhance the ripening of these products. The natural gas and ethylene have the same effect on the fresh food, so make sure that you keep it away from both.
2. Keep them away from heat or smoke
Do not store fresh food in an area where there is smoke or heat. Do not store it near an oven, stove or where there maybe cigarette smoke. The heat from the exhaust and combustion engines can result in quick ripening. Immature ripening decreases the lifespan of food products. They should be stored at low temperatures because cold storage is the best way of preventing the fresh products from ripening.
3. Clean the refrigerator
One of the most important things that keep food fresh is a clean fridge. It may take time, but cleaning is something that is essential. It makes sure that the food does not get contaminated and stays fresh for a long time. If the fridge has leftover residue or any mold spores, then it can play a role in increasing the spoilage of food stored in the refrigerator.
4. Use vacuum sealer absorbers
You can get ethylene absorbers for a refrigerator. You can buy individual bags or vacuum sealers to store your fresh products. The air contains several small bacteria and other microorganisms that are responsible for spoiling the food. The vacuum sealers make sure that there is no contact of air with the product, so it is kept safe from harmful organisms.
5. Do not cut before storage
Do not cut the fruits and vegetables before storing them. Cut them right before you are going to use them. Cutting them before storing will make them go bad pretty quickly. Even if you store them properly, they will still spoil faster than the whole uncut ones.
6. Keeping herbs and green leaves fresh
The fresh herbs and leafy greens can spoil pretty quickly. Put the greens in a vase with water, like you keep fresh cut flowers. Water means life for these plants, so as long as they are getting it, they will stay fresh. Lack of water causes the leaves to wilt and change color. Leaves lose their freshness when dehydrated so keeping them in water is an excellent way of keeping the leafy greens fresh and vibrant. They will also be fresh if you bring them in water and cover the top of the plastic container and out in a refrigerator.
Leaves lose their freshness when dehydrated, so keeping them in water is an excellent way of keeping the leafy greens fresh and vibrant.
7. Storing onions
You can store onions for up to eight months if you store them properly. You can get a pantyhose and put the onions in it. Tie the knot in between each of the onion. Just hang the onions from the ceiling of the kitchen. They will stay fresh for a long time.
8. Storing dried products
You can use a plastic water bottle to store dried and chopped green onions or chives. You can just take out some when you need them. It is easy to store and use. There is no moisture in the dried products, so they are not going to spoil by coming in contact with microorganisms in the air, so it is much easier to store them.
9. Keep the potatoes fresh
You want your potatoes to stay fresh longer and not sprout, then store them with apples. Make sure they are not near the panty-hose onions. If you store them with onions, then they will spoil quickly. But storing apples and potatoes together is a good idea.
10. Storing chopped salad
If you have green chopped salads, then remember that moisture is your worst enemy. Try to keep the moisture to a minimum. Less moisture means that greens will last longer. Put the chopped greens in a bowl with a paper towel and wrap it with a plastic wrap. The paper towel will help in absorbing the moisture and keep them fresh for a longer time.
11. Keeping salad greens fresh
If you are storing the salad greens, then avoid putting tomatoes in it. Tomatoes have moisture so it will cause the leafy greens to rot and wilt quickly. Whenever you make, green salad always add the tomatoes just before you serve them. Use them as garnishing so that their extra moisture does not affect the freshness of other products in the salad.
12. Storing mushrooms
While storing, mushrooms make sure that there is no trapped moisture. You can use a brown paper bag to store mushrooms in. Store them in a fridge because it provides them with a cold and dry place. Avoid storing them in glass or plastic containers as these will trap in moisture.
13. Avoid overstocking
Try not to overstock the refrigerator. This leads to poor air circulation. The fresh produce needs the optimal temperature to stay useable. If there are too many products in the fridge, they will not be able to chill evenly and consistently. The fluctuation in temperature is not suitable for food storage at all, and it can harm the nutrients present in the food.
14. Get rid of rotting fruits
One rotten fruit can make other fruits go bad as well. As soon as you see any sign of rotting, remove the fruit immediately because it can spread rapidly and spoil your whole stock
15. Meat storage
If you want to store uncooked meat for a long time, then store it in a freezer. Keep the temperature of the freezer as cold as possible. The low temperature is critical for storage of meat. It not only keeps the food fresh but also helps in retaining nutrients. While storing raw meat, always remember to keep it away from the other products so that there is no cross contamination.
Keeping the food fresh is a challenge because unprocessed food can go bad very quickly. Food wastage also means wastage of money, and you can save a lot of money by following some of the above mentioned simple tips and practices.
Featured photo credit: https://www.choice.com.au/ via choice.com.au
