According to the USDA, the average American household wastes up to 40% of their food each year. Imagine throwing 40% of your groceries in the trash can each week after visiting the grocery store? These alarming rates are mainly caused by improper food storage, and lack of knowledge of how to preserve foods. So we should know about it.
1.Stop a rot Cascade
Don’t let one rotten apple spoil the whole bunch. If one fruit or vegetable gets bruised and starts to rot, it will only speed up the ripening and rotting of your other nearby produce through the release of ethylene gas. Keep an eye on all of your fruits and veggies and get rid of any bad looking pieces ASAP.
2.Keep Bananas Fresh
Keep bananas fresher by separating them and wrapping the stems in plastic wrap. Bananas release ethylene gas, which speeds up the enzymatic process of ripening. Wrapping the stems prevents the gas from escaping and separating them from their buddies helps prevent one’s gas situation from impacting its neighbors.
3.Storing Fresh Herbs
Wash your herbs by filling your salad spinner with cold water. Swirl the herbs gently around in the water to loosen any debris. Drain the water, spin the herbs dry, set them on a layer of paper towels, and pat gently with more paper towels to blot away any excess moisture.
Store hardy herbs by arranging them lengthwise in a single layer on a slightly damp paper towel, rolling them up like a jelly roll, then transferring the bundle to a plastic zipper-lock bag or wrapping it in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator.
4.How to store a cheese
As with most foods, cheese has a complicated relationship with moisture. Too little and it’ll dry out. Too much can spoil it. “Do not use plastic wrap!” Kubick says. “It traps moisture, which can help mold to form.” Even though most cheese in grocery stores is sold in plastic wrap, that’s really “for short term storage,” Hunt says. “We use plastic wrap for the cheese we put out for retail, but we’ll also cut a fresh piece off the block and wrap it in cheese paper for you if you ask. Most good cheesemongers will do that for you.” Hunt also admits to being particularly sensitive to the taste of plastic, which is why he advises against leaving cheese in plastic wrap.
5.Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds can be stored in a dark cool place such as your pantry, but to extend their shelf life, these are also best stored in the refrigerator. For example, I enjoy adding chia seeds to our smoothies. Storing these in an airtight container in the pantry would allow my seeds to last up to 2 years from its manufacturing date. However, storing my chia seeds in an airtight container in the refrigerator extends their shelf life for up to 4 years!
6.Storing Bread
After experimenting with different storage methods of bread, I learned that freezing bread after a few days and allowing it to defrost in the refrigerator is the best sure method to store bread long-term. Bread should be kept in a cool dark place such as a pantry. So if you have room in your freezer, freeze your bread by the slice or the loaf if you think it will go bad before you finish eating it.
7.Cut the tops off your carrots
Even though farmer’s market carrots are undeniably prettier with their leafy green stems, the leaves of root veggies steal their nutrients even after they’ve been picked, says Gardenista. (This goes for beets, too.) Do your carrots a favor and chop ’em off before you put them in the fridge.
8.Store tomatoes with their stems down
PureWow says that storing tomatoes with their stems down keeps air from getting in and moisture from getting out.
9.Put your greens in a storage container with paper towels.
To extend the life of bagged greens, transfer them into a plastic storage container lined with paper towels, then add another layer of paper towels before locking the lid on. The Kitchn found that the hard sides prevent the leafy greens from getting crushed, and the paper towels serve to absorb moisture. The experimenter found that, for the most part, the greens were still good after 10 days.
10.keep mushrooms in a paper bag
Mushrooms do best in brown paper bags, according to Lifehacker, because when moisture evaporates from the fungi, the paper will absorb it (instead of it hanging around and leaving you with soggy ‘shrooms.) Just don’t mistake it for your actual lunch bag.
