The Secret To Storing Fresh Food For Longer

Wasting food is throwing money away, so if you’re keen to save cash it is wise to make every effort to store your food properly to avoid spoilage. We have compiled a list of the best ways to store common fresh food stuffs around your house

Pumpkin

• Best stored in a cool dark place when whole, they should keep for up to 3 months.
• Once cut they need to be kept in the fridge wrapped in gladwrap.

Onions, garlic and shallots

• Store in a brown paper bag, with the top folded over and paperclips to seal. Punch holes up and down either side of the bag to allow airflow and the contents will keep for up to 3 months fresh as the day you bought them.
• Store onions individually in pantyhose with a knot tied in between each onion to keep fresh for up to 6 months.
• Onions also freeze beautifully, just slice or dice them ready for use, lay them in a single layer between sheets of baking paper in the freezer until frozen then bag up and label.
• Garlic freezes great in a ziplock bag once it has been peeled and just take out individual cloves as you need them.

Broccoli stores best in the fridge wrapped in foil, for up to a month.

Asparagus store best like cut flowers in a jar with a little bit of water in the bottom.

Mushrooms don’t like to be stored in the fridge, the moisture makes them grimy and mouldy.

Red Chilli Cut tips, rinse in cold water and store in an airtight container in fridge, should last a month or longer.

Ginger freezes perfectly in a ziplock bag, just cut off chunks as you need them.

Lettuce

• Separate and wash lettuce and spin it to remove excess water. Store in a bowl in fridge with paper towel resting on top before covering in glad wrap.
• After washing wrap loosely in paper towel and seal in a ziplock bag.

Cucumber is best stored on the bench unless the weather is very hot, as the old temperature in the fridge speeds up the decay process

Celery stores best in the fridge wrapped in foil, up to a month this way.

Potatoes

• Store in a paper bag with an apple to prevent sprouting.
• Don’t store with onions, this encourages rapid sprouting.

Tomatoes

• Remove stem and store topside down to get the longest shelf life out of them.
• Don’t put in fridge as low temp takes away flavour.

Citrus Fruit

• Don’t store in fridge as low temp takes away flavour.
• A bowl on the bench out of direct sunlight is best.

Berries Rinse in 1 part vinegar, 6 parts water and pat dry this prevents spoilage and mould and doesn’t make them taste like vinegar. Then store in fridge covered in paper towel to absorb moisture.

Bananas

• Stay fresher longer in the fridge.
• Stay fresher longer if you wrap the stem ends with a little glad wrap.
•  Bananas separated from each other will last up to twice as long at room temperature.

Avocados

• Halves will stay green and fresh if stored in an airtight container with a cut onion. The sulphur in the onion stops the enzymes in the avocado from interacting with the air.
• To quickly ripen an avocado put it in a paper bag with a banana, it will be ripe within 24 hours.

Nuts

• Freeze nuts in a zip lock bag to extend shelf life.
• Best stored fresh in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.

Fresh herbs

• Make these last longer by wrapping them in a damp paper towel before putting in the fridge.
• Fresh basil keeps much better at room temperature with the stems in a glass of water and the leaves inside a bag.
• Freeze herbs in olive oil in ice cube trays. The preserve well and are ready for the frying pan.
• Hang herbs upside down in bunches to dry them.
• If herbs have gone limp and lifeless in the fridge revive them in some ice water.

Do you know any neat tricks for keeping your food fresher longer that we haven’t mentioned here?