Don't keep onions and potatoes together
Ever wondered why your potatoes aren't lasting very long? Start by storing
them in separate place to your onions. Both potatoes and onions release
moisture and gases that will cause the other to spoil faster, so make sure you
keep them apart.
Garlic should never be kept in the fridge
The worst way to store garlic is in a sealed container in the fridge, which
can cause the bulb to sprout and develop mold. Instead, place your garlic
somewhere dry and dark, and keep the bulb together for as long as possible. Once,
you've separated the cloves, they won't last longer than a week.
Wrap the crown of a bunch of bananas
Much like avocados, bananas don't have too long a shelf life. To keep them
looking fresh, wrap the crown of each bunch with clingfilm. This will slow down
the ripening process and they'll last 3-5 days longer.
Don't wash fresh produce before putting it in the fridge
Washing fruit and vegetables before you refrigerate them will produce
excess moisture, causing them to spoil faster. If you need to give you food a
rinse, make sure you do it just before cooking .
Don't put bread in the fridge
You might think popping your bread in the fridge will help prevent it from
drying out, but it'll actually go stale quicker than at room temperature. Cold
temperatures cause the strach in bread to recrystalose more quickly than it
would in a warmer environment( leading to staleness)- so dust off that bread
bin and keep your loaf out of the cold.
Rinse berries in vinegar solution
Berries are delicious fresh, but they don't last for long. To help preserve
them, wash them in a mixture that is one part vinegar and 10 parts water, then
drain, rinse and pop them in the fridge. Don't worry, the solution will be
diluted enough that you won't taste any of the vinegar. The berries should last
one to 2 weeks without going moldy!
Preserve cheese
You can also use vinegar to help rescue cheese. All you need to do is
dampen a paper towel with the same mixture, wrap it around the cheese and store
it in a plastic bag. Again, the solution will be diluted enough that the taste
won't be impaired.
Store fresh mozzarella in water
Balls of fresh mozzarella can quickly become dry or turn sour once sliced.
Extend their life in the fridge by storing them in water. If you ensure all the
cheese is covered, it should last for around 3 days.
Freeze your fruits
If you've got fresh fruit you're not going to eat, bag up small portions
and freeze it instead. You can use frozen fruit straight away in smoothies or
cook it in crumble, pies and jams. This method will work with everything from
bananas and apples to blackcurrant and mangoes.
Store asparagus like a bunch of flowers
After a while, asparagus can start to look a little limp. To keep it
fresher for longer, cut the stems off your asparagus, place them in water ( not
too much), and then put a plastic bag on top before refrigerating. This will
keep them cripser for longer.
The same goes for herbs
Just like asparagus, fresh herbs such as basil and parsley fare best when
treated like a bunch of flowers. Cut back the stems, and place them in a jar of
fresh water. Ensure they get enough light and are kept away from extremes of
temperature.
Freeze your wine
While wine will last for along time unopened, it will quickly turn bad once
uncorked. There is no real way of keeping open wine fresh for long- but you can
save it for cooking. Just fill up an ice-cube tray with any leftovers, freeze
it and then defrost as needed to use in sauce or stews. You'll lose a little
flavour, but it will still add depth to your dishes.
Don't let rotten apple sit with the rest
We've all heard the phrase " one bad apple spoils the barrel" and
it's true. As they ripen, apples, much like fruits, produce ethylene, a
ripening agent. When you store fruits together,
the ethylene from each fruit causes the others to ripen faster too. So,
if you see an apple looking a little worse , remove it straight away.
Buy an ethylene gas absorber
Add it to your mote, if your fridge is constantly full of fresh fruit and
veges, buy yourself an ethylene gas absorber. Costing around 5$ (4 pounds), the
absorber sits in the fridge and helps to soak up all of that troublesome
ethylene, extending the life of your fruit and veges.
Freeze pesto as ice cubes
Pesto is a grest addition to pasta, but can start to spoil very quickly. To
keep it fresh, pour the remaining pesto into an ice-cube tray and freeze it, so
you've always got some on hand when you need it. Once frozen, you can put in a
ziplock bag in the freezer.
Freeze veges to make smoothie packs
It's not just frozen fruit that works well in a smoothie. Leafy veges such
as kale and spinach freeze just fine and can easily be blitzed up to make a
uice. If you're a fan, this hack might just transform your mornings.
Put a paper towel on top of your salad
Lettuce is great on the 1st day, but after you've opened a bag of salad,
you'll see a quick decline. Placing a paper towel on top of the leaves will
soak up all the excess and prevent them from wilting as quickly.
Invest in a salad spinner
Alternatively, invest in a salad spinner and spin your leaves to remove all
the moisture before storing. This will
help them to last longer without turning into one soggy mess.
Dry your herbs in the microwave
If you're struggling to keep your herbs alive, try popping them in the
microwave to dry them out. Place them in between 2 paper towels and zap them
for 1 minute, followed by a few 20 second bursts until they're completely dry.
Cut the tops off your carrots
Carrots might look pretty with their green stems, but those leafy tops are
actually stealing nutrients from the rest of the carrot. Chop them off to keep
your carrots for longer.
Freeze fresh herbs or chili on oil
Another handy hack for preserving fresh herbs and chili is to chop them up
and pop them into ice cube trays with olive oil or melted butter. Harder herbs(
rosemary, thyme etc) can also withstand being plucked from the stem and kept in
jars in the freezer.
Freeze fresh pasta for quick meals
Cooked pasta can turn to muh unless it's frozen after being cooked al
dente. But tightly wrapped fresh pasta freezes well for up to 2 months, so it's
certainly worth keeping some for nights when you've a little less time.
Wrap veges in aluminum foil
Wrapping veges like cucumber, lettuce and celery in aluminum foil helps to
allow the ethylene gas to escape, while still holding enough moisture for the
food to stay fresh. Storing them this way should keep them fresh for at least a
week longer.
Freeze your milk
Freezing fresh milk is a great hack if you're going away. Skimmed or
semi-skimmed milk can last for upto a month in the freezer. However, fat
requires an extremely low temperature to freeze ( lower than the average
freezer) so this won't work as well with whole milk.
Pop some marshmallows in your brown sugar
If kept for a while, brown sugar can become dry, clumpy and hard- but there
are a couple of quick fixes.Firstly, you'ld transfer the sugar from its bag to
an airtight container ( this will keep it from losing too much moisture). Next
pop a couple of marshmallows into it. It may seem strange, but the moisture
from the marshmallows will help keep your sugar soft. Bread has a similar
effect but can go moldy.
Make your yogurts into lollies
Yogurts have a short shelf life, but they'll last monger of they're frozen
into delicious lollies. Simply take a yogurt pot, stir the contents ( mixing in
some fresh berries if you fancy), pop in a lolly stick or plastic spoon and
freeze upright.