On average, American families trash 14% of the food they buy, often because it spoils. But you can extend the life of groceries with these easy storage tricks:
- Organize fruits and veggies: We often toss produce into crispers together, but apples and some other fruits give off gas called ethylene that speeds ripening in vegetables. So store them separate, so vegetables don’t ripen too fast
- Know which need room temperature: We tend to keep most of our fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. But cold temperatures can actually damage some produce, like squash, tomatoes and oranges
- Use your own packaging: That flimsy package from the butcher won’t protect your meat from freezer burn. Put it in a vacuum sealed or sip lock bag with the air squeezed out
- Protect your dry goods: Dry kitchen products like flour, cornmeal and other grains can attract bugs that make them unusable. Instead, stash them in the refrigerator or the freezer where they will be safe from pests
- Chill your bananas: Most of us keep our bananas on the kitchen counter. But it seems like they spoil almost as soon as they ripen. Instead, store them in your refrigerator once they have ripened. The skin will turn brown but the inside lasts a lot longer
- Shield leftovers from the air: Many of us end up throwing out leftovers because they went bad. To prevent it, don’t just cover the top of the bowl with foil or plastic wrap. Instead, transfer your leftovers to an airtight food storage container to keep them fresh
So keep it fresh longer. Oxygen damages food, so air tight packaging will help keep things fresh.
