How to Keep Your Food Fresher for Longer
Reducing food waste and cutting costs starts with keeping your groceries fresh for as long as possible. Thankfully, there are plenty of simple and effective tips to help extend the shelf life of everything from bananas to flour.
1. Use Paper Towels for Your Veggies
Place a few paper towels in your fridge’s crisper drawer to absorb excess moisture that vegetables release when cooled. This helps prevent wilting and keeps your produce fresher.
2. Keep Banana Bunches Intact
To slow down browning, leave banana bunches as they are and wrap the stems in aluminum foil. This reduces the amount of ethylene gas bananas emit, which speeds up ripening.
3. Protect Your Herbs
Soft herbs like parsley or basil stay fresher when stored in a glass with about an inch of water on your countertop. For sturdier herbs like sage, rosemary, or thyme, wrap them in a damp paper towel and store them in a bag in the fridge.
4. Make Herb-Infused Olive Oil
If your herbs are wilting, chop them up and place them in an ice cube tray. Cover with olive oil and freeze. These herb-infused oil cubes are perfect for cooking and can be added directly to hot pans.
5. Store Garlic in the Dark
Fresh garlic bulbs should be stored in a mesh or paper bag (not plastic) and kept in a cool, dark place. Proper ventilation and darkness will help garlic last for weeks without drying out.
6. Use Lemon Juice Sparingly
If you only need a bit of lemon juice, don’t slice the whole fruit. Instead, pierce it with a skewer and squeeze out the required amount. This keeps the rest of the lemon fresh for longer.
7. Wash Berries in Vinegar
Wash fresh berries like raspberries and strawberries in a solution of one part vinegar to three parts water. This simple rinse can extend their shelf life by several days. Overripe berries can also be turned into jam to avoid waste.
8. Prevent Potatoes from Sprouting
Storing potatoes in a well-ventilated bag in a dark place helps prevent sprouting. Surprisingly, adding an apple to the bag can slow the sprouting process due to the ethylene gas it emits.
9. Store Tomatoes Stem-Side Down
Keep tomatoes on your countertop rather than in the fridge to preserve their flavor and texture. Placing them stem-side down on a flat surface will help them last even longer.
10. Freeze Your Flour
When you buy flour, seal it in a bag and place it in the freezer for a few days. This kills any potential insect eggs and ensures freshness.
11. Keep Veggies Crunchy
To keep celery, carrots, and radishes extra crisp, cut them into sticks and store them in water in the fridge.
12. Freeze Leftover Wine
If you have leftover wine (unlikely, we know), pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. These frozen wine cubes are perfect for cooking whenever a recipe calls for wine.
13. Cover Leftovers Quickly
To keep leftovers fresh, cover them within two hours of cooking and store them in the fridge. Consider using reusable wax wraps, like SuperBee’s non-toxic, eco-friendly beeswax wraps, to securely cover bowls, plates, and cut produce without relying on plastic wrap.
14. Don’t Overfill Your Fridge
Cold air needs to circulate properly to maintain consistent temperatures in your fridge. Overloading your fridge can block airflow, causing some items to spoil faster while others freeze.
What are your go-to tips for keeping food fresh? Share them with us and join the movement toward reducing food waste!