When you’re in the mood to prepare a great freshly-made meal at home it can be a real bummer to open the fridge and find out that your ingredients have gone bad. Then you’re stuck with having to make a trip to the store or go with something in your freezer. Here are some tips to store many of the most-used food items properly to prevent this kind of tragedy:
- Milk– You should not store your carton of milk in the refrigerator door—place it at the back of the fridge you ensure the milk always stays cold
- Salad greens– Add a paper towel to the top of your box or bag of greens to soak up excess moisture and keep the leaves crisp, dry and fresh for longer
- Celery– Wrap your celery in aluminum foil—it keeps the right amount of moisture to ensure the celery stays hydrated and crisp and the foil is an additional barrier against ethylene gas emitted by other produce
- Cucumbers– Slice the whole cucumber and place a paper towel on the slices and then place everything in a re-sealable plastic bag
- Asparagus– Like flowers, stand the spears upright and cover the tips loosely with a plastic bag to prevent contamination from other fridge odors. An easier method is to wrap the bundle in a damp paper towel—that method sounds a little easier!
- Cherry Tomatoes– Store them in a cool, dry place allowing them to ripen naturally. When perfectly ripe, transfer them to the fridge in their perforated plastic container
- Tomatoes– You should always store them upside down in the fridge. This keeps them ripe for longer as they are a fruit—the stems connect to the scar of the tomato and when the scar is removed they go rotten faster.
- Onions– it’s a bad idea to put these in the fridge. Place them in a mesh bag and store in a cabinet or pantry. Once they are sliced, you can transfer them to an air-tight container in your fridge.
More tips for proper storage of garlic, potatoes, avocados, bananas, berries, meat, grains and pasta, brown sugar, nuts, lemons and limes, mushrooms, carrots and almost any kind of ingredients can be found at this link. These tips should save you time, money and a lot of frustration!
Source: The Daily Meal