We all know fruit and vegetables are good for us. Some of us are lucky enough to be big fans of them, too! But what we're not a fan of is how quickly fresh fruits and vegetables can go off. We've all had that moment of looking at a blackened banana, thinking, 'didn't I JUST buy you?' Avoid the annoyance of wasted food. Check out these handy fruit and vegetable hacks and keep your stuff fresher, longer…
Wrap celery, broccoli and lettuce in foil before refrigerating.
Berries are delicate. Try to avoid stacking them on top of each other, as they bruise and spoil easily.
Practice food timing. Some fruit and veg last longer than others so at the start of your week, plan which you'll need to use first. For instance, bananas strawberries and mushrooms won't last as long as oranges, tomatoes and spinach.
If you really want to maximize the lifespan of your peppers, slice 'em up and pop them in a zip lock bag in the freezer.
Mushrooms are usually packaged in styrofoam with plastic wrap, which is how they keep best in the fridge. It's important to keep them sealed so if you've already opened your mushrooms, remember to replace a new film of plastic wrap to keep them fresh.
Most fruits emit ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening process in other fruits and vegetables around them. This can be good if you want things to ripen but bad if you don't. So remember to separate your fruit from your veg.
Tomatoes are sensitive to the cold, and can lose texture and moisture and taste from being put in the fridge. Keep 'em on the counter.
Remember to store garlic in a dark, cool place.
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On a counter, a lemon lasts around a week. In a zip lock bag in the chiller drawer of the fridge, however, they can last up to four weeks.
Keep potatoes at around 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Your basement is an ideal storage place.
An orange's lifespan can be double if not tripled by keeping them in the fridge.
Similarly, apples also last longer in the fridge. You can even put a wet paper towel on top. This helps them retain crunchiness.
Bananas, despite popular belief, can be kept in the fridge to make them last longer. Don't panic to find black skins, inside the bananas will be as fresh as ever!
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