15 Simple Ways to Make Your Food Last Longer

You search through your fridge to find the fresh products you bought a week ago but you end up finding rotten and wilted produce. Luckily there are simple hacks that you can start practicing. Now you will learn how to properly store bacon, how to make your carrots last longer, and more.

Bright Side found out the best ways to make your fresh products last longer, while keeping their flavor too.

1. Preserving herbs

Fresh herbs don’t last long, even if we keep them in the fridge. But there are 2 ways you can keep them fresh for longer.

• Treat them like flowers. Fill a glass with water and dip the herbs in the water. Now store them in the fridge. With this, you will get 3 to 4 more days out of your fresh herbs.
• If you want to keep your herbs fresh for more than 4 days, simply infused them in butter. Chop or use larger sprigs of herbs and place them in an ice tray. Pour melted butter to just cover them and freeze the tray. Now you won’t end up throwing away wilted herbs.

2. Keeping cabbage fresh for longer

The biggest mistake you can make with cabbage is keeping it in a plastic bag. Keep the cabbage in the drawer in the fridge, as it is, and not in a plastic bag. This way it will even stay crispy and fresh for up to 2 weeks.

3. Keeping lettuce and spinach fresh

Both lettuce and spinach need to be washed before storing. Wash them with cold water and place them in glass bowls layered with paper towels. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. They will even be perfectly crispy for salads and the spinach will be ready to use for any dish you want.

4. Storing onions

Storing onions in the fridge is not a good idea because of the moisture. Also, because your whole fridge and other produce will start to smell like onions. What you should do, is keep them in a wire basket because it has good ventilation. This way, they will stay fresh for months. Never store them together with potatoes, because they will go bad faster.

5. Wrapping cheese in a wax paper

Plastic wrap is the enemy for cheese products and the solution is wax paper. Once opened, wrap the cheese in wax or parchment paper and then place it in a plastic bag. Now, your cheese won’t spoil as fast as before.

6. Keeping bread fresh and mold-free for longer

Plastic cases, wraps, and bags are the worst options for storing bread. The best way is to wrap it with a clean kitchen towel and store it in a breadbox or microwave. It not only hinders the process of forming mold, but it will help it stay soft too.

7. Maintaining the nutrients of carrots

If the carrots you bought have their top stems, cut them off before storing. The stems will take all the essential nutrients and moisture. Without the stems, your carrots will stay fresh and healthy for a lot longer period. Also, avoid storing them in plastic bags and just place them in the fridge drawer.

8. Storing berries

If you wash berries and keep them in a plastic or glass container, even in the fridge, they will start to mold faster. Avoid washing the berries until right before using them. Store them in a container that has good airflow, like a colander.

9. Keeping mushrooms fresh

If you buy mushrooms in a plastic container, remove them from the container immediately. Wash off any leftover dirt and spread them in one layer to dry. Once dry, wrap them in paper towels and place them in a paper bag. Refrigerate until you use them.

10. Storing bacon

Once you open the bacon from its original packaging, don’t put it back there. If you do, the chances of bacteria forming are very high. To avoid this, you can use a few different methods:

• Freeze the bacon in an airtight container or a well-wrapped, closed plastic bag.
• Vacuum seal the bacon and keep in the fridge or freezer.
• Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

11. Keeping meat fresh without freezing it

If you don’t want to freeze meat and you plan to use it in the next few days, then there is a simple solution. Place the piece of meat in a plastic container and fill it with olive oil. The oil will preserve the meat and at the same time, make it even tastier, you can use this chance to also marinate and add any herbs you like. But this will only keep the meat fresh for up to 3 days and it doesn’t apply to ground beef.

12. Keeping Feta and sheep’s cheese in brine

Many of us love Feta and sheep’s cheese, it is delicious and can be used in many different dishes. But when we buy too much, we end up throwing it away. Next time, if you buy more than you need for the week, you can store it in brine.

• 4 cups of water
• 3.5 oz salt

Dissolve the salt in water. Place the cheese in a plastic container and pour the brine to cover the whole portion of cheese. Before using, rinse the cheese under cold water.

13. Keeping lemons fresh for a month

Lemons should be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge. This way, they will stay fresh for up to a month. Just don’t stack them. They still need enough space for air to flow. Remember that if you keep them at room temperature, they will stay fresh for one week.

14. Burying leeks in soil

Burying leeks in soil is the best way to keep them fresh and keep them from rooting. If you don’t have a garden where you can bury them, use a pot. Just make sure to wash them and peel the first layer before using them. This hack will keep the leeks fresh for months. Store the pot in a cold and dark place and water the soil from time to time.

15. Using plastic wrap to keep bananas fresh

Keep bananas fresh by wrapping their stems with plastic wrap. This might seem too simple but it is a hack that you will be surprised by. Now your bananas won’t get mushy and dark because the ripening process will slow down significantly. Just remember to rewrap the stems when you take one banana.

Do you have your own effective ways to keep products fresh?