13 Tips for Keeping Perishable Foods That Can Spoil Even in the Fridge
We eat different kinds of foods every day and often buy them in advance. As time passes we often see faded parsley or moldy bread. Or, we buy a container of sour cream to add to a salad, and one day later we find out that it’s spoiled.
Bright Side recommends memorizing these simple secrets. They’ll help you keep your food fresh longer, which means you’ll save money on groceries.
1. Bread
But an entire loaf, not sliced. The crust should protect the inside from oxygen, so the bread will stay fresh for a long time. To make sure the inside is safe, cut the loaf in the middle. Then cut slices from each side and store with the halves together. Keep the loaf in a bag or in a special bread box.
2. Caviar
If you keep caviar in an open can, it will spoil one day after you open it. To keep caviar fresh for a week or more, put it in a glass jar which you have cleaned with boiling water in advance. Sprinkle some scent-free oil on the caviar and put in a few pieces of lemon.
Keep any kind of caviar in a glass jar washed with boiling salty water. Store with an oiled sheet of paper under the lid. Remember that it’s best not to freeze caviar, just keep it in the coldest place in the fridge.
If you need to freeze it, then split the bunch of caviar into small portions and defrost them in the fridge. The caviar won’t pop if you do it this way.
3. Sour cream and yogurt
These products are usually sold in plastic jars covered with foil which is easy to open. To keep sour cream and yogurt fresh for a long time, put regular aluminum foil on top. But make sure that these products are kept far away from onion, garlic, and citrus because they may absorb these other smells.
4. Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese can’t be kept fresh for a long time, but you can use this simple lifehack to make it live longer than one day. Put the cheese in a glass bowl, put a cube of sugar on top and cover it. The sugar will slow down the oxidation of the product.
5. Cheese
If you want to keep cheese fresh, don’t keep it in a plastic bag, wrap it in parchment or wax paper. To avoid mold, put a piece of sugar next to the cheese, and use butter to prevent it from drying.
6. Parsley
To keep parsley for a long time, you can store it in an unusual way. Chop the parsley, and put it into ice trays. Pour some water over it and freeze it. When you need it, get the cubes out of the tray. You can defrost the necessary amount of parsley very quickly or you can add the cubes to whatever you’re cooking right away.
7. Lemons
Keep lemons in the fridge wrapped in paper which will absorb the extra moisture, and they won’t rot. Keep each lemon separately wrapped in case one is bad, so the others won’t also go bad. You can put a cut lemon in a special container or use this lifehack: put it on a plate with sugar or salt, cover it with a glass, and wrap it in plastic.
8. Carrots
To make sure carrots don’t spoil, don’t sprout, and stay tasty and crunchy, remove the tops. Then, wash the carrots well, wrap them in a wet towel, and put them in the fridge. Another option is to put the carrots in a container or a jar of water and keep it in the fridge. If you notice that the water becomes cloudy, change it.
9. Chili peppers
The pods which can be kept for a long time should be bright, shiny, and shouldn’t have any spots or be damaged. To keep peppers fresh for up to 2 weeks, store them in a plastic container in the fridge. You should know that chili peppers don’t usually rot, they dry, but the spiciness doesn’t fade. You can easily dry chili peppers: pierce each pepper with a needle and hang them so that they don’t touch each other.
10. Mushrooms
Keep track of the expiration date of the mushrooms you buy. You should transfer them from the container you bought them in, to a paper bag. If you don’t have one, just put napkins on the bottom of any jar or box, put the mushrooms in there, and cover them with napkins.
11. Onions
Keep your onions in socks or stockings. But make sure that you tie a knot after every single onion. Storing them this way, you can keep the onions good for 9 months!
12. Bananas
Wrap the upper part of the bunch of bananas with a transparent film. This will allow you to keep them for 3 to 5 days longer than usual. Also, remember that bananas release ethylene gas, so you should keep them away from other fruits.
13. Green onions
You can freeze green onions in a plastic bottle. They will be as fresh as the day you bought them when you defrost them.
What other lifehacks do you know and use? Share them in the comment section below!
Preview photo credit humanosphere, joburgeastexpress