How to Properly Store Food

Do you open your refrigerator and wonder which foods are still good to eat? Do you wish foods could stay fresh longer? I have a few tips to help food stay fresh longer and be sure they are still okay to eat.

Fruits and Vegetables

In the summer berries are very prevalent, yet they do not always get eaten. Berries keep fresh unwashed for several days in the refrigerator. To keep them longer, freeze them for about 4 hours on a cookie sheet and then put them in airtight containers and put them back in the freezer. You can use them all year long.

If you have let your bananas get over ripe do not throw them away. Strain them, add a little bit of lemon juice and freeze. This is great if you make banana bread or any recipe using bananas.

Most fruits can be frozen if put in an airtight container.

When you are cutting up onions or green peppers for a recipe, do not hesitate to cut up more than you need. Freeze the extras in plastic bags. They stay fresh 8 to 12 months and are great in casseroles or any soups or cooked foods.

Asparagus is quite expensive and you do not want it to waste. When you get home cut a small amount off the bottom of each stalk. Then place upright in a cup with a little bit of water on the bottom. You can cover with a plastic bag. The same process works with watercress, parsley, basil, dill and coriander.

Quick Tip: If you want to be sure when you cook asparagus that all of it will be tender? Take and asparagus and put one side in each hand. Bend until breaks. Throw the bottom end away. The top part is the good part the rest is stringy and tough.

Cut off the leafy green tops of carrots, beats or turnips before refrigerating. This keeps them fresh a few days longer and keeps the nutrients in.

It is always best to take lettuce out of the plastic it is in when you get in home from the grocery store. Remove the top layer of the lettuce and put it in an airtight plastic bag.

Quick Tip: If you have trouble getting it in the bag, place your hand in the bag, grasp the lettuce through the bag and pull the bag over the lettuce.

If you have cooked any vegetables and have leftovers still in the water that was boiled, put the vegetable along with some of the water, in a plastic container and freeze it. It is great for soups and lasts up to 6 months.

Quick Tip: If you use any kind of vegetable oil, it is best to store it in the refrigerator rather than a cabinet. If you do not use it regularly, oils do go rancid. If you go through vegetable oil about every three months, the cabinet is fine.

Baked Goods

Oftentimes it is just as easy to bake 2 pies as 1. So do it. Just let the second pie cool. Put an aluminum pie foil tin over it and tape it closed. Then freeze. It will be excellent the next time you want pie. It stays fresh about 8 months.

You can freeze bread dough or a loaf of bread. Both stay fresh in freezer for about 5-6 months.

Flour is best left in a refrigerator in a sealed plastic container. I've had some go bad and it is not a pleasant taste. I made 4 batches of Christmas cookies and had to toss them all away.

Leftover pasta without sauce on it, can be refrigerated for a day or two. Just add butter and your favorite ingredients in a skillet.

Dairy Foods

Do you want your cottage cheese to last a few days longer? Store it in the refrigerator upside down in original container.

Don't be afraid to freeze a hard cheese. Cheese like Muenster, cheddar, Gouda, Swiss and provolone can be kept frozen for about 6 months. You won't get that moldy green on the edges either.

A less firm cheese can be kept fresh in the refrigerator stored in a damp cloth.

You can freeze milk. It will take 2 days to defrost in the refrigerator.

In order to keep ice cream from having frost, put a plastic wrap over the surface of the inside of an opened container and close the lid. Ice cream tastes better fresh.

Eggs can be tricky. You do not want to smell a bad egg. If you are unsure if it is still good, put it in a container of water. If it floats, toss it out.

You can freeze egg whites in a plastic bag. Egg yolks need to be mixed with sugar or salt to prevent coagulation before freezing.

Fish, Meat and Poultry

Whenever you buy any fresh meat, it always best to remove it from the original container and put it in wax paper. Cut out the label and tape it on so you know what it is.

Clean uncooked fish stays fresh in clean milk cartons. Just freeze the container.

Herbs/ Spices/Coffee

Keep as many herbs as you can in the refrigerator. Especially, if you seldom use them. If you use them often any outside container you prefer is fine.

If you use coffee regularly, keep ground coffee container refrigerated. If only occasionally, do not be afraid to freeze it.

How long is it good for?

Of all the fruits, apples stay fresh the longest. Most are good for 2-3 weeks. Others are only good 3-7 days unless frozen.

Soft cheeses like cottage cheese are fresh for 5 to 7 days. Hard cheeses can be good up to 4 months. Eggs stay fresh a couple of weeks.

Fish should not be left unfrozen for more than a day. When frozen, they will last up to 6 months. Shell and oily fish should only be kept frozen for 3 months.

Bacon can stay fresh in the refrigerator if wrapped in plastic bag for 1 month. Cooked meats will stay fresh in the refrigerator an average 3 days. Ham can last 1 week.

Frozen beef in the freezer is usually good for 1 year. Poultry can be frozen up to 7 months. Ground beef or pork should only be kept frozen up to 3 months. Lamb and veal is fresh 6 to 9 months in freezer. Frozen pork is good for 3 to 5 months. Sausage can be kept frozen about 2 months.

These few tips should help in keeping food fresh longer and maybe even save you from wasting a few dollars on unused food.

Source: Household Hints & Handy Tips