12 Ingredients You’re Storing Incorrectly in Your Fridge

In an attempt to increase the amount of whole foods on your plate, you’re bringing home fresh fruits and veggies, but you’re discovering that potatoes taste strangely sweet a few days after they were stored in the cold, tomatoes become mealy, and onions sog in the pan. That is completely reversible, but it’s not ideal. Yes, incorrect storage is the cause of these fresh food errors. Before you may slice, dice, or mince your items into a meal, these methods can help you prevent them from going bad.

These 12 foods show you where to store them instead of how you may be storing them.

1. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries

Fresh berries like blueberries in the refrigerator, dry and unwashed, in a rigid container, such as their original packaging or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. They should last up to 10 days if stored this way. This Easy Method Preserves Berries for a Longer Time

Berries can also be frozen to extend their shelf life, but before freezing, make sure to thoroughly wash and dry them. Any remaining water droplets encourage freezer burn, which causes berries to become bland and unpleasant during storage.

After rinsing and drying, put them in containers or resealable plastic bags and pop them in the freeze. They’ll last for six months.

2. Potatoes

Potatoes get shrunken and shriveled in cold weather because they lose moisture to the outside. The potato marketing and research group Potatoes USA claims that the temperature of the refrigerator also turns the carbohydrates in potatoes into sugar. What was the outcome? When cooked, savory potatoes take on a sweet taste and have a gluey texture. When cooked, the potatoes likewise become brown. Although you can safely consume them if you can tolerate their peculiar flavor and texture, that doesn’t imply they’re bad; they’re just not very appetizing.

When storing potatoes in the refrigerator, make sure to remove them and allow them to reach room temperature before cooking. While it won’t completely stop the conversion of sugar, it will assist avoid discoloration when They’re being cooked by you.

Store potatoes in a cool, dry location, such as a pantry or cupboard, to keep them in optimal condition. But keep them away from the oven, stove, dishwasher, and sink. These locations are too damp and have too many temperature fluctuations to be suitable for storing potatoes.

3. Garlic

Fresh garlic heads may wither in the colder refrigerator temperatures, just like potatoes do. This strong flavor enhancer should be kept in a dry, cool place, such as a pantry or cupboard.

You can freeze bulbs that you have an abundance of for long-term storage. Peel the papery shell, remove individual cloves, and freeze in a container or wrapped in aluminum foil. Alternatively, freeze the bulbs whole and intact.veggies and fruits. Nobody is excited to bite into an apple that smells like onions. Onions have particularly volatile aroma compounds which mean they should be stored away from other foods.

4. Onions

Onions can keep for up to 30 days if kept in a dark, cold, and dry environment, according to Irving. But if you cut into an onion and don’t plan to use it all at once, cover any leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

5. Peeled cucumbers

Cool as a cucumber is an injustice to the thin fruit. In reality, cucumbers don’t mind being cool or even cold. Refrigerators that are not above 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below will cause food to spoil more quickly. Stored cucumbers (uncut) keep longer.at ambient temperature. Store them on the counter in a dry place and shield them from any potential harm. Cucumbers shouldn’t be placed in a fruit bowl, for example, as the fall from hands can harm the delicate skin of the cucumber.

Additionally, avoid placing cucumbers near other fruits such as melons, tomatoes, and bananas. Cucumbers will ripen more quickly due to the ethylene gasses released by these ripening fruits.

6. Cherry tomatoes

Stop right there if you walk in the door and slide your gorgeous farmer’s market Brandywine tomatoes into the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. You are ruining a perfect piece of nature. The chilly atmosphere of the refrigerator makes delicate tomatoes mushy, mealy, and untidy. In cold storage, tomatoes lose flavor and become more mushy, according to the University of California.

Department of Natural Resources and Agriculture. That’s a terrible state of affairs, what’s left of your heirloom fruit.

Tomatoes should only be refrigerated if you want to keep “just-ripe” tomatoes from getting too soft. They can only be left in for a maximum of two days. The tomatoes retain more flavor in this ripe form.

Tomatoes should be kept at room temperature and away from objects that could cut their fragile skin. Try making a homemade tomato sauce if there are too many ripe ones at once.

7. Eggs

You might be tempted to preserve your beautiful ova in the charming egg cups found in refrigerator doors, but fight the impulse. There should be no eggs in the door.Eggs and dairy items should be kept in the coldest section of the refrigerator. Usually, that is the middle shelf. Everything within the door is subject to daily temperature fluctuations. These raw items warm up every time the refrigerator door is opened. That may result in food poisoning or, worse, early spoiling.

8. Fresh Herbs

It’s possible that you purchase bunches of herbs at the farmer’s market or grocery store, but once you’re home, don’t store them without giving them an opportunity to last longer. Because herbs require some moisture and humidity to survive, wrap the stems of parsley, cilantro, and other green herbs in a damp paper towel. Put the aromatics in a wet paper towel. Stow the towel and herbs in a plastic bag that can be sealed tightly and kept in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Every two days, reset the paper towel.

This does not apply to basil; there is only one exception. Basil should not be kept in the fridge. Rather, place the aromatic herbs on the counter with a cup of water in it. Basil leaves shrink and become yellow when kept in a refrigerator due to the low temperature and humidity.

9. Avocados

For heaven’s sake, avoid keeping these hallowed fruits in the refrigerator. Avocados don’t ripen in the cold, dark of the refrigerator. A week after you placed them in the drawer, they will be extremely hard.

10. Beef

Meats such as fish and chicken should be kept in the bottom of the refrigerator, away from any items you might not have cleaned before eating. Meat should never be kept above items that are ready to consume. Any meat leakage could be extremely dangerous for food safety.

The majority of refrigerators have built-in meat drawers. To prevent bacteria from spreading throughout the interior of your refrigerator, line the bottom with a disposable antibacterial mat that you can change on a regular basis.

11. Olive Oil

If olive oil is kept in the refrigerator, it might crystallize and solidify, which can affect its flavor. Storing it in a pantry away from light and heat from the oven is your best bet.

12. Hot sauce

According to the USDA, hot sauce’s vinegar keeps it fresh for up to six months; only creamy condiments need to be chilled.

General Guidelines for Storing Fresh Food

• Steer clear of washing anything before using it. Give up washing fruits and vegetables before storing them if this is your new practice. “Washing them speeds up deterioration, so only rinse them just before eating,” explains Ruder.

• Vegetables and fruits don’t mix. This is a scientific reality, not a healthy-foods turf war. Apples and tomatoes are two examples of fruits that release ethylene gas. Any veggies in the vicinity may ripen more quickly as a result of this emission, which can lead to spoiling.
• Get rid of the plastic. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts that are bagged at the grocery shop should be removed and refrigerated in a ventilated mesh produce bag. They may spoil more quickly since the plastic holds in air.

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