Best Fruit and Vegetable Storage Guide to Prevent Wastage of Food and Money
The most important part of keeping healthy and fit includes food. Therefore, we often tend to buy a lot of fruits and vegetables and stock them up so that we don’t run out of them. But at times, many of these get spoilt eventually due to improper storage. This leads to a huge loss of money and food on a larger scale if counted. So, here is a simple fruit and vegetable storage guide that will help prevent wastage of food and money!
Firstly, know what goes into what. Some foods need to be stored in extremely cold temperatures whereas some need not be. So, the first step to storing any eatable is knowing where to store it. There are four storage types for different classes of fruits and veggies. Here they are!
1.On the Countertop!
Foods including avocados, bananas, kiwis, mangoes, melons, oranges, and tomatoes can be stored on the countertop. These do not get spoilt under normal room temperature and hence you need not waste your room in the fridge for these.
Tip: Unripened or half ripened fruits or vegetables must be stored outside the refrigerator until they are completely ripened.
2.In the refrigerator!
The key to storing veggies and fruits in the refrigerator is knowing to store the two classes separately.
Fruits such as apples, berries, cherries, grapes, lemons, etc should be stored inside the refrigerator. Usually, refrigerators are equipped with a separate basket to store fruits. Use that basket if you have one or store them in separate trays and restrain from mixing them with veggies.
Vegetables like asparagus, beans, beetroot, broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, all leafy vegetables, pepper, and mushrooms are to be stored separately. Our storage guide on how to store green leafy vegetables is up on the blog, too. Go check it out!
Coming to the sensitive category- dairy products. People often mistake in storing dairy products in the freezer. Need not be! They can sustain moderately low temperatures like the refrigerator atmosphere. So, milk, eggs, yogurt, butter, and cheese can definitely be stored in the fridge.
Tip: Using paper bags to store bananas will help them ripe easier. Adding an already ripened fruit will act as a catalyst in fastening the ripping process.
3.In the pantry!
Make sure your pantry is cool, dry, and not much exposed to direct sunlight. That way, you ensure that your pantry atmosphere is correct. Garlic, onions, potatoes, squash, and cooking oils can be sored in the pantry. Also, all types of dal, rice, and millets that come under lentils and grains can also be stored in the pantry. Check out our guide on how to store grains and more in our article- All about grains, on the blog!
Tip: Always store onions separately as they might spoil the other veggies.
4.In the freezer!
The freezer comes into rescue when we want to store foods for longer periods. Especially seafood is stored in the freezer as its shelflife is usually low. Therefore, fish, shrimp, meat, etc are to be stored in. Vegetables and fruits like mangoes, berries, grapes, broccoli, carrot, onion, and cabbage can be stored to further increase their shelflife.