Finding recipes that suit your current supplies can be challenging.
To help you make the most of what you have at home, I’ve compiled my best tips on preserving your ingredients. This guide aims to provide you with practical advice that can be useful even in more stable times.
General Food Storage Guidelines
Proper food storage is essential to maintain the freshness and quality of your produce. Here are some guidelines to help:
1. Regular Inspection: Frequently check your fresh produce and discard any items that are becoming mushy or show signs of mold. Remove rubber bands or twist-ties from produce as these areas tend to spoil first.
2. Separate Storage: Store fruits separately from vegetables. Ripe fruits emit ethylene gas, which can cause nearby produce to ripen or spoil faster.
3. Temperature Considerations:
– Keep unripe fruits such as avocados, pineapples, mangoes, and peaches at room temperature until they ripen.
– Once ripe, transfer these fruits to the refrigerator’s fruit drawer to slow down spoilage.
– Sturdy fruits and vegetables can generally be stored at room temperature for a few days if necessary.
4. Efficient Use of Space: Use square containers for storage as they utilize space more efficiently, occupying about 25% less space than round containers.
5. Pickling Opportunity: Consider making quick pickles with items like onions, radishes, carrots, cauliflower, and peppers.
Finally, rely on your senses. Trust your eyes and nose over use-by dates, as they provide a better indication of freshness.
Greens & Herbs
Green Onion and Leafy Herbs ( Parsley, Cilantro, and Dill)
To extend the freshness of store-bought cilantro, parsley, and green onions for up to three weeks, remove the rubber band around their bases immediately. Store them in mason jars with a few inches of water, treating them like a bouquet of flowers.
Trim the ends of the herbs (excluding green onions), replace the water regularly, and discard any decaying pieces. For optimal freshness, place them in the refrigerator door with a produce bag over the top, but they can also be kept at room temperature out of direct sunlight.
If you run out of fresh herbs and need them for a recipe requiring less than 1/2 cup, consider omitting them, using dried herbs, or substituting with a similar herb. For instance, cilantro and parsley can sometimes be interchangeable, but cilantro may not suit an Italian dish.
When using dried herbs as a substitute, use one-third of the amount called for in the recipe. For example, if a recipe calls for one tablespoon (three teaspoons) of fresh dill, use one teaspoon of dried dill. You can always add more if necessary.
Packaged Fresh Greens
After opening, place a paper towel inside the bag or under the lid before resealing. This absorbs excess moisture and keeps the greens fresh longer. If the greens came in a clamshell, securely fasten the lid and store the container with the lid side down.
Sturdy Greens: Chard, Collard Greens, and Kale
These greens can be kept at room temperature for a few days but will last longer in the refrigerator. Remove the rubber band at the base before storing them in a bag. If you don’t mind extra texture in your meals, use the entire stem of these greens.
Slice the stems into small (1/4-inch wide) pieces and cook them for a few minutes until they can be easily pierced by a fork before adding the greens.
For any extra greens, you can use a quick-cooking technique and serve them as a side dish or incorporate them into dishes like kale salad or lentil soup. If your greens become dehydrated, try reviving them with an ice water bath.
Fruits & Vegetables
Apples
– Storage: Keep apples at room temperature for up to a week or in the fruit drawer of the refrigerator for several weeks.
– Extra Apples: Make applesauce, apple steel-cut oatmeal.
Asparagus
– Storage: Place asparagus in a mason jar or similar container with a couple of inches of water. Cover the top with a produce bag and store it in the refrigerator door if possible.
– Preparation Tip: Snap off the woody ends before cooking.
Avocado
– Storage: Keep underripe avocados at room temperature until they ripen. To speed up ripening, place them in a paper bag with an apple or banana. Once ripe, store them in the refrigerator.
– Cut Avocado: To prevent browning, store cut avocados in a small container with a chunk of cut onion.
Bananas
– Storage: Keep underripe bananas at room temperature until they ripen.
– Freezing: For smoothies, peel ripe bananas, slice them into 1-inch segments, and freeze them on a rimmed baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag to prevent sticking.
Beets, Carrots, and Radishes
– Storage: Remove the greens if attached and cook them in olive oil as they decay faster. Store the vegetables without greens in the refrigerator’s vegetable drawer or at room temperature for a few days.
– Extra Carrots: Make creamy roasted carrot soup, French carrot salad, carrot ginger dressing, or perfect roasted carrots.
Berries and Cherries
Berries are delicate fruits that typically last a couple of days at room temperature. However, for optimal preservation, it’s best to store them in the refrigerator’s fruit drawer, placing them on top of other items to avoid being crushed.
Regularly check and remove any berries that are going bad. Rinse berries only as needed; storing them with water droplets can hasten decay.
If you have an excess of berries, consider eating them promptly. To extend their shelf life, you can use a vinegar-wash solution.
Alternatively, wash and thoroughly air dry the berries before freezing them for future use. For recipe ideas featuring berries and cherries, use the search bar to explore a variety of options.
Celery
Celery should be stored in the refrigerator’s vegetable drawer, ideally in the bag it came in with a few small air holes. Remove any rubber bands before storing. If the celery becomes limp, you can cut it into sections and soak it in ice water to try to revive its crispness.
Citrus
Citrus fruits can be stored at room temperature for up to a week, or in the refrigerator’s fruit drawer for two to three weeks. It’s important to regularly check and remove any citrus that has become squishy or moldy to prevent contamination of the other fruits.
If you find yourself with extra citrus, consider making fresh-squeezed orange juice for mimosas, margaritas, or cilantro-lime rice with lime. You can also use lemon for classic hot toddies or hummus.
Storing Garlic and Onions
Garlic and onions should be stored in a cool, dark place with good ventilation. Avoid storing them in the refrigerator or in plastic bags. Under ideal conditions, they can last for about a month.
Do not store them with potatoes, as potatoes release moisture that can affect the quality of garlic and onions.
For cut onions, it’s best to use them quickly since they lose their flavor once cut. If you need to store a portion of a cut onion, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator. Use it within a few days.
Storing Ginger
Ginger should be kept in the refrigerator’s vegetable drawer, where it will last for a week or two. If you have extra ginger, you can freeze it and grate it later using a microplane, even while frozen.
Alternatively, you can use extra ginger to make ginger tea, ginger vinaigrette, or carrot ginger salad dressing. If you run out of fresh ginger, you can substitute with powdered ginger from your spice drawer, especially in cooked recipes.
Use one-third of the amount of powdered ginger compared to fresh ginger (e.g., one teaspoon of powdered ginger for one tablespoon of fresh ginger).
Storing Peppers
Fresh peppers can be kept at room temperature for several days but will last longer, up to a week or more, in the refrigerator’s vegetable drawer.
If you have extra bell peppers, consider pickling them, chopping and freezing them for later use, or making dishes like vegetable paella or lentil and couscous stuffed peppers.
If you run out of bell peppers, jarred roasted bell peppers can be a good substitute, or you can increase the amount of other vegetables in your recipe.
Storing Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes and sweet potatoes should be stored in a dark, cool place with good ventilation. Avoid storing them in the refrigerator or in plastic bags, and handle them gently to prevent bruising.
If you have extra potatoes, you can make crispy potato wedges or hash browns. Extra sweet potatoes can be used to make baked sweet potato fries, perfect roasted sweet potatoes, or savory mashed sweet potatoes.
Storing Tomatoes
There has been a long-standing belief that tomatoes should not be refrigerated to prevent them from becoming bland and mealy.
However, extensive testing by Serious Eats suggests that slightly underripe tomatoes from the farmers’ market or garden should be stored at room temperature if you plan to eat them within a few days.
Otherwise, store tomatoes in the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature before serving. To prevent tomatoes from becoming soft and wrinkled, store them vine-side down on a plate.
Dairy & Eggs Storage Guidelines
Milk and Cream
Store milk and cream in the refrigerator unless you have purchased a shelf-stable option, which should be refrigerated after opening. Always check the smell of your milk before using it; if it has an off odor, it has likely gone bad.
Yogurt, Cream Cheese, Sour Cream , and Soft Cheeses
Keep these dairy products in the refrigerator, preferably in the cheese drawer for easier access. Wrap partially used logs of goat cheese securely in plastic wrap.
Use your senses to check for freshness—if you notice a pink mold or a strange smell, discard the product. Mold often grows beneath the surface, making it unsafe to consume.
Hard Cheeses
Refrigerate hard cheeses. While cheese experts recommend wrapping open cheese in wax paper, placing it in resealable plastic or silicone bags also works to prevent drying out.
If you find mold on hard cheese, cut off at least 1 inch around and below the moldy area, taking care not to contaminate your knife.
Eggs
Store eggs in their original carton inside the fridge, not in the door. To check egg freshness, fill a bowl with cold water and place the eggs in it.
Fresh eggs will sink and lay flat on their sides or stand on one end at the bottom (less fresh). If the eggs float, they are no longer good to eat.
Bread & Baked Goods
To prevent mold growth, store bread products, including tortillas and pita breads, in the refrigerator or freezer. While bread may become stale in the fridge, it can be refreshed by toasting or warming.
If you notice any mold on the bread (fuzzy bits), it indicates that the entire loaf or bag is likely contaminated and should not be consumed.
Nuts, Seeds, Whole Grains & Flours
Nuts and Seeds
It is recommended to buy raw (not toasted) nuts as they have a longer shelf life and freshly toasted nuts offer superior taste. Store nuts and seeds in airtight bags or containers in a cool, dark place, such as the refrigerator or freezer if space allows. Although mason jars and sturdy containers look appealing, bags with the air squeezed out take up less space.
Before using, taste test nuts and seeds; if they taste bitter, they have turned rancid and should not be consumed. Once opened, store them in the refrigerator. If they show signs of mold or taste bitter, they have spoiled.
Whole Grains and Whole Grain Flours
Store whole grains and whole grain flours in a cool, dark place in airtight, sealed bags or containers. For extended shelf life, store them in the refrigerator or freezer if space permits. Whole grains and flours do not last as long as more refined products because they contain beneficial oils.
Before use, smell whole grains and whole grain flours; if they smell rancid, they have spoiled and should be discarded.
