Eating healthy is not an easy task, but with a little know-how and effort it is entirely possible. A problem that often occurs with people who start eating more whole foods is that their produce spoils. After a few days, or even a few hours for some foods, your food may start to spoil.
How do you fix the problem? Fruits and vegetables are proven to be good sources of energy, nutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals (1). Fruits and vegetables are essential to a healthy diet – and to eat them, you need to know what to do with them to keep them fresh. This ensures that your products last longer.
Where should I store my products?
When it comes to keeping food fresh, the most important thing is where you store it: in the fridge, on the counter or somewhere else. Location can really make all the difference when it comes to how long your food lasts.
Your countertop should be used to store foods that have yet to mature. Certain produce (usually fruit) can be purchased before it is ripe. Therefore, you should leave them on your countertop until they are ready to eat. From then on, it’s a good idea to eat them immediately or keep them in the fridge for a few more days. Examples of some products you may want to leave out of the fridge include (2):
- Tomatoes
- Avocados
- Bananas
- Pears
There are also certain vegetables that you should store in a cool, dry place, such as the pantry – these include (2):
- Onions
- Garlic
- potatoes
- Winter squash
These types of foods cannot be stored in the refrigerator because their texture and taste may deteriorate when exposed to moisture.
All other products should be placed in your refrigerator. This primarily includes fruits and vegetables that are already ripe or cut into pieces.
You might also like this
Do not store these foods together
Ethylene is a gas released by most fruits and vegetables that causes ripening of fruits and vegetables (3).
“The riper an ethylene-producing fruit or vegetable is, the more gas it produces, so if there are other foods nearby, the gas will also ripen faster,” says MyFitnessPal nutritionist Katherine Basbaum.
Most tree fruits emit large amounts of ethylene, among other things. Here are some fruits and vegetables that produce ethylene (3):
- Apples
- Pears
- Apricots
- Avocados
- Cantaloupe
- Nectarines
- Papayas
- Peaches
- Bananas (when fully ripe)
- Peppers (when fully ripe)
- Tomatoes (when fully ripe)
The above products should not be stored with fruits and vegetables that are sensitive to ethylene, including (3):
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- broccoli
- Cucumbers
- asparagus
- Iceberg lettuce
- Squeeze
- Herbs
- Apples
Lower temperatures help reduce sensitivity to ethylene (3). You should store these ethylene-sensitive foods in the refrigerator in a vegetable drawer. Fruits and vegetables that produce ethylene should be bagged and stored in another vegetable drawer.
About the expert
Katherine Basbaum, MS, RD is a food data curator at MyFitnessPal. She received her master’s degree in nutrition communication from Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy and completed her dietetic internship at UVA Health, where she also works as a nutritionist for cardiology patients.
4 tips to ensure that products last longer
Now that we’ve discussed where certain products should be stored and what types of products shouldn’t be stored together, let’s get into more specific tips and tricks for extending the shelf life of your products.
#1: Remove the tops from root vegetables
Root vegetables like carrots, beets, and radishes all have leafy tops that tend to rot quickly. So if you don’t plan on eating the leaf tops, it’s a good idea to cut them off immediately after purchasing (4). Then store the stemmed root vegetables in the refrigerator.
#2: Use your vegetable drawer
Don’t put food on the shelves of the refrigerator – vegetable drawers exist for a reason! Placing fruits and vegetables in vegetable drawers helps protect them and keep moisture in them longer (5). This ultimately ensures that the freshness is retained for longer. However, when using vegetable drawers, be sure to separate fruits and vegetables, as well as ethylene-producing and ethylene-sensitive foods.
#3: Maintain Fresh Herbs
If you buy fresh herbs, don’t leave them in the vegetable bag you bought them in. Instead, treat the herbs like flowers: cut off a piece of the ends, place them in a cup, and then cover them with a fruit and vegetable bag (5). This keeps the herb stems alive so you can use the freshest ingredients.
#4: Wash leafy greens
Basbaum recommends rinsing leafy greens under cold water, patting them dry with a paper or tea towel, wrapping them in a clean towel to absorb excess water, and storing them in a sealed container (6). This results in optimal freshness of the leafy vegetables – perfect for salads, stir-fries and everything else.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): How to make products last longer
How should I store cut fruits and vegetables?
It is best to store pre-cut or packaged foods in the refrigerator (7). This also applies to fruits and vegetables that you may have cut yourself.
Should I wash my products before storing them?
Apart from leafy greens, most foods stay fresher longer when stored unwashed (4). It’s probably best to wash your products right before using them.
Which products usually spoil more quickly?
“Soft fruits (like berries) as well as fresh leafy greens tend to spoil more quickly than other heartier fruits and vegetables,” says Basbaum (8). You may want to consume these products within a few days of purchase.
What Types of Containers Are Best for Keeping Fresh?
“Glass, stainless steel, and ceramic containers are good choices for storing produce because these materials are non-reactive, non-toxic, can be easily disinfected, and keep food fresh,” says Basbaum (9). Plastic containers are also fine, but Basbaum recommends making sure they are dishwasher safe and BPA-free.
The conclusion
With so many types of produce and different storage methods, it can be overwhelming to constantly eat fresh, whole, waste-free foods. But learning how to properly store your fruits and vegetables doesn’t have to be complicated.
Start small: Choose a few foods that you buy frequently and apply the tips listed above. Over time, you’ll become more familiar with which foods need to be refrigerated, which ones are better kept on the counter, and how to keep ethylene-sensitive items fresher for longer.
Ultimately, ensuring products last longer isn’t just about preventing food waste – it’s also about getting the most nutritional value out of your food and making healthy eating more convenient and sustainable. A little planning and care can help you stick to your health goals while saving money and time in the kitchen
The post This ensures that your products last longer appeared first MyFitnessPal Blog.
