All the housewives came across a situation where fresh vegetables or vegetables are needed to prepare a dish. But, glancing into the refrigerator, they understood that the shelf life of vegetables had expired.
And, of course, everyone was asking the question: "How was it? I just bought them yesterday. " Especially for all housewives, vegetable lovers and simply interested, we have collected ingenious tricks that will help keep vegetables, fruits and fresh herbs for as long as possible. Believe me, with these tips in your fridge will always be fresh!
1. Onions will remain fresh for 8 months if placed in kapron tights or stockings.
Each bulb should be separated from each other by a thread, elastic or wire. It is noteworthy that the onion is best stored in a dry, cool room, but not in the refrigerator.
2. Green onions should be placed in a plastic bottle and frozen in the freezer.
It is important that the green onion has time to dry slightly. Beforehand, wash the onions, pat them with a paper towel and finely chop. Leave it to dry in this form. Then pour the onion into a plastic bottle and close the lid. With this method of storage, the onion retains all the useful vitamins.
3. Use special bags for fruits and vegetables.
Vegetables and fruits emit ethylene gas during the ripening period, which helps the fruits to ripen. But, unfortunately, the same gas has a destructive effect on them, creating an ideal atmosphere for decay and aging. To keep the fruit fresh, it is enough to use special bags for fruit and vegetables that block the ethylene gas and prevent the formation of moisture, prolonging the shelf life of fruits and vegetables almost 3 times.
4. The greens are best stored as flowers - in the water. Then cover them with cellophane, fix it at the base with an elastic band and put in the refrigerator.
This method is perfect for storing parsley, cilantro, basil and green onions.
5. Green herbs with a high content of oils should be kept separately from all the greens.
For example, fresh thyme must be tied with a string and hung in the open air so that it lasts longer fresh.
6. For fresh berries, use vinegar solution.
In order to prepare a refreshing solution for a year, you need to mix the vinegar (white or apple) and water in a ratio of 1:10. Dip the berries in the solution for a few seconds, then drain the liquid, rinse the berries with running water and put into the fridge. Do not worry, you will not feel the taste of vinegar! With such care, raspberries will remain fresh for a week, and strawberries - almost two weeks without softening or mold formation.
7. Remains of guacamole or avocado should be sprinkled with olive oil without any impurities, before placing it in the refrigerator.
There are several ways to keep the avocado green and fresh, and one such method is olive oil. The same goes for softened avocado pulp.
8. Never leave a bulb onions with potatoes.
Unfortunately, among vegetables and fruits there are those who do not tolerate the "presence" of each other. One of such opposites is onions and potatoes. Onions should be stored in a cool dry place, where it can remain fresh for almost 2-3 months.
9. But to extend the shelf life of potatoes, you need to put apples to it.
Such a method will help prevent tuber formation and decay.
10. Apples are considered to be one of the slowest spoiling fruits. But in order to keep them fresh, you need to carefully monitor the fact that among the good apples did not lie spoiled apple.
Good apples can stay fresh for a long time, but if there is a slightly rotten or "sluggish" apple among them, it can spoil everything else. So watch this detail very carefully.
11. Get rid of the annoying problem of "winding" cheese will help a piece of butter.
If you cut the cheese and want to keep it fresh, then attach a piece of butter to the cut edge of the cheese. This will save it from drying out for a long time.
12. Another option to preserve the freshness of cheese is the use of parchment or wax paper.
Wrap a piece of cheese in paper, then put it in a plastic bag. Keep in the fridge on the door shelf, in the warmest place.
13. Extend the freshness of various herbs will help olive oil.
Before freezing thyme, rosemary, sage or oregano, finely slice them, place in ice molds and pour olive oil. This will save useful vitamins in the herbs, and also simplify the process of cooking. This method is not suitable for mint, dill and basil - they need to be used fresh.
14. Clean the refrigerator and observe the principle of product proximity.
For the proper storage of products, the principle of commodity proximity is always used, which helps to keep the correct location of products relative to each other in order to preserve their freshness, and also to rid the products of unpleasant "mutual absorption".
15. Asparagus should be stored in water, just as freshly cut flowers.
Cut the asparagus stems, put them in fresh water and put them in the refrigerator. This way will help keep them fresh and crispy for a week.
16. To extend the freshness of bananas, you can use food film.
This trick will help to extend the shelf life of bananas for almost 3-5 days, preventing them from blackening and rotting. Also remember that bananas produce more ethylene gas than other vegetables and fruits, so try to keep them separately.
17. Green salad should be stored in a bowl sealed with food film. It is important to put inside a regular paper napkin, which will prevent the formation of excess moisture.
18. For freshness of celery, lettuce and broccoli, you need to wrap them with food foil.
This method will extend the shelf life of the products to 4 weeks.
19. Store vegetables and fruits in glass jars with a lid.
An alternative to plastic containers is glass jars with lids, which, unlike containers, keep fruit and vegetables fresh for much longer.
20. Keep the refrigerator clean.
If something spoils in the refrigerator, then it is necessary to urgently conduct a "disinfection". Harmful bacteria remain in the refrigerator for a long time, affecting the freshness of the products, so periodically clean everything from the refrigerator and wipe it.
21. Tomatoes should be stored differently depending on their ripeness.
Do not store tomatoes in plastic bags. In this form they will ripen faster and start to rot.
Immature tomatoes should be stored with the trunk side down or in a cardboard box until maturing. To speed up the process, you can put fruit to tomatoes, which will accelerate ripening with the help of ethylene gas.
Very ripe tomatoes are best stored at room temperature away from sunlight. Spread such tomatoes with the trunk side up in one layer, without touching each other.
And overly ripe tomatoes should be stored in the refrigerator, but before using, take them at room temperature.
22. Use caps from plastic bottles to repeatedly open and close plastic bags.
This method will help prevent moisture from entering the bag. But always make sure that the package before the closure was dry, otherwise you risk "growing" mold.
23. Ginger should be stored in the freezer.
Ginger in the freezer will stay fresh much longer, as well as simplify the process of preparing dishes using ginger. Frozen ginger is very easy to rub on the grater.
24. After buying nuts, fry them.
Fresh nuts will stay fresh much longer if you heat them. To do this, spread the nuts on a baking sheet, previously covered with parchment paper, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 170 degrees until golden brown.
25. Store mushrooms in paper bags.
Forget about polyethylene for storing various fungi. Packages are an excellent medium for the formation of condensation and moisture, which leads to powdery mildew and spoilage of fungi. Place mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator or a cool dry place.