Unless you've got a big family that eats all the groceries within a few days,
you want your food to keep fresh as long as possible. As it turns out,
the conventional wisdom for food storage doesn't always facilitate that.
Mixed nuts are loaded with protein, vitamins and the good kind of fat. A
handful of almonds or cashews is a lot better for your diet than a pile of potato chips,
Health Magazine points out. But the same fats that can keep your cholesterol low
and your heart healthy can cause nuts to spoil if they aren't stored properly.
You can safely store your almonds, pecans, and walnuts in your pantry for up to two weeks. But if
you haven't eaten them by then, it's best to move them to a cooler location. Food Network advises
that nuts are safe in the refrigerator for up to 9 months. They'll keep in the freezer for 2 years.
But wherever you decide to store nuts, make sure that the container is tightly sealed.
Food 52 warns that leaving the container open can cause the nuts to pick up odors
of other foods you have stored nearby. And unless you bought garlic-flavored almonds,
you probably don't want garlic-flavored almonds.
Maple syrup isn't exactly healthy. According to Healthline, a serving
of about a third of a cup contains nearly 60 grams of sugar. That said,
pure maple syrup is a better option than the artificial varieties on the market. Unless
the bottle is labeled "pure maple syrup," you're likely drenching your pancakes in a sticky blend
of high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and preservatives. If you did,
in fact, buy the real stuff, you don't want to keep it on a shelf in your pantry.
According to the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association, pure maple syrup can be stored safely
in your pantry as long as the bottle has not been opened. But because it is free of preservatives,
once you open a bottle, it should be stored in the refrigerator. Otherwise,
mold will begin to grow on the surface, and moldy syrup won't do those pancakes any favors.
Guacamole is one of those appetizers that usually tastes good the next day,
but definitely doesn't look the part. The guac is usually one of the last things
you'd want to prepare before your party guests arrive, because once the air hits your guac,
your beautiful green concoction turns into a gross brown mess. The color change is the result
of a reaction between an enzyme in avocados and the oxygen in the air, according to Eat or Toss.
That said, there is a way to make sure you have at least a couple of days to
dip your chips into your guacamole. The Kitchn suggests adding a half-inch layer
of water to the top before you put it in the fridge to protect it from the air that zaps
all of the color away. Doing this should preserve your guacamole for up to three
days. When you're ready to eat, just pour the water off of the top, stir, and serve.
It's disappointing to search your pantry for something to satisfy
your salty snack craving only to find a bag of stale chips waiting for you.
"What kind of chips?" "Potato."
But that doesn't mean you have to eat all of the chips as soon as you
open the bag. It just means to store them more carefully. According to Life Hacker,
moving your chips from the cabinet to the freezer can help extend their life for a few more months.
Potato chips contain very little water, which means that spending a little time
in the freezer will make them cold, but won't cause them to freeze. In fact,
you'll find that you can practically start snacking as soon as you take
them out. Just make sure you keep your bag of chips in a safe place inside of
your freezer away from your heavier foods, or you may find a bag of cold crumbs to eat.
Whether you eat them as-is or use them as a base for a more creative salad mix,
bagged salad can be a quick and convenient way to enjoy a fresh meal without having to
chop lots of veggies. One thing that's less convenient, though,
is that once you get your bagged salad, you only have a short window of time to use all
of the contents. Otherwise, you'll find a big, soggy mess where your fresh greens used to be.
To extend the life of your lettuce, place a paper towel inside of the bag
with your greens before you place them in the refrigerator, Delish advises. The paper
towel will help absorb some of the extra moisture that causes the salad to wilt.
The refrigerator door may seem like an ideal place to store your milk. The carton may fit
perfectly between the ketchup and your emergency bottle of Chardonnay. But the door shelves are
probably the last place in your fridge that you'd want to keep any of your dairy products.
Every time someone opens the fridge to grab a drink or a snack, you're exposing the food
sitting in the door to the warm temperatures of your kitchen. Real Simple explains that the
door shelves are actually the warmest part of your refrigerator. And the constant temperature
fluctuation puts all of your dairy products at risk for spoilage and bacterial growth.
It's much safer to store your milk and other dairy products near the
back of the refrigerator on one of the lower shelves, where it's much cooler.
Apples are sometimes as much decoration as they are food. They can look very nice
arranged in a bowl on the counter. But that bowl is not the best place
to keep them fresh. According to Food Network, your apples will keep their
crispy texture longer if you keep them cool in the refrigerator. The ideal temperature
for apple storage is between 30 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit, Garderners.com adds.
So when you bring your apples home from the supermarket, place them in a plastic bag with
holes and place them in the crisper drawer of your fridge. This will give you even more time
to enjoy their fresh taste. But also be sure to keep them away from your other fresh produce.
Apples emit the ripening gas ethylene, which may cause your vegetables to go bad prematurely.
"A rotten apple quickly infects its neighbor!"
One veggie to be sure to keep out of the fridge? Onions. The Huffington Post notes
that the refrigerator's cold temperature will turn your onion's starch into sugar, a process
which will cause the onion to soften. It can also leave a lingering onion odor inside your fridge.
But you shouldn't just leave them out either. Eating Well
recommends storing your onions in a pantry that is cool, dry, and dark,
where they will last up to a month. Just keep them as far as you can from your potatoes,
which give off moisture and gases which can cause onions to ripen and spoil faster.
If you keep your olive oil right by the stove so it's easy to reach for while you cook,
you may want to change that. The Kitchn notes that the heat from the stove will
cause olive oil to lose some of its flavor and eventually go bad.
According to Epicurious, olive oil should last for a month or two when it is stored
properly. If you want to keep your olive oil fresh, it should be kept in a jar and stored
in a cabinet away from heat and light. The ideal temperature for storing is 57 degrees,
according to the Kitchn, so don't store it in the fridge,
either. According to Delish, your olive oil will harden if you store it there.
You may think that refrigerating coffee beans helps to preserve your coffee's flavor. But,
according to Prevention, it does the opposite. According to the U.S. National Coffee Association,
exposure to air, moisture, heat, and light all reduce coffee's flavor.
The best way to ensure you enjoy your morning cup is to protect your beans
from the elements. So the association recommends that they be stored in an
airtight and opaque container in a dark, cool location somewhere around room temperature.
"Good coffee is all about the beans."
Resist the urge to move your eggs into that cute little egg container you picked up at
TJ Maxx. The Kitchn recommends keeping the eggs in their original carton to
protect them from breaking and taking on the odors of the food stored nearby.
Like milk, eggs also shouldn't be stored in the refrigerator door. Eggs are best when
they're stored on the middle shelf, which is the coldest part of the refrigerator,
according to The Spruce Eats. There, they should stay fresh for up to 5 weeks.
If you think you won't be able to use all of your eggs before they go bad,
you can freeze them, the American Egg Board notes. Remove the eggs from their
shells and seal them tightly in a freezer-safe container, where they will last up to one year.
Eating whole grains can lower your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure,
according to Healthline. Whole wheat flour is a great tool for healthy cooking,
but when it isn't stored properly, it can begin to taste bitter. Ultimately,
that bad taste can ruin whatever you are cooking, according to flour manufacturer King Arthur. They
suggest storing your whole wheat flour in a large, zip-top bag or container that seals tightly to
keep out all of the moisture and oxygen that will cause it to have a shorter shelf life. When it's
properly sealed, your whole wheat flour should last between one and three months in your pantry.
King Arthur also suggests keeping your wheat flour in the freezer until you're ready to bake,
where it can last up to six months. The cold and dark slow down the spoiling
process. Although your baked goods may take a little longer to rise,
your flour will be ready to use as soon as you take it out of the freezer.
If you only eat ice cream as an occasional treat,
you've probably experienced the disappointment of finding freezer burn on top. Although you
may be quietly relieved that you won't be tempted to finish every last bite,
finding a layer of ice on the top of your favorite pint of butter pecan can also be a major buzzkill.
According to Food & Wine, freezer burn is the result of dehydration,
and happens when moisture from the surface of the ice cream evaporates
into the air. You can keep freezer burn from ruining your frozen favorite by storing the
container upside down in the back of your freezer, Real Simple advises.
The back of the freezer is the ideal storage location because it is usually the coldest,
and items get less exposure to the outside than items stored in the front or the door.
So what's up with the upside down part of that tip? Real Simple explains that
freezer burn often happens when parts of the ice cream thaws and then refreezes.
If the carton is upside down, the thawed parts will fall to the lid,
and they'll refreeze there instead of on top of your precious ice cream.
When choosing a PB to go with your J, it's important to note that natural
peanut butter is a healthier alternative. It's missing the hydrogenated oils and
other additives that are found in other varieties, according to The
Huffington Post. But if you've ever stored a jar of natural peanut butter in your pantry,
you know that the ingredients tend to separate, leaving you with a layer of oil on the top.
"Oh, it's so oily!"
You may be tempted to store your natural peanut butter in the refrigerator to prevent
some of the separation, only to find that the cold can cause the peanut butter to harden,
which will destroy your bread when you're trying to make a sandwich.
The folks at So Yummy recommend storing your jar of natural peanut butter upside down in
your pantry. This will cause the oils to spread more evenly through the jar.
And as a result, your peanut butter will have a more even consistency,
and save you the time of having to stir it up before you spread it.
You may think that you are preserving your tomatoes by storing them in your
refrigerator until a recipe calls for them. But it turns out that the refrigerator isn't
the best place for your tomatoes to chill. In fact, as Epicurious explains,
they will start to lose flavor and develop a squishy texture when they get cold.
According to Eating Well, tomatoes that aren't quite ripe may be OK for cooking when they're
kept in the fridge, but they won't taste great in salads or on sandwiches. Instead,
keep your under-ripe tomatoes on the counter in a fruit basket or bowl and eat them within
a few days once they ripen. Epicurious adds that ripe tomatoes can be stored in
the fridge for up to two days. You can put them back out on the counter for a day or
so to bring back some of the flavor. Just be sure to keep them away from direct sunlight.