Fresh Food Storage Guide
by Donna Thomson
For any fresh goods, the fresher they are when you buy them, the longer they will last. Some items are already old by the time you get to the stores so look around for the freshest source in your area.
Make sure your refrigerator temperature is at least 40°F or 4°C or less to keep food freshest for longer.
Fruit & Vegetables
TIP: Remove any spoiled or rotten fruit and vegetables or they will spoil the rest of the fruit. Do this before placing in the fridge and check regularly for any that need to be removed.
Asparagus - Wet a paper towel and wrap around bottom of the asparagus stalks. Place in plastic bag and add to the refrigerator crisper. Alternatively, sit the stalks in a glass with a couple of inches of water and place a plastic bag over the top. Use within 2-4 days as asparagus quickly loses its flavour..
Avocados - To ripen your avocadoes, store them in a paper bag in the pantry. You can add a banana to speed up the ripening process because it gives off ethylene gas. Check the bag each day to make sure your avocadoes don't over-ripen.
Bananas - Place unripe bananas in a closed paper bag at room temperature. You can add an apple to speed up the ripening process. Once ripe, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Don't refrigerate unripe bananas because they won't ripen.
Broccoli - Store broccoli in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Carrots - Store in the fridge in the vegetable crisper. Cut the green tops off the carrots and place them in a paper bag before storing them.
Celery - Wash and wrap in foil. This will extend the life of the celery to around two weeks. To revive limp celery, cut off about an inch from both ends and submerge the stalks in a bowl of ice water for 30 minutes.
Citrus Fruits - Store at room temperature for up to two weeks. Refrigeration reduces life and flavour.
Corn Cobs - Wrap fresh corn in a damp cloth and store it still in its husk on a shelf.
Cucumbers - Place on the top shelf of the refrigerator to avoid partially freezing.
Fruit - As a general rule, store fruit such as unwashed grapes, peaches, apricots, pears, apples and berries separately in plastic bags and put in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator. Apples will last around a month while berries only 3 days. Most other fruits last around a week in the fridge.
Ginger - After you buy fresh ginger wipe it over with paper towel to remove any moisture. Do not wash it first because this promotes mould. Place the ginger into a brown paper bag and seal well to keep moisture and light out. The back of the refrigerator's vegetable crisper is best so it remains as undisturbed as possible and away from light. The ginger should stay good for up to two weeks. Just cut off what you need for each use.
Herbs - Store fresh herbs in a glass of water covered in a plastic bag in the fridge. First rinse in cool water, trim the stems and remove any dead leaves and stalks. Change the water as necessary. Note, for basil, leave uncovered and unrefrigerated. Herbs should last at least a week.
Kiwi Fruit - Place unripe kiwi fruit in a paper bag with an apple, pear or banana at room temperature for a few days. These fruits give off ethylene gas, which causes ripening. Keep ripe kiwi fruit in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. Unripe kiwifruit can be stored in the refrigerator for slower ripening.
Mangoes - If they still need to ripen, place two together in a plastic or paper bag to speed up the ripening process. Store in a cool place like the pantry. Once ripe, store in the refrigerator and eat within 2-3 days. A ripe mango will yield slightly when you press it.
Mushrooms - Remove from any plastic packaging and place into a brown paper bag and keep sealed in an undisturbed location in the fridge. If you have to use a plastic bag you should wrap the mushrooms in paper towel first to absorb moisture.
Onions, Potatoes & Garlic - Store in a basket or wire bin in a dark place such as the pantry. Don't store potatoes near onions because the onions will absorb moisture from the potatoes. Place an apple in a bag of sweet potatoes to prevent budding.
Papayas/Pawpaw - Keep unripe papayas with a banana in a paper bag at room temperature. If the papaya is green, let it ripen at room temperature to an orange-yellow colour before eating. Once ripe you can store in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week.
Spinach - Don't wash your spinach before storing. If it is already bagged, leave it in packaging or if it is loose, place it in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator crisper for 3-4 days. Rinse in a bowl of water before use, to remove any dirt.
Tomatoes - Store on the bench top, stem side down and away from direct sunlight. Place unripe tomatoes in a brown paper bag at room temperature until ripe. Do not store tomatoes in the refrigerator unless they've been cut.
Dairy
Milk - Look for the longest expiration date when you get the milk from the store. Get the milk into the fridge as soon as you get home and rather than placing in the refrigerator door as many people do, place it near the back of the fridge and away from foods with strong odours. Ensure that each time you use the milk you return it as soon as possible because delays can speed up the deterioration and lead to sour milk. Also keep the lid closed except when you need to pour the milk.
Cheese - Cheese is likely to sweat if stored in plastic wrap. Either rewrap cheese in its original wrapper, or wrap tightly with waxed or baking paper. Soft cheeses are best stored in the crisper and away from strong odours. Blue vein cheese should be kept away from other cheeses so its odour doesn't taint the other cheeses. Extend the life of cottage cheese by turning the container upside down. Hard cheeses last much longer than soft cheeses.
Cream - Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Store in the main part of the fridge to keep it colder and keep away from strong odours.
Eggs - Keep eggs as fresh as possible by storing them in the refrigerator in their original carton as soon as you get home. The carton protects the eggs from absorbing flavours and odours of other foods nearby, especially from strong-smelling foods.
Tofu - Leave the package until your first use, then store covered in water in a container. Change the water daily to keep from spoiling and absorbing favours and smells from the fridge. Store for up to a week.
Freezing Fresh Foods
Fruit & Vegetables
Bananas - Place whole bananas in plastic bags in the freezer and use in recipes. You can also mash and store in 1 cup portions in the freezer.
Vegetables - Carrots, peas, corn, cauliflower, broccoli and green beans can be frozen well if blanched first. Cut them up, drop them into boiling water for about a minute, and then plunge them into an ice bath. Dry them and place into plastic bags. Freeze and use as needed.
Onions, Celery & Capsicum (Bell Peppers) - Dice and freeze them without needing to blanch first. Simply add to your meals as needed.
What not to freeze - You cannot successfully freeze lettuces, radishes, potatoes, onions and whole tomatoes.
Dairy
TIP: Seeing as different items have a different freezer shelf life, use a marker to record the approximate used-by date on the container or bag before freezing.
Butter & Margarine - Butter can be frozen for 6-9 months in its paper packaging. Margarine will last for 12 months.
Cheese - Hard cheeses such as cheddar, Colby, Gouda, Swiss and Edam can be wrapped in pieces no larger than 1 pound or 500 grams. Grated cheese is easily stored and if you use it a lot you can grate your solid blocks of cheese. Place in freezer bags or plastic containers.
Cream - You can freeze light/heavy cream and evaporated milk for up to 2 months. Cream won't whip after thawing but can be used in recipes. You will need to transfer the cream to a slightly larger container or jar to leave room for expansion. You can freeze whipped cream by placing dollops on waxed paper and putting in the freezer. Once frozen, wrap individually and add to the top of your cake, pancakes etc. as needed.
Eggs - It's often cheaper to buy a large tray of eggs rather than by the dozen but it may not be practical if you can't eat them all in a week or so. Keeping eggs in the fridge does extend their life well but you may be looking for another solution - you can freeze them! Beat your eggs together and lightly grease a muffin pan. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan, about 3/4 into each mould. Each mould holds approximately 2 eggs. If you have large ice cube trays these might hold the equivalent of about 1 egg. Place in the freezer until frozen, then remove from the moulds and place into bags and back into the freezer for use at any time. Frozen eggs can be used for up to 6 months. The consistency does change but the eggs remain good for using in baking.
Milk - Milk will store in the freezer for 1 month - take some out before freezing to leave room for expansion.