Knowing how to keep foods fresh and safe to eat lets us get the most out of our meals. Fresh foods taste better and are more appealing than refrigerated or frozen foods. It may not be easy to prepare and eat all the food purchased at once or to go grocery shopping to replenish food often. That’s why knowing how to store different kinds of foods is important. It’s also just as important to know when food is no longer safe to prevent food-borne illness. Today, I will review how to keep fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, and meat fresh and safe.
Fresh Food
What is it? Food is most fresh when picked from the garden or farm (farm fresh). Most foods have the best taste and have the most nutrients in them. Farm Fresh is not a possibility for most Americans. Most of us are purchasing fresh food that’s been packaged and transported to a local grocer. Before or during the packaging process some of these foods may have been processed to keep them longer. That may have changed the nutritional content and flavor of those foods.
How to Keep Foods Fresh?
Part of keeping foods fresh and safe to eat is knowing how to store foods. Below, I will look at how temperature affects certain foods and provide examples of foods that should be stored at room temperature and foods that should be refrigerated or frozen.
Room Temperature Foods: These foods keep better in and are safe at room temperature or between 68 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit in a dry place.
Potatoes
TIP: Keep potatoes in your pantry away from light. The light triggers chlorophyll (a green pigment) inside plant cells to be made- causing the potato to turn green. When potatoes turn green, there is an increase in solanine, a toxin that tastes bitter and can be harmful if too much is consumed. I keep my potatoes in a pantry cabinet.
Freshly Baked Bread
TIP: When you leave freshly baked bread in a bread box, you can prevent the bread from becoming stale and moldy. Now if you are getting large loaves of bread or processed breads such as Nature's Own, Pepperidge Farm, or Sara Lee, these breads have preservatives to keep them longer. These types of breads can be refrigerated or frozen.
Bananas
TIP: To prevent browning, you can wrap plastic around the top part (stem) of the bananas to prevent the release of ethylene gas. This is a natural part of how fruits ripen. It is that fruity smell bananas have and it is harmless.
Avocados
TIP: You can store avocados on your counter. To tell when avocados are ripe enough to eat you can touch the petal part (see illustration below) of the avocado to feel if that part is soft. When that part is soft the avocado is ready to eat.
Tomatoes & Onions
TIP: Tomatoes and onions can be kept at room temperature as well. There aren’t many tips here, except to keep them in your pantry if you would like to keep them longer.
Basil
TIP: Basil can be kept in a vase with water just like you would keep flowers. It will last up to a week like this.
Melons
TIP: Instead of placing a whole melon in the fridge, keep it out until you are ready to eat it or it is ripe enough to eat. Once you cut up the melon, and you have pieces that have not been eaten, then you can place it in the fridge. Due to the increase in surface area or area for moisture to collect and bacteria to grow, placing the cut-up melon in the fridge will slow the growth of bacteria and keep it from spoiling.
Refrigerated or Frozen Foods: These foods last longer when refrigerated and some even gain nutrient content!
Carrots
TIP: Carrots, gain beta carotene - which gives carrots their orange color and is used to make Vitamin A- when refrigerated. 1
Berries
TIP: Berries tend to keep longer when refrigerated, you can freeze them too but keep in mind because of the water content berries tend to crystalize in colder temperatures, which may not be as tasty.
Dairy
TIP: Milk and milk products should be kept at 40 degrees or lower in the fridge to ensure food safety.
Meats, Fish, Poultry
TIP: These foods are more tasty if cooked fresh or refrigerated (up to 3 days, I would say is best) but if say you only want to cook a portion of meat at one time, you may freeze (at 0 degrees Fahrenheit) the rest. You can read more on specifics of how long certain meats can be frozen on the USDA website. 2
Date Labeling Phrases
Date labeling phrases can help us to know how fresh foods are. Not all mean the same thing. Most are estimations of how fresh a food item is and do not tell us when foods are no longer safe to eat. 3
1. Sell By Date:
Tells the sales-people/ store how long to display the foods for sale.
2. Best By Date:
The date when the food quality and taste are best.
3. Use By Date:
This is the last date recommended to eat or use a food before the quality declines.
Conclusion
Fresh does not always have to mean going to the farm or garden to pick up food. We can still have similar and sometimes better quality if we know how to keep food. Now you know some tips and recommendations on how to keep food longer.
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