It’s a good idea to make your food go as far as possible at any time, to save money and produce less waste. But what about when you’re limited in the number of times you can visit a grocery store, or you’re financially strained and need to be more careful with your resources?
The trick is keeping your perishables – well, not perished – and to do that, you have to rethink some of your storage methods. But storage is not the only thing that needs to be considered. Correct planning can stretch your food for days longer, which means fewer trips to the store and less spending. Read on for some tips we’ve cooked up…
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Don’t Wash Produce Right Before Refrigerating It
Insider notes that although your intentions may be good, putting produce in the fridge that you’ve just washed can actually reduce its lifespan quite a bit. It notes that by adding moisture and then putting it in cold storage, you’re “speeding up its decaying process.”
On the same note, other sources explain that you should be storing your produce dry – while a bit of moisture isn’t bad to keep it “perky,” says BonAppetit.com, storing it wet can lead to moldiness and mushiness, both unwanted characteristics of veggies. If you’ve washed some greens to use for dinner, just remember to dry them off before putting them back into the produce drawer.