How Do I... Store Food to Keep it Fresh?
Most of us waste around $1,000 a year tossing spoiled food into the bin – an expert reveals how to make perishables last
Georgia Madden
2 June 2018
In this practical series, we ask experts to answer your burning home and design questions. Here, Jennifer Richards, sustainability advisor and founder of Easy Green Recipes, shares some practical tips for extending the life of your fridge and pantry items.
We’ve all been guilty of it – buying food and promptly forgetting about it. Or not storing it properly, only to find that it’s gone off and we have to toss it in the bin. But these bad habits can seriously add up – according to a 2017 survey, most Australian households waste more than $1,000 per year by letting food go off before it’s consumed.
While many factors affect how long food will last – including how long it’s been sitting on the shelf in the shop when you bought it, and whether it was transported in correct conditions – there are a few simple things you can do to prolong its freshness once you unload your shopping bags.
While many factors affect how long food will last – including how long it’s been sitting on the shelf in the shop when you bought it, and whether it was transported in correct conditions – there are a few simple things you can do to prolong its freshness once you unload your shopping bags.
Identify the main culprits
Know which common food items tend to go off the fastest and learn to store them properly.
Potatoes: You can keep potatoes fresh for as long as one or two months by storing them in a cool, dark spot. And know that even if potatoes start to grow shoots, you can still use them – just cut off the shoots and peel as you normally would.
Know which common food items tend to go off the fastest and learn to store them properly.
Potatoes: You can keep potatoes fresh for as long as one or two months by storing them in a cool, dark spot. And know that even if potatoes start to grow shoots, you can still use them – just cut off the shoots and peel as you normally would.
Fresh herbs: These are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Add a piece of damp paper towel to the bottom of the container to keep the environment moist. Or store in a plastic bag with some extra droplets of water for moisture.
If herbs are very fresh, they can also be placed in a vase of water on the benchtop, where they’ll add a lovely aroma to your kitchen (basil in particular). You can store fresh leafy greens such as silverbeet and kale for a short time in this way too.
Fresh hard-leaf herbs, such as rosemary and thyme, can be frozen.
If herbs are very fresh, they can also be placed in a vase of water on the benchtop, where they’ll add a lovely aroma to your kitchen (basil in particular). You can store fresh leafy greens such as silverbeet and kale for a short time in this way too.
Fresh hard-leaf herbs, such as rosemary and thyme, can be frozen.
Spices: These can last for years if you buy them whole, store them in airtight containers, and grind them as you need them.
To help vibrant-coloured spices such as turmeric keep their hue, choose a dark container.
To help vibrant-coloured spices such as turmeric keep their hue, choose a dark container.
Oils: Extra-virgin olive oil and other high-quality oils should be stored away from direct sunlight in dark-coloured glass or stainless steel vessels, with an airtight lid to prevent rancidity. Stored this way, they can last up to two years.
Nuts: Storing nuts in the fridge or freezer – rather than the pantry – will stop the oils from going rancid. Some can last as long as six months if stored this way.
Use your fridge right…
Make sure you fridge is the correct temperature – it should be between 0-4°C. If you have two crisper drawers, store fruit in the low-humidity one and vegetables in the high-humidity one. Don’t discard wilted vegetables – use them in soups or stews instead. Most leftover meals will keep in the fridge for three to four days. If you don’t plan to use them in that time, put them in the freezer instead, where they will keep for two to three months.
- Store meat at the bottom of the fridge to prevent it from dripping or leaking onto other fresh ingredients.
- Rotate food items every time you pack the fridge so that older items are at the front. This stops food from being pushed to the back and forgotten about. You could do this in the pantry too.
… And your freezer
Make sure your freezer temperature is below 0°C to prevent bacteria growth and allow for safe food storage. Label all food you store in the freezer with the date you put it in. To prevent freezer burn on raw meat, wrap it in a double layer of cling film, baking paper or aluminium foil, or store it in an airtight container. Red meats will last four to six months frozen. Chicken will last two to three months frozen. Freeze rice immediately if you’re not planning to use it within 24 hours of cooking. Dairy items can be frozen.
Other good things to know
- To test if an egg is still fine to eat, immerse it in a deep bowl of water. If it floats, it’s no longer fresh.
- A best-before date is simply a guideline for how long a food item should last – the food doesn’t necessarily expire on that date. However, a use-by date (usually on refrigerated products such as meat and dairy) is a firmer deadline.
- Use your senses to tell you if food is off rather than hard and fast timeframe rules. Smell the product and look for signs of mould and discolouration to assess whether it’s still good to eat.
- The shelf life of fruit and vegetables can be affected by the weather on the farm at the time of harvesting. For instance, excessive rain can mean there is so much moisture in fruit that it rots easily.
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Thank you for your help. I seem to have the biggest problem with the fresh blocks of Parmesan cheese.
I too cut my cheddar cheese in smaller blocks and freeze separately in freezer bags. Frozen cheese does get very crumbly though, so it’s best used for pasta and macaroni melts, or even cheese on toast. But in a sandwich it’s a challenge.