Are You Storing Food Wrong?
By Sara Butler
Everything has a place in the kitchen. When it comes to foods, they definitely have a place where they will be best preserved until you’re ready to use them. Chances are, there are some common foods you are storing wrong in your kitchen. Here are the right ways to store common kitchen items to keep them fresh and crisp.
Apples
Apples are a great kitchen staple since they’re nutritious, versatile, and delicious. But are you storing them the right way? Apples are best kept at room temperature, but if you want to help that peck go the distance, you should keep them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. This helps to delay ripening and lets you potentially keep it for weeks.
Flour
Flour stays usable and fresh if kept in an airtight plastic, glass, or metal container instead of the bag it comes in at the store. While it is true that it takes quite a while for flour to go bad, if you don’t protect it you’ll only accelerate the process, especially if you use whole grain flours. In fact, whole grain flour may do better in the freezer or refrigerator in order to slow down the oxidation process.
Potatoes
Potatoes do best in a dry, cool, and dark environment. You shouldn’t put them in the refrigerator because temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit will convert the starch in the potato to sugar, making them discolored and overly sweet.
Onions
If you’re keeping your onions in the same cool, dark, and dry place as your potatoes, then you’re making a big mistake. Even though these two foods enjoy the same type of storage environment, they will only bring out the gasses and moisture in one another that accelerates ripening and rot. If you want to keep onions fresh, then the refrigerator is a good option.
Meat
If you buy fresh meat from the grocery, you can go ahead and keep it in its wrapper. When you unwrap meat to transfer it to another container for storage you’re only increasing the risk of introducing bacteria to it and contaminating items in your kitchen. Just make sure to place a plate under it if it’s not in packing with a tray. You don’t want meat juices mingling with anything else in your refrigerator!
How you store food is important to your health! Take steps to properly store food for your family's health and wellness.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Richardson, Tex.