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Check out tips on how to efficiently conserve vegetables, bananas and other foods

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After a good trip to the supermarket, it is often not very clear what to do to preserve vegetables and other foods for longer. Knowing some techniques helps you avoid wasting food and can make your fruit and vegetable purchases last for up to a month. Learn how to preserve vegetables and other foods so they last much longer.

In the case of lettuce and other root vegetables, a technique to better preserve the feet is to leave them in glasses of water (but this only works if you have bought the root vegetables!) or to wash the lettuce and keep it very dry in a pot in the fridge.

• How to preserve lettuce and keep it crispy

For fruits, vegetables and vegetables, the rule is to pack each product individually, as direct contact with the cold air harms these foods. Sprinkle water once a day on the fruits that are kept in the fruit bowl, so they don't dry out.

Shake fruit in a mixture of ten parts water and one part vinegar. The vinegar will easily dilute, not influencing the flavor of the fruit, but enough to keep them out of danger of moldy. Avoid cutting fruits, vegetables and meats before storage. This will make them spoil faster. Leave to sanitize only at the time of consumption.

Certain foods last longer when sealed in packages, such as carrots, beets, chayote, cucumbers, eggplants, jiló and peppers. Store tomatoes at room temperature, do not put them in plastic bags or sealed jars, as this will make them spoil faster. If you buy rootless feet, vegetables such as lettuce and arugula need to have loose leaves, clean and stored in sealed containers. Always remember to sanitize food by passing it under running water beforehand.

• How to sanitize purchases and packaging

Cleaning Fruits, Vegetables and Vegetables

The first step to keeping vegetables and other foods fresh longer is to wash them properly. This measure is also important to remove as much pesticide as possible, if you have not yet adopted organic foods in your daily life. The video below teaches how to wash vegetables, fruits and vegetables with the least possible ecological damage:

Freezer storage

Refrigerators have a temperature between 5°C and 10°C in the general compartment and -5°C in freezing. At these temperatures, the growth of bacteria that would accelerate the decomposition of food is much lower. See now the best way to store your products in the freezer:

• Each product has its proper freezing time. Fresh meat, beef or pork, lasts around 8 months; fresh chicken and lean fish, within 6 months, and fatty fish and shrimp, around three months;
• All these raw meats must be kept in non-toxic plastic containers and without any air. The best division is to separate them into portions that will be consumed at a time. This prevents the meat from spoiling faster;
• Prepared food should be stored in clean, tightly closed jars. The shelf life in the freezer, in this case, is shorter than for raw products. For beef, fish and poultry, it is three months and for pork, four months.
• Place sour cream (the sour cream) and cottage cheese upside down in the fridge. This creates a vacuum that prevents the formation of bacteria and fungi. That way, you'll never have an unpleasant surprise when you want to impress the crowd by making tacos or burritos.
• A crowded refrigerator will prevent the icy air from circulating, leading to hot spots and causing deterioration. So, avoid the maximum capacity.

Different ways of storage

• Storing onions in old pantyhose keeps them fresh for up to 8 months. To do this, tie a knot between each one to separate them:
• Freezing chives and corn kernels in glass jars or reused plastic bottles increases shelf life. Chives are a little soft on freezing, so they are more often used in cooked dishes rather than salads. And don't forget to dry everything very well so it doesn't spoil in the freezer. For best quality, use within three weeks of freezing:
• Mushrooms should be stored in a paper bag in the refrigerator or in a cool place. Avoid leaving them in plastic containers, as any trapped moisture will cause them to spoil
• Wrap the crown of banana bunches with plastic wrap to keep food fresh for up to five days;
• Since bananas and mangoes give off fumes that can accelerate the spoilage of other foods, it's best to keep them out of the fridge;
• Reuse the tops of the bottles to close your plastic bags;

Freeze and preserve fresh herbs in olive oil

Herbs will expand the oil as they freeze and ice cubes are very useful for cooking. Then throw a few and use them as a base for the dish. Works best with rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano. Dill, basil and mint should be used fresh.

• Instead of wrapping the basil, parsley or oregano in plastic and stuffing them into the fridge, treat the herbs as you would the flowers. Place them on the kitchen counter in a glass of fresh water and they will last for weeks as long as you change the water every couple of days.
• To "revive" aged bread, rub an ice cube into it, then bake for 12 minutes.
• When storing potatoes, keep them away from onions. Store them with apples and this will help preserve them.
• Extend the shelf life of vegetables and some fruits (even if they are quite old but still eatable) by using “cordial acid syrups”, also known as “drinking vinegar”, a trick used in Colonial times to store some foods.
• Cheeses should be wrapped in butter paper, not plastic, and then placed in a plastic bag. Putting a little butter to cut the cheese will keep it from hardening. Keep them, like milk, on the middle shelf of the refrigerator, not on the door, where temperatures fluctuate.

Okay, now just follow the tips and avoid waste!

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