Most of us feel guilty when tossing out food that’s gone bad – groceries are expensive and we all try our best to shop smarter and save more. The good news is that it’s possible to preserve the quality of your food and make it last longer by learning a few food-storage tricks.
Here are some simple solutions that will not only help you declutter your pantry and fridge but also help you save on groceries:
- Move leftovers and older cans to the front of your fridge or pantry so they’ll be used first.
- Don’t just roll up or fold over open bags of chips, pasta, flour and so on – seal bags with a clip.
- Storing food in airtight containers and bags will help preserve them for longer.
- Don’t reuse sealable plastic bags, as they can harbour harmful bacteria. (You might think you’re saving money by rinsing and reusing them, but these bags are harder to clean than it looks. In the end you’ll waste more because you’ll have to toss out the food.)
- Save yourself from having to guess how old food is by always labelling food with the date and contents. Use label stickers or a whiteboard marker.
- Use glass storage containers where possible – the contents can easily be seen, plus glass containers are microwaveable and recyclable, making them more ecofriendly.
- Never keep fruit and vegetables in the airtight bags many of them come in, as these speed up decay.
- Vacuum-packing your food will protect it against freezer burn and preserve its freshness for longer. (You can either have this done at your local butchery or buy one of those machines that sucks out all the air and neatly seals the bag.)
- When storing fruit and vegetables, note that some of them can’t be stored together. Avocados, bananas, nectarines and pears are ‘gas releasers’– they give off ethylene gas, which can cause fruit and veg to spoil prematurely.
- Freeze and store food in portion sizes – this will make it easier to reheat and will save you from having to defrost an entire dish for one serving. Defrosting and refreezing food speeds up decay.
