Smart tips to extend the shelf life of your products. How to extend the shelf life of tomatoes up to three months Use a vinegar solution to keep the berries fresh

Sometimes you look in the refrigerator or in a box of potatoes and see a sad sight: stale vegetables and fruits starting to deteriorate. They seem to be waiting to be sent to the garbage can. We waste money on shopping and our time.

In order not to be so excruciatingly painful to throw away the spoiled, we present the most valuable tips that will allow you to store vegetables and fruits for a long time and in the freshest form.

Do not wash anything before storage.

Even perfectionists will have to get used to the fact that it is better not to wash vegetables and fruits before storage.

If the dirt is annoying, it can be wiped with a dry cloth. Otherwise, you risk washing off the protective film that prevents mold and rot.

Fruits and vegetables prefer dryness

Humidity encourages mold growth. It is best to dry food before storing.

Paper towels can be placed on the bottom of boxes or containers for storing fruits and vegetables. They will absorb excess moisture and prevent rotting.

Put avocado in a paper bag

Unripe avocados are best stored at room temperature until ripe, wrapped in newspaper or a heavy paper bag.

After ripening, store it in the refrigerator, putting it in a bag.

Some fruits and vegetables are not refrigerated

Bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes are stored only at room temperature. In the refrigerator, peppers will lose their flavor and elasticity, and cucumbers and tomatoes will turn into an unpleasantly slimy substance.

We also do not store any unripe fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. Only after ripening at room temperature can they be transferred there. Otherwise, they will rot unripe.

Film for banana stems

Bananas in the refrigerator will quickly turn black and lose their taste. They really need moisture, so it is best to store them by wrapping the base of the bunch in cling film.

Chopped and peeled vegetables retain water

Fresh peeled and chopped radishes, carrots and celery can be stored in the refrigerator for an unusually long time.

True, for storage you need to place them in a container with a small amount of water. It is very convenient to use plastic food containers or ordinary jars with lids for these purposes.

Vegetables and fruits are placed in the warm zone of the refrigerator.

The lower the storage temperature, the less aroma and freshness are retained. If you want to enjoy them longer, it is better to store vegetables and fruits where the temperature is higher.

Some vegetables and fruits are not stored nearby

When ripe, some vegetables and fruits begin to release ethylene gas more actively than others. For example, bananas, apricots, melons, pears, plums, mangoes and tomatoes.

Sensitive to its effects, apples, eggplants, cucumbers, watermelon, potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, broccoli, getting close to the first group, begin to overripe and deteriorate. These two groups are best kept away from each other.

Onions and potatoes - in different boxes

If you put onions and potatoes in one box, then soon enough even the youngest potatoes will begin to sprout and will no longer be suitable for making delicious treats.

Garlic and onion love the dark

Darkness is a friend not only of youth, but also of garlic and onions. Our grandmothers kept garlic in “braids”, and onions in nylon stockings in the underground.

Now you can buy special containers and put them in any convenient dark and dry place. You can store onions and garlic for a long time in paper bags by making holes in them.

Potatoes spoil in the light

It is best to place it in a dry and dark place or in wooden, plastic boxes and baskets.

Put an apple on the potato

If you put one or a couple of apples in a box with potatoes, then it will retain freshness and all its properties longer.

We store asparagus as a bouquet

Having brought asparagus from the store, put it in a container of water. So it stays juicy and fresh longer.

Broccoli and cauliflower love moisture

Broccoli stalk is stored by lowering it into a container of fresh water and covering the inflorescences with a damp towel. The water is changed regularly and the towel moistened.

Cauliflower is also stored in a damp towel or in cling film, in which several holes have been made for ventilation.

Note: how to extend the shelf life of products

Increasingly, families prefer to buy groceries for a week, or even two, in advance. This is indeed more economical than going to the store every day, but not all products can be stored for a long time.

hygiene certificate. Canned food and semi-finished products are stored without problems for 3-4 weeks.

The shelf life of eggs is 2 weeks, so we extend the shelf life with plain paper: each egg is wrapped in paper and turned over to the other side every 5 days. As a result of such efforts, the shelf life is extended by another couple of weeks.

It is advisable to buy only hard cheese in advance - it is stored for up to 10 days. The cheese must be wrapped in parchment paper, and only then in a plastic bag and putting a piece of sugar inside. Thus, we increase the shelf life by 5-6 days.

It is better to buy chilled meat, then cut it into portions and pack it in plastic bags, then after defrosting you will have no problems how to cut the meat. It is necessary to store meat in the freezer for a period of more than 1 month.

After purchase, smoked and semi-smoked sausage can be put in the freezer - the sausage can be stored there for up to 2 months.

The shelf life of mayonnaise is about 60 days, so you can safely buy it in advance, you just need to store it in the refrigerator and always in a closed package.

Crab sticks are placed in the freezer, where they can be stored for about 2 months. To prevent crab sticks from losing their taste, do not defrost them once again.

Here are some more helpful tips:

By wrapping the base of a bunch of bananas with cling film, you will extend the life of the fruit by 3-5 days.

Onions in stockings will keep fresh for up to 8 months.

To keep the cheese from drying out, brush a fresh cut with butter.

To prevent potatoes from sprouting, store them mixed with apples.

It is better to store mushrooms in a paper bag, not a plastic bag.

Store milk in the main part of the refrigerator, not in the door where the temperature is cooler.

If a product has become moldy and you have to throw it away, do not be too lazy to wash and disinfect the refrigerator. If this is not done, the mold can spread to other products.

Wrap lettuce in foil to keep it crispy longer.

Soak the strawberries in a weak vinegar solution (one part vinegar to ten parts water). Then drain, rinse with clean cold water and refrigerate. After such a procedure, the berries will be able to retain freshness for almost two weeks longer. The vinegar solution is weak enough that its taste is not felt.

Eggs should be stored on the middle shelf of the refrigerator. So they can remain usable for 3-4 weeks longer than the period indicated on the package.

You can freeze much more food than we are used to - meanwhile, this is a great way to save them. Bread, pies, most fruits and vegetables all keep well frozen. Just before freezing, do not forget to pack the products in special bags or containers.

To bring freshness back to stale bread, rub it with an ice cube and then place it in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.

There will be fewer unopened popcorn kernels if you pour them into a bowl and cover with a plate before cooking in the microwave.

Keep the least fresh food closer to the door so you can see what to eat first.
Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature, not in the refrigerator.

Housewives love to cook flour products, which provide for various types of dough, but each of them has its own characteristics. So, lean and puff yeast-free dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, then it begins to turn gray and deteriorate. However, it will be possible to keep it for a long time (six months) in the freezer.

But the yeast and shortbread dough should be transferred in a day (maximum after two) from the refrigerator to the freezer, where it can be kept for 3 months. Biscuit can be left in the refrigerator for 3 days in a tightly closed container. Non-battery dough must be stored in cellophane.

All housewives have come across a situation where fresh herbs or vegetables are required to prepare a dish. But, looking in the refrigerator, they realized that the vegetables had expired.

And, of course, everyone wondered: “How did it expire? I just bought them yesterday. Especially for all housewives, vegetable lovers and those just interested, we have collected ingenious tricks that will help keep vegetables, fruits and herbs fresh for as long as possible. Trust me, your fridge will always be fresh with these tips!

1. Onions will stay fresh for 8 months if placed in nylon tights or stockings.

Each bulb should be separated from each other with a thread, elastic band or wire. It is noteworthy that onions are best stored in a dry, cool place, but not in the refrigerator.

2. Green onions must be placed in a plastic bottle and frozen in the freezer.

It is important that the green onions have time to dry slightly. Wash the onion first, pat dry with paper towels and chop finely. Leave it to dry like this. Then pour the onion into a plastic bottle and close the lid. With the help of this method of storage, the onion will retain all the useful vitamins.

3. Use special bags for fruits and vegetables.

Vegetables and fruits during the ripening period emit ethylene gas, which helps the fruit to ripen. But, unfortunately, the same gas has a detrimental effect on them, creating an ideal atmosphere for decay and aging. To keep fruits fresh, it is enough to use special bags for fruits and vegetables, which block ethylene gas and prevent the formation of moisture, extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by almost 3 times.

4. Greens are best stored like flowers - in water. Then cover them with cellophane, secure at the base with an elastic band and refrigerate.

This method is perfect for storing parsley, cilantro, basil and green onions.

5. Green herbs with a high oil content are best kept separate from all greens.

For example, fresh thyme should be tied with string and hung outdoors to keep it fresh longer.

6. For the freshness of the berries, use a vinegar solution.

In order to prepare a refreshing solution for a year, you need to mix vinegar (white or apple) and water in a ratio of 1:10. Dip the berries in the solution for a few seconds, then drain the liquid, rinse the berries with running water and put in the refrigerator. Don't worry, you won't taste the vinegar! With this care, raspberries will stay fresh for a week, and strawberries for almost two weeks without softening or mold.

7. Leftover guacamole or avocado should be drizzled with pure olive oil before being placed in the refrigerator.

8. Never leave onions with potatoes.

Unfortunately, among vegetables and fruits there are those that do not tolerate the "presence" of each other. One of these opposites are onions and potatoes. Onions should be stored in a cool dry place where they can stay fresh for almost 2-3 months.

9. But to extend the shelf life of potatoes, you need to put apples on it.

This method will help prevent the formation of tubers and rotting.

10. Apples are considered one of the slowest perishing fruits. But in order to keep them fresh, you need to carefully monitor that among good apples there is no spoiled apple lying around.

Good apples can stay fresh for a long time, but if there is a slightly rotten or “sluggish” apple among them, it can ruin all the others. Therefore, follow this detail very carefully.

11. A piece of butter will help get rid of the annoying problem of “weathering” the cheese.

12. Another option for keeping cheese fresh is to use parchment or wax paper.

Wrap a piece of cheese in paper, then place in a plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator on the door shelf, in the warmest place.

13. Olive oil will help to prolong the freshness of various herbs.

Before freezing thyme, rosemary, sage, or oregano, finely chop them, place in ice cube trays, and drizzle with olive oil. This will preserve the beneficial vitamins in the herbs, as well as simplify the cooking process. This method is not suitable for mint, dill and basil - they must be used fresh.

14. Put things in order in the refrigerator and follow the principle of the commodity neighborhood of products.

For proper storage of products, the principle of commodity neighborhood is always used, which helps to maintain the correct location of products relative to each other in order to maintain their freshness, as well as to save products from unpleasant “mutual absorption”.

15. Asparagus should be kept in water like freshly cut flowers.

Cut the asparagus stalks, put them in fresh water and refrigerate. This method will help keep them fresh and crispy for a week.

16. You can extend the freshness of bananas with cling film.

Such a trick will help extend the shelf life of bananas by almost 3-5 days, preventing them from blackening and rotting. Also remember that bananas produce more ethylene gas than other vegetables and fruits, so try to store them separately.

17. Green salad should be stored in a bowl sealed with cling film. It is important to put an ordinary paper napkin inside, which will prevent the formation of excess moisture.

18. For freshness, celery, lettuce and broccoli should be wrapped in food foil.

This method will extend the shelf life of products up to 4 weeks.

19. Store fruits and vegetables in glass jars with lids.

An alternative to plastic containers is glass jars with lids, which, unlike containers, keep fruits and vegetables fresh much longer.

20. Keep your refrigerator clean.

If something goes bad in the refrigerator, then it is urgent to carry out “disinfection”. Harmful bacteria remain in the refrigerator for a long time, affecting the freshness of food, so periodically remove everything from the refrigerator and wipe it down.

21. Tomatoes should be stored differently depending on their ripeness.

Never store tomatoes in plastic bags. In this form, they will ripen faster and begin to rot.

Unripe tomatoes should be stored stem side down or in a carton until ripe. To speed up the process, you can add fruits to the tomatoes, which, with the help of ethylene gas, will accelerate ripening.

Very ripe tomatoes are best stored at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Spread such tomatoes should be stem side up in one layer, without touching each other.

And overly ripe tomatoes should be stored in the refrigerator, but before use, hold them at room temperature.

22. Use plastic bottle caps to repeatedly open and close plastic bags.

This method will help prevent moisture from entering the bag. But always make sure that the bag is dry before closing, otherwise you risk “growing” mold.

23. Ginger should be stored in the freezer.

Ginger in the freezer will stay fresh much longer, and will also simplify the process of preparing dishes using ginger. Frozen ginger grates very easily.

24. After buying nuts, be sure to roast them.

Fresh nuts will stay fresh much longer if you heat them. To do this, spread the nuts on a baking sheet previously covered with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 170 degrees until golden brown.

25. Store mushrooms in paper bags.

Forget about polyethylene for storing various fungus. Bags are an excellent environment for condensation and moisture to form, which leads to powdery mildew and spoilage of mushrooms. Place the mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator or in a cool, dry place.

26. Use a reminder about what foods can not be stored in the refrigerator.

Everyone knows that the largest amount of vitamins is found in fresh foods. Vegetables, fruits, herbs, berries are now available for sale throughout the year. The question of their acquisition on the first request is not acute. However, off-season varieties do not have a high level of nutrients. In addition, vegetables and fruits grown at the wrong time may contain a significant amount of chemicals. Fish and meat are purchased for more than one use. Therefore, the reserve for the future remains relevant to this day.

Real housewives know many ways to extend the shelf life of food without a refrigerator. But there are not so many methods that allow you to save the maximum of useful substances.

Canning is perhaps the most popular type of processing of fruits and vegetables. Its essence lies in the thermal and chemical effects on food in order to extend the shelf life. You can also preserve meat and fish. Such products have a fairly good taste, different from others. At the same time, the usefulness of canned food is questioned by many experts.

If canning is done competently and using predominantly natural constituents, with strict observance of the temperature regime, the proportions of the recipe and the rules for sterilizing containers, then we can safely talk about some usefulness of the resulting dish.

However, when this method is put into action at home, some difficulties arise. For example, it is necessary to carefully monitor the appearance of the product, note the presence of blisters on the cans, the lifting of the lids, damage to dishes, the appearance of uncharacteristic color and consistency.

The presence of one extraneous factor is already enough reason to eliminate the treat, since it can be harmful to health. For inexperienced cooks, it is preferable to buy canned food in the store, checking the quality certificate and carefully studying the composition on the package along with the shelf life.

Other ways to extend the shelf life and period of consumption of the original products include freezing, drying, salting, fermentation, pickling, canting (a method of preserving fresh fruits in sugar syrup). All of them have their own disadvantages and advantages and in their own way affect the nutritional value of vegetables, fruits, fish and meat.

Salting is a very ancient method. Especially often it is used in relation to protein natural products. Thorough salting reduces the activity of microorganisms in the fibers of meat and fish and significantly extends the shelf life in the required form.

Fermentation is used more often in cases with vegetables. At its core, it is the same conservation, but of a biological type. In other words, fermentation is caused, during which organic acids are released and lactic acid bacteria appear, which do not allow mold fungi to develop.

As for pickling, it goes the same way, but it necessarily involves the use of food acid: acetic, citric, lactic and others.

Candling consists in processing with a large amount of sugar. Such concentrated preservation is relevant, first of all, for fruits and berries.

Food industry professionals talk about drying as one of the most common ways to stock vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, berries and herbs. Drying is accompanied by the evaporation of a significant percentage of moisture from the fruit, due to which the product is light and stored for a very long time.

The method is also used in cases with fish and meat, but much less often. The lack of drying is manifested in the loss of part of the nutritional properties and vitamins along with the liquid. In some cases, there is a loss of beautiful color and pronounced taste.

Freezing a rarely used method can not be called in any way. On the shelves of stores every day there is a great variety of ready-made semi-finished products, mixtures and individual food products that have been processed by cold. Quick freezing is especially beneficial for juicy, bright berries, vegetables and fruits, as moisture and an attractive appearance are retained.

High-quality freezing should be carried out at temperatures well below 300C. In this regard, home storage in a household refrigerator is not the best option. Conditions slightly warmer than required may not be effective. In addition, non-compliance with the freezing rules leads to the formation of ice inside the fruit, which violates the integrity of the shell, reduces the taste and makes the product watery.

The problem of increasing the shelf life without loss of vitamins in food remains unresolved (Ed. www.site). In order for modern housewives to be able to shop for groceries and cook food for the week ahead without fear for the health of families, inventors continue to constantly put forward new ideas. Plastic containers and glass containers of a special composition, in which vacuum conditions are created, have become a kind of salvation in such situations.

These devices allow you to store both raw products and finished dishes for a long time. A special valve is made in the lids of containers, air is pumped out through it with a mini-pump, the refrigerator creates the appropriate temperature. The combination of actions eliminates the oxidation of the product and its early spoilage. Containers of such a plan allow food to remain the freshest and most useful.

This year's tomato harvest has been outstanding. We have long closed the bulk of the fruits in jars, and left some of them on.

By the way, did you know that the shelf life of tomatoes can be easily extended to three to four months? There are also especially cultures, the fruits of which do not deteriorate until the New Year.

We usually carry out the final harvest of the tomato crop in early September. Next, we sort the fruits into those that have already reached biological maturity and the rest.

We usually send green, milk, brown and slightly red tomatoes to. It is also important to immediately get rid of fruits with signs of rot and serious mechanical damage.- they can become a source of spread of diseases.

If you want to extend the shelf life of tomatoes, you need to have time to remove them from the bushes until the temperature at night drops below + 10 degrees.

It is especially dangerous if bushes with unharvested crops are at a temperature below + 4 ... 5 degrees for a long time. Then all fruits in technical ripeness lose their ability to ripen and become unsuitable for long-term storage. They will not turn red, but simply rot in the cellar.

Before laying for storage, the fruits of tomatoes are sorted

Under favorable conditions, even mature tomatoes are successfully stored for up to 1.5 months. However, for laying in a vegetable store, we prefer to select brown and green fruits that do not deteriorate for up to three months.

We usually keep pink and yellow tomatoes in the biological degree of maturity on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator at a temperature of +1 ... 2 degrees and a relative humidity of 85 to 95%.

We put the rest of the fruits in wooden boxes or trays in one layer and put them in the cellar with a temperature of +10 to +12 degrees. This temperature range is optimal for long-term storage of tomatoes. A warmer atmosphere accelerates the ripening of fruits, which greatly worsens their keeping quality. On the other hand, at temperatures below +10 degrees, they lose their resistance to disease and quickly rot.

It is equally important to maintain high humidity in the cellar - from 80 to 90%. Dryer air favors mold growth. And in a very damp room, the pulp of the fruit quickly becomes decrepit.

In the process of ripening, fruit tissues continue to actively consume oxygen from the environment. Therefore, the vegetable store must be equipped with a high-quality ventilation system. And also it should be remembered that in the light the tomatoes turn red (turn pink, turn yellow) faster - to extend the shelf life, it is recommended to ripen the tomatoes in complete darkness. In such conditions, the fruits get a more uniform color and acquire an attractive presentation.

Tomatoes in biological maturity are best stored in the refrigerator.

Every two to three days, the crop is inspected and already ripened fruits are selected.

They can either be used immediately for consumption, or put in the refrigerator and stored for some more time at a temperature of +1 ... 2 degrees.

Most often, tomatoes are affected during storage.

The first symptom of this disease is the hardening of the fruit, which then softens and becomes covered with rot spots. In addition to the tomatoes themselves, potato tubers can also act as a source of infection. Therefore, these two vegetables are best stored at a distance from each other.

To increase fruit resistance to fungal disease, often feed the plants in the beds with potash fertilizers, and not with manure talker.

And when early signs of phytophthora damage appear, spray diseased bushes.

I recommend watching a short video about three unusual ways to extend the shelf life of tomato fruits: