Food storage is about more than temperatures. This blog post is all about how to be savvy with food storage so that your food stays fresher for longer and is less likely to go to waste.

Bananas

How to keep bananas from going brown:

1. Keep them in their bunch
2. Wrap the conjoined stalks tightly in cling film
3. Hang them in their bunch or sit them in a bowl

This is because bananas emit lots of ethylene, the ripening hormone. Cling film helps to prevent the ethylene in the stalks from reaching the rest of the bananas and can help them last up to five days longer. Hanging them prevents resting bruises and helps air to circulate evenly around the fruit. If you don’t have a banana tree (a piece of kitchen ware specifically for hanging bananas) sitting them in a bowl also helps to prevent bruises.

Because bananas emit a lot of the ripening hormone, keep them away from other fruits. However, if you have a fruit or veggie that needs ripening, like a tomato or an avocado, store them with a banana in a plastic bag for a day and they will ripen right up.

P.S. Brown bananas are perfect for banana smoothies, banana ice cream, banana cake and banana fritters.

Berries 

Wash berries in a solution of one part vinegar and three parts water, before putting them in the fridge. This will kill off bacteria on the fruit, so will reduce the chances of food-spoiling bacteria from growing on them in the fridge, helping to keep them fresh. Don’t worry, in this quantity, you won’t taste the vinegar. Dry thoroughly before storing them.

Bread

Store in a cool dark place. Keep it in a cupboard or in a bread bin in its original packaging. Keep the packaging tied or clipped with a food clip. Remember to regularly clean the cupboard or bread bin to remove any mould spores that could make your bread go off quicker.

Herbs

Put herbs into a glass of water and place a plastic food bag over the top. Hold the bag in place with an elastic band and this will create a greenhouse environment for the herbs, keeping them fresher for longer. (This also works for asparagus).

You can also dry out herbs by tying them together at the stem and hanging them near a window in a dry spot.

P.S. Oily herbs, like thyme and rosemary, don’t keep well in the fridge and are best kept in a dry spot.

Lettuce

When storing lettuce, the less moisture involved the better. Wash and dry leaves thoroughly and store them in a container or food bag with a piece of kitchen towel to pick up any excess moisture. Change the kitchen towel every few days so it stays dry.

Onions

Upcycle your clothes and keep your food fresh by using laddered tights as a place to store onions. Storing onions in clean old tights and hanging them in a dark cupboard can make them last for up to eight months. For extra freshness tie a knot in between each onion and never store onions with potatoes.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms kept out of the fridge and stored in a cool dry place will last longer. Store them in a paper bag to reduce moisture levels. Reducing moisture levels as much as possible is key to keeping mushrooms fresh. If they start to shrivel, a quick run under the tap should plump them back up again.

Root vegetables

If you buy root reg with its roots still attached, remove the roots as soon as you get home. Why? Because they steal the nutrients from the vegetable and result in them dying out early.

Spring onions 

Chop up your spring onions, leave them to dry completely and then freeze them in a clean, dry empty water bottle.

As long as there is no moisture when you seal the bottle, you’ll easily be able to shake them out as and when you need them, without them sticking together and without any freezer burn.

Tomatoes

Keeping unripe tomatoes in the fridge prevents them from ripening, making them hard and watery. However, if they are already red and looking ripe to eat, keeping them in the fridge can hold off the rotting process.

Keeping unripe tomatoes in a cool place, out of the fridge, allows their colour and flavours to develop. But if you don’t plan on eating them for a few days, pop them in the fridge until you are ready to let them ripen.

P.S. If you buy tomatoes on the vine, keep them stem-down to stop air from getting in and