Store Fruits & Vegetables in the Kitchen
Fruits and vegetables are an important part of the food that we store in our kitchens. While most of your fruits and vegetables will go in the crisper section of your refrigerator, there are some items that should be stored elsewhere. You should keep a few important rules of thumb in mind when you are putting away common fruits and vegetables in your kitchen.
Instructions
1. Dry off all your vegetables and fruit before storing them. Moisture on the inside of storage bags will speed the production of mold and bruising on the skin.
2. Keep tomatoes, celery, carrots, and broccoli (as well as onions that have already been cut) in a plastic bag in your refrigerator's crisper section. The crisper should be set between 34 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Store your potatoes, whole onions, garlic, squash and shallots at room temperature, between 40 and 60 degree Fahrenheit. Leave them in the bags they came in. Do not place these veggies in the fridge--at cold temperatures, the starch in some of these vegetables turns to sugar, which makes them too sweet and less pleasant to eat. You can place them in a basket on top of your microwave or in the middle of your kitchen table.
4. Keep leafy green vegetables in the crisper but away from fruits--some fruits give off ethylene gas, which can speed the deterioration of the vegetables.
5. Hang pre-ripened bananas on a stand on your countertop. Store them in a dry area of your kitchen away from the sun. They will last for about a week. Toss them in the garbage as soon as brown marks start to appear so they do not attract fruit flies.
6. Stack your oranges, lemons and limes in a bowl on your table. Since these are covered by a thick layer of skin, they are less likely to be negatively affected by the air. However, you should keep the room between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Store apples and pears in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Depending on the variety, the can last as long as three to six weeks if you keep them chilled.
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