How and where is it better to store vegetables at home, rules and selection of temperature
Purchased vegetables and fruits are usually put in the fridge in the summer and kept warm inside the house in the winter. But even in cold weather, some fruits and berries deteriorate. The temperature regime is not the same for everyone. Shelf life also depends on maturity. With a large purchase of potatoes, onions, a large harvest of tomatoes, cucumbers, you also cannot do without additional knowledge on how to properly store vegetables.
Content
- 1 General rules
- 2 What vegetables and fruits are not recommended to be stored in the refrigerator
- 3 Features of storing onions at home
- 4 How to properly store greens in an apartment
- 5 List of Vegetables and Fruits You Can Safely Store in the Refrigerator
- 6 How to store it properly
- 7 Additional tips and tricks
General rules
Vegetables and fruits are stored according to the following principles:
- separation - each type of fruit and tuber should have its own container, since some affect the ripeness of others;
- down with mold - at the first signs of spoilage, the fruits are removed, eaten, otherwise the process will quickly spread throughout the container. Therefore, it is important to frequently check the freshness of food, especially in winter;
- paper is the best packaging for unripe fruit and indoor storage;
- cool zone to help you - in the refrigerator compartment for vegetables and fruits, the temperature is set optimally for most products of domestic and exotic plantations;
- space - do not fill containers tightly, lay out fruits and vegetables at intervals, in a single layer;
- do not store slices - eat melons, peaches, papayas right away, but if it does not suit you at all, eat the maximum the next day. In the fresh air, the juicy slices will not last a day and can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days;
- do not wash the fruits before putting them in the cold and do not remove them from the primary packaging.
Unwashed vegetables are stored in the refrigerator so that water residues do not cause the development of the fungus..
Sliced fruits should be sealed in a sealed package so that they do not absorb odors from other products.
What vegetables and fruits are not recommended to be stored in the refrigerator
Fruits and tubers with a high water content do not stay cold for long. They are placed in a paper bag and placed in a dark cabinet in the kitchen, in the cupboard.It can be placed in a plastic bag by wrapping it with a paper towel.
pepper
Green stays cool at 10 degrees Celsius, red and yellow at 7 degrees. Shelf life at low temperature is 10-14 days.
Eggplant
Without a refrigerator, blues go bad quickly, but they don't stay cold for long. They are stored in an open bag on the refrigerator door. At +10 degrees, eggplants will retain their elasticity for 6 days.
Potato
From the cold, the potato starch is transformed into sugar. Tubers become sweet, therefore they cannot be stored at subzero temperatures, but should be concentrated in the range from +1 to +7 degrees.
Melon
The southern berry loses its taste and smell due to cold, but does not tolerate heat. The optimum storage temperature is +5 degrees. Strongly flavored varieties have a shorter shelf life. Cut fruits are placed in closed plastic containers.
Mango
Unripe fruits are not placed in the refrigerator, otherwise they will not gain sweetness. Ripe mangoes will stay cold unwrapped for 5 days.
Lemon
Citrus absorb odors and release toxins at low temperatures. At +6 degrees, ripe lemons keep for more than a month.
Papaya
When frozen, the fruit loses its taste and density. Unripe papayas are also not placed in the cold, but left in a warm place, with bananas next to them - so that they ripen faster. At 20-23 degrees, the fruit will ripen in 3 days. Shelf life at + 10 - up to 14 days, at + 5 - 7 days.
A pineapple
A few days in the refrigerator will maintain the firmness and color of the tropical fruits. Cut pineapple darkens with longer exposure to cold.Unripe pineapple gains flavor from heat in 3 days.
Grapefruit
Citrus can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Tomato
Even better, a red vegetable can be stored at 12 degrees Celsius. If left in the cold for a long time, the tomatoes become tasteless and soft.
pepper
With prolonged storage in the refrigerator, freezing, the vegetable loses its vitamins. It can be stored in paper wrappers in kitchen drawers for up to 2 months.
Zucchini
Fresh zucchini will quickly mold into the plastic. Before storage, they should be wiped with a non-rinse cloth. Zucchini will last 3 months in a dark cupboard.
Cucumber
The vegetable gives off abundant steam, so it cannot be stored in a plastic bag. Condensation makes cucumbers slippery and moldy. At +15 degrees, they will stay fresh for 15 days.
Garlic
In cold weather, it becomes soft and moldy from the inside. Unpeeled garlic is best stored in the pantry, and peeled garlic should be stored in a tightly closed container for no more than 2 days.
Features of storing onions at home
For storage in the refrigerator, green onions are washed at the base, wrapped in a paper towel and placed in a bag with holes. Feathers need to be straightened so that they do not fade.
Peeled onions are stored in plastic bags and peeled onions are stored in plastic containers with lids. At temperatures from 0 to +20 degrees, it is stored for up to a year.
How to properly store greens in an apartment
The green leaves dry quickly and turn yellow in the sun. Multi-layered bundles scold and fade. The best way to store greens indoors is to put them in water or wrap them in a damp cloth.In the refrigerator, the freshness of the leaves will maintain the temperature in the crisper.
Parsley and dill
For cold storage, dried bundles are placed in thin cellophane, wrapped in cling film and placed in plastic boxes. Chopped seasoning is stored in the freezer in plastic.
Shallot
The variety is stored like ordinary onions in boxes or bags. Unpeeled shallots will keep for 7 months. Without hulls, it can be kept in the refrigerator in plastic containers.
Spinach
The product is usable within 24 hours of collection, regardless of storage location. Then toxins accumulate there. Therefore, you cannot find fresh spinach in supermarkets.
lettuce salad
Whole leaves are stored at 0 degrees in a perforated bag. Sliced lettuce is vacuum packed.
Cress
Cut leaves are negatively affected by heat. The salad variety is placed in plastic containers and placed in the crisper or on the refrigerator door shelf.
Celery
In cellophane, the leaves become soft, so they are wrapped in foil and put in a cold place. Store cool in water at ambient conditions. The roots of cultivated celery are stored in boxes with sand, in plastic bags, in an aqueous solution of clay.
Deciduous herbs
Coriander, tarragon, basil, mint will last 2 days in water. In the cold, the greens will last 5 days, wrapped in a damp towel.
Woody herbs
Thyme and rosemary can be stored in cold paper packaging for 14 days.
Rocket
Freshly picked grass will also stand, like a green clump, in the water.A large number of leaves are packed in zip or vacuum bags and kept cold for up to a week.
Radicchio
The salad variety is also stored in a plastic container in the cold for 4-5 days.
Fennel
Stored at + 6 ... + 8 degrees, isolated from other products. A plastic container or damp towel will prevent the smell from spreading.
List of Vegetables and Fruits You Can Safely Store in the Refrigerator
The optimum storage temperature is 0 degrees. All fruits must be ripe, otherwise they will not ripen in the cold and will remain unsweetened.
Apricot
Ripe, slightly soft fruits are stored loose or in a paper bag.
Pear
Ripe fruit can be refrigerated. It is better to put the immature ones in a paper container and put them in a dark and cool cellar.
The Peach
They are laid out in a single layer, wrapped in paper. Sliced peaches are stored in a plastic container.
Nectarine
Fruit is wrapped in paper and placed in the fresh vegetable area.
cherry
Unwashed cherries without cuttings in an open container can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. In the cellar, the berries are stored in open glass jars, having placed cherry leaves in them.
Turnip
Don't stock lots of root vegetables. It dries out and tastes too much. The temperature of the turnip does not exceed 12 degrees Celsius.
Attorney
Unripe fruit should remain on the kitchen table until it ripens. Ripe avocados are placed in a plastic zip bag and placed in the produce compartment of the refrigerator.
Raspberries
At room temperature, soft berries will drain in 8 hours. In the refrigerator, it is stored in a flat container, laid out in 1-2 layers and shifted with a paper towel.The container is placed on the middle or bottom shelf. Near the freezer, raspberries will freeze and become tasteless. Covered dishes will protect the berries from extraneous smells.
Gooseberry
Green berries are laid out in small containers, liter and half-liter glass jars. Ripe gooseberries will stay fresh for 5 days, unripe - 10 days.
Currant
The white and red varieties can be stored for up to 2 months at 1 degree Celsius. The currant will hold without compromising its appearance and taste for 5 days.
Grape seed
Hard berries are placed in a plastic bag with a twist tie. Overripe grapes cannot be stored.
Kiwi
An open container will provide the necessary oxygen for the kiwi. Any material is suitable - plastic, polyethylene, paper. At 0 degrees, the fruits will remain fresh for 3 months.
Plum
Convenient cardboard storage trays left over from eggs. The plums are placed in the vegetable drawer. When the temperature drops, they deteriorate rapidly.
Artichoke
Perishable foodstuffs are kept only in the refrigerator, in plastic bags or containers.
Broccoli
Stems should be placed in water, and inflorescences should be covered with a damp towel.
Ginger
The root is stored in plastic wrap for a week in the vegetable fridge.
Rhubarb
The washed and dry product can be stored in vacuum packaging for a maximum of 2 days.
How to store it properly
A separate category is that of demanding fruits in terms of temperature and conditions.
Apples
Stored in the upper part of the refrigerator for a long time. They stay fresh at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Bananas
Low temperatures are contraindicated to them. They are stored in cardboard boxes in a cool, dry place.
strawberry
Without special conditions, freshly picked berries will retain their beautiful appearance for 24 hours. At +6 degrees, strawberries are stored for 4 days, and temperatures of 0-2 degrees will keep berries fresh for 7 days.
Melon
Hard, unripe fruits keep for a long time. Late-ripening varieties last longer than early varieties. Melons are laid out in the cellar at intervals, laid with sawdust, hung in nets. For storage on the balcony, boxes and sand are needed. A layer of loose sand above the melons will slow the evaporation of moisture, but will not prevent respiration. Ripe fruit can be placed in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
Plum
The fruit should be protected from the sun. On the balcony, they are shaded. Plums are not wrapped in polythene. In cardboard packages, they are laid out in a single layer.
Grape seed
White and dark varieties are stored at 0 ... + 7 degrees. On the balcony, grapes can be stored in cartons, wooden boxes. In the refrigerator, it is kept in the fruit compartment, wrapped in foil.
Cucumbers
Store-bought winter and spring varieties will sit in paper for a week on the bottom shelf or in the vegetable area of the refrigerator. It is better to allocate a shelf in the pantry for cucumbers from the garden and put them in a box.
Carrot
Unpeeled and unwashed vegetables are stored in a plastic or paper bag. Carrots will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
asparagus
The stems are placed in water or wrapped in a damp towel.
Tomato
Vegetables are put in paper bags and placed in the pantry.
To store tomatoes for more than 3 days, they can be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
Zucchini
The best storage place is a pantry, a cool cellar. Vegetables will stay fresh for 5 days.
Potato
Stored in a paper wrapper in a cool, dark place. To prevent the tubers from sprouting, you can put a few apples in them.
Garlic
Store unpeeled heads at room temperature. Suitable storage places are a dark pantry, closet, cellar.
Beet
Root vegetables are stored in boxes on the balcony. But on a freezing winter, they are brought to an apartment and placed in a cool place.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms love coolness, but they can withstand up to +12 degrees. They are stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator in paper for a week.
Radish
Like beets, they are stored in boxes at room temperature, but not lower than 6 degrees.
Okra
The vegetable stays fresh for 3 days in foil in the vegetable fridge.
Pea
The legume crop is stored for 3 days at above freezing temperatures.
Additional tips and tricks
It is convenient to store vegetables on the balcony in thermos boxes, in bags with a layer of thermal insulation. Special storage is located compactly and saves space in the apartment.
In the kitchen for vegetables you can put an oven under the window. Also in the kitchen sets drawers are provided for storing vegetables.
The space under the sink can be used rationally by placing wicker baskets or plastic containers with potatoes and onions there.
Vegetables and fruits emit ethylene, a gas that accelerates ripening, and in an enclosed space they spoil. Tomatoes, plums, pears, bananas, apples, avocados, kiwis and mangoes spoil the atmosphere the most. Cucumbers and green salad are particularly sensitive to ethylene. To prevent vegetables from spoiling too quickly, they should be stored in separate containers.