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Food Storage Techniques
Food Storage, Fruit.
The trick to tasty fruit is the balance between freshness and ripeness.
Because most of the time our fruit comes from far away, it has to be shipped
"green", which means it's still hard to the touch and pretty flavorless.
But this technique keeps it from bruising in transit to the store, and then
home. The best way to ripen most fruit is to simulate as closely as possible
the ripening conditions it would have experienced if it hadn't been picked.
Good air circulation and room temperature are ideal, which is why a lot
of folks have a bowl of fresh fruit on their counter. As it ripens, many
fruits change color in subtle ways, but a gentle squeeze is a pretty reliable
way to tell if fruit is ready to be eaten. It will "give" slightly under
pressure, and smell sweeter than it did a day or two earlier. Rotate the
pieces in the bowl every day or so to maximize air flow, that way nothing
on the bottom will develop bad spots. If soft spots do appear, just cut
them out before washing and serving. If the whole fruit is uniformly soft,
but it's being saved for a later date, transfer it to the refrigerator.
Bananas are the exception as they will discolor.
Once it has ripened, a large fruit like melon, which might not be eaten
all at once, can be peeled, seeds scooped out, cut into chunks, and stored
in the refrigerator in an air tight container. Then it is truly a fast food
when servings of it are needed. If melon has aged beyond its prime, it will
look darker, be shiny, and have a sharp smell, indicating it's ready for
the compost.
Berries are particularly delicate so they have a short shelf life, which
is one reason why they can be a bit pricey. Unlike most other fruit, they
are fairly ripe when they get to the produce department, so it's a good
idea to eat them soon after purchasing. Keep them cool; transfer them from
the market to home refrigeration as soon as possible. Berry packaging has
slits or holes for ventilation, and if possible, loosen any plastic wrap
a little to aid air circulation. It is important to store berries dry and
only wash them just before using or serving them as they have a tendency
to spoil once they get wet.
Mixed fruit has a great blend of tastes and textures. The trick is to know
which ones store longer than others. Some "dry" fruit such as apple, ripe
pear, or cranberries, can keep for several days when cut up and stored in
an air tight container and set in the fridge. Then when you want a quick
snack or side dish, add banana, melon, peach, orange, or grapefruit, for
the extra flavor these "wet" fruits add. With a little planning ahead it's
not much work for a whole lot of taste.
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Food Storage, Vegetables.
With a few common sensible procedures, most vegetables keep remarkably long
periods of time. The world of eating has changed completely since the advent
of refrigeration, and year round we take for granted vegetables that used
to be available only a few weeks out of the year. As with fruit, think about
how you can imitate as closely as possible the conditions the plant grew
in. Many vegetables that grow above ground like cool humidity, those that
grow below ground thrive in conditions cool but dry. The refrigeration takes
care of the temperature, and the storage method deals with the moisture.
I've come to think the primary function of vegetable drawers is to keep
tender leafy vegetables from crushing. Since heads of leaf lettuce, bags
of spinach and bunches of parsley or cilantro are all bulky, it's important
to protect then from being squashed to the back, or smushed under, anything
else on a shelf. Once they bruise, they begin to rot, creating the kinds
of maintenance problems that cause people to think making salad is too much
work, and too expensive to bother with. By dedicating protected space, and
adjusting packaging before storing in the fridge, vegetable shelf life can
be extended dramatically.
Tender vegetables do best with the two step process of toweling and bagging.
Fresh leaf lettuce, for example, is full of moisture at the store. Gently
drop the head into the plastic bag provided to get it home. Before placing
it in the refrigerator vegetable bin, remove the lettuce from the bag and
gently wrap it in toweling before returning it to the bag. There are two
toweling options. One is to loosely wrap the leafy vegetable in a two or
three sheet length of paper towel. The other method is to use new, smooth
finished, (no nap) cotton or linen dish towels dedicated exclusively for
wrapping vegetables. When doing this, it is more important to cover the
leafy tips than the stems as it is the leaves touching the wet sides of
the bag that cause them to rot. Then fit the wrapped lettuce back into the
bag, gently tying off the top of the bag so ample air is trapped inside.
This creates a micro-climate offering the lettuce the best of all worlds:
cool temperature, moisture, protection from rotting, and adequate air circulation.
It works amazingly well, and quickly becomes so automatic it doesn't seem
like an additional step. A variation to this technique is washing and spin
drying the leafy vegetable before wrapping it so it is absolutely quick
work when using it.
This practice also works for scallions, peppers, celery, summer squash,
and cucumbers.
Tougher above ground vegetables like brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage,
and some below ground veggies like carrots, and beets, do well in air filled
plastic bags tied off at the top. The bag doesn't have to be filled up like
a balloon, just a cushion is all that's needed. Although there is no reason
to use toweling as a barrier the slightly blown up bag again creates a microclimate
that keeps the vegetables from drying out if they aren't going to be used
within a few days. This method takes up slightly more space in the fridge
- I usually dedicate the vegetable draw and an additional shelf to fruits
and vegetables.
Unfortunately, bulky root vegetables, such as potatoes, onions, garlic,
butternut squash or turnip need to go in the fridge if there isn't another
suitable area affording cool, dark, space with good air circulation. These
I never store in plastic bags as air circulation is crucial to maintaining
freshness. Trial and error will determine if the garage, cellar stairs,
a closet, or basement corner are appropriate places to store winter vegetables.
Hanging them in a net or mesh bag is usually better than a paper bag on
the floor. The trick again, is cool temperatures, low light, and good air
circulation. Back to Top
Food Storage, Meat and Fish.
It's always a good idea to either eat fresh meats as soon as possible, cook
them up to eat later, or freeze them. A good rule of thumb is to use any
meat product within a day or two. Leave it in its original wrapper so as
not to unnecessarily contaminate the meat by it coming into contact with
the air or hands sooner than necessary. Once unwrapped, rinse unground meat
in cool water before cooking. (And don't forget to wash your hands before
washing the meat!) If freezing for a week or two, it's fine to leave the
meat in it's original wrapping, but for longer storage, rewrap in heavy
duty freezer paper and note on the outside, the type and cut of meat as
well as the date of purchase.
Handle beef and pork in pretty much the same way. The more processed it
is-ground, sausage, stew meat, etc., the more important it is to cook it
within a day or two. This is also true for organs like liver or heart. Larger
cuts of meat - chops, steaks, or roasts have a refrigerator shelf life of
2 to 4 days. Poultry should be cooked within 2 to 3 days, and livers 1 to
2. Fish is particularly delicate and is best when it virtually goes from
the market to the pan; two days refrigerator storage would be maximum. Shell
fish should be cooked by the next day, and canned fish like tuna or salmon
needs to be transferred to a glass or plastic container if not eaten immediately.
Breaded fish sticks are good in the freezer up to 3 months. Back to Top
Food Storage, Bulk Foods.
Grains, rice, flour, beans, nuts, seeds, pasta, and dried fruit, are
all basically stored the same way - airtight containers to keep them dry
and cool. As with meat stored in the freezer, it's fine for a few weeks
to leave dry goods in their original packaging, but longer term storage
needs to be in airtight containers. This is especially important in the
summer because of our Island humidity. Plastic, glass or pottery work equally
well for moisture, but if you live in a situation where the house may be
unoccupied for extended periods of time, don't use plastic. Mice can chew
through plastic, and once they find an uninterrupted food source, there
may be a lot of them to deal with. As with the long term freezing of meat,
it's a good idea to record the date of purchase on the container.
To insure that you don't end up with who-knows-how-long-it's-been-there
rice in the bottom of a canister, rotate your stock whenever you buy new.
It takes less time than you may think, and offers peace of mind. Dump what's
left from the bottom of the storage container into another container that
is easy to pour from. Wash or rinse the canister if you think it's necessary.
Let it dry thoroughly, which might mean using a dish towel, and then letting
it air dry for 5 or 10 minutes. Pour in the newest foodstuff first, and
top it off with what had been on the bottom. Back to Top
Food Storage, Dairy.
From the limited vantage point of my teenage years, I believed it was my
grandmother who discovered milk was freezable. To this day, I'm still surprised
others know this trick, but the official word is that milk freezes safely
for a month, and fresh milk can be kept for five days in the refrigerator.
Check the sell date stamped on the side on the container to calculate the
five days. Smelling milk is the best minimal involvement way to test for
freshness. If it smells neutral, but you still aren't sure it won't curdle
in your coffee, take a little taste.
Milk keeps best when three factors are observed; cool temperature, reduced
exposure to light, and limited contact with air. Refold the spout after
pouring milk from a carton, and replace the cap on a milk jug. Leave the
container at room temperature as little as possible.
Condensed or evaporated milk retains its freshness for 4 or 5 days after
the can has been opened. Once opened, it is best to transfer the milk to
a nonmetallic sealed container. Unopened, it has a shelf life of 9 months.
Butter is so delicate it is a magnet for "funny" smells and tastes. A partially
opened box of baking soda absorbs most refrigerator odors, but butter picks
up the rest. Once a box of butter is opened, store the remaining wrapped
sticks in an airtight container. As I understand it, exposure to air, not
room temperature, is the principle culprit for butter spoiling, so I leave
a stick or less in a sealed butter dish on the counter because I like my
butter soft enough to spread easily.
Like any other processed food, hard cheeses store best if the seal of the
original container is unbroken-- after 3 to 6 months the freshness begins
to deteriorate. Again, the refrigerator is the optimal storage space because
it is cool and dry. Once opened, rewrap tightly in plastic wrap and/or store
in an air tight container. Using the cheese drawer can also help to retain
freshness. Sliced cheese has a shelf life of 2 weeks, as does cream cheese
once it has been opened. Cottage cheese stays fresh for 10 to 30 days, but
expect only 5 days from ricotta. Processed cheese keeps for 3 to 4 weeks
once opened, and 4 months if the seal hasn't been broken. Parmesan and Romano
cheeses stay fresh for 2 months after the seal has been broken, and have
a shelf life of 10 months before opening. Like milk, cheese can be frozen,
but hard cheeses may become crumbly after thawing.
Ice cream can last in the freezer 2 to 4 months, but how well it keeps depends
largely on the temperature, and tightness of the inner-sealing wrap. Ice
cream keeps best at a temperature of 10 degrees Fahrenheit or less , and
getting ice cream back to the freezer quickly after serving is key to maintaining
its quality. Old cartons of half eaten ice cream that have crystallized
or puddled into frozen syrup, should be pitched out. Ice cream is a delicacy,
and is best when it is fresh.
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