Here’s a guide to my top food storage tips that I have learned over the years and personally use in my kitchen. I’ll include how to store various fruits and vegetables and what to do with various items after you buy them. The goal is to allow the produce to last as long as possible and still taste as good as the first day you purchased it. These are good tips to keep in mind now and beyond this time as well. We are all now trying to limit trips to grocery stores and maximize whatever we find there. Here’s a plan to help you get the most out of your grocery store or farmers market haul. Understanding food storage tips and safety, and applying them in your kitchen is a good habit to get into. U.S. consumers throw out an appalling amount of produce with as much as ¼ of what we buy going into the trash. It may surprise you, but not everything belongs in the refrigerator, and, like preschoolers who bring out the worst in each other, some produce needs to be separated. Many fruits produce the gas ethylene. It makes them ripen and become sweet but will make vegetables close by fade faster. For different reasons, kept side-by-side, potatoes and onions also bring out the worst in each other.
Tips to prepare your kitchen
Tips for shopping at the store
Tips for preparing produce after grocery shopping
Tips for food storage for fruits and vegetables
Refer to this helpful FDA guideline and tips for food storage for the most common fruits and vegetables: Storing Fruits and Vegetables.
Store these fruits in fridge:
All pre-cut fruitApples (to be kept for longer than a week)ApricotsAll berries – wash with water and vinegar (optional), remove any damaged ones and store in ventilated container lined with paper towelGrapes – wash with water and vinegar (optional), remove any damaged ones and store in a bowl lined with paper towel
Ripen these fruits on counter, then store in fridge:
Most stone fruits, nectarines, peaches, plums, plumcotsPearsKiwisAvocados (they’re a fruit!)
Store these fruits on counter:
Apples (to be eaten within a week)Bananas (until ripe and then they can be frozen)Most citrus: lemons, limes, grapefruit, and orangesPomegranatesMelons
Store these vegetables in fridge:
Most vegetables need to be refrigerated. Some recommend cutting off leafy tops, of beets and carrots, for maximum freshness when storing vegetables.
Any Pre-cut vegetablesArtichokesAsparagusGreen BeansBeetsBroccoliBrussels sproutsCarrots – peel, cut and store in container filled with water; change water frequentlyCauliflowerCelery – wrap in aluminum foil for long shelf life or cut and store in container filled with water; change water frequentlyCucumbers (others recommend keeping on the counterHerbs – place in jar of water with stems submerged in water and plastic bag loosely covering the herbsMushrooms – place in a paper bagSpinachScallionsCorn Sprouts
Store these vegetables in cool dark pantry:
Onions (not close to potatoes because they bring out moisture in each other which speeds aging)ShallotsGarlicPotatoes (well ventilated paper bag helps)
Store these vegetables on counter:
Ginger EggplantPeppers (Some recommend keeping them in the warmest part of fridge – like the door)PumpkinsTomatoes (technically a fruit)Winter squashes
Can you freeze fruits and vegetables?
You can pretty much freeze all fuit and vegetables and it’s a great option for long term food storage. You can use frozen veggies and fruits, as they are, in your breakfast smoothies. It’s best not to freeze vegetables with high water content like lettuce, radishes, cabbages and cucumbers as they can become soft and mushy when thawed. If freezing, be sure to use freezer safe containers or bags so that your produce doesn’t develop freezer burn. Frozen fruits and vegetables will last well for at least 6 months.
For more cooking resources:
How to Stock your PantryHow to Stock a FreezerHow to Cook with Canned Tomatoes16 Pantry Meal Ideas15 Easy No Bake Desserts10 Recipes with Vegetable BrothDaily Breakfast Ideas to Stay Healthy
Fresh produce, unlike packaged food, does not have hard sell-by dates. Freshness – from just picked farmers market green beans to berries that may have traveled across the country – is highly varied. Let your eyes and nose help you judge. As always, when in doubt, throw it out. If you find these tips for food storage useful, I’d love to hear from you! And if you snapped some shots of any of these tips and tricks, please share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
