Profriends: Storing Food In Your Home

Storing food is a basic everyday household thing. Yes, there’s the refrigerator; there’s the cupboard or pantry; there’s the drawer… but how should you really store food? And how can you effectively and efficiently store them? Here are a few tips I learned; enjoy! (We apply some of these tips in our Profriends Lancaster New City home).

I read online that foods should be stored in opaque containers or dark cabinets. Light tends to fade color, destroy vitamins, and speeds the rancidity of fats.

Peanut butter should be stored upside down. The oils will distribute evenly that way. No more oily top and crumbly bottom! The same goes for Nutella.

Authentic vanilla beans (if you’re lucky enough to have them since they are rare and a bit pricey in this country) can be stored sticking up in a jar of sugar. Plus, that will leave you with some vanilla-flavored sugar! My sister bought some vanilla bean pods yesterday. Our sugar smells and tastes awesome.

Don’t store onions with potatoes else onions will spoil faster. They can last up to 8 months when stored in pantyhose (believe it or not). Just saw this on the internet. On the other hand, store potatoes with apple to keep those spuds from sprouting. Remember, too, that a rotten fruit can spoil the others so toss the rotten ones away quickly.

Speaking of fruits, wrap the banana crown (tangkay) with plastic wrap so that they will last longer.

Sliced some apples? Maybe diced some bananas or potatoes? Let them sink in a bowl of water so that they won’t oxidize or turn brown.

Store ginger in the freezer or fridge. It will last longer and it will help your grate easily.

Leftover coffee can be poured in ice cubes or ice trays so that you can use them for coffee slushies! Or pour soda in the trays to avoid water from drowning out your soda. You may also store baby food in them then just let them defrost to room temperature or microwave. Homemade tomato sauce can be stored in them, too, and just defrost or pop them in the microwave along with your cooked pasta. Easy and yum!

Make sure your jars and containers are tightly sealed to avoid pests like ants and roaches. In case one of those has been invaded, place orange peels near those or where pests hang out. They hate citrus. Also, avoid ants from recovering their tracks toward your food but wiping it with a used/squeezed out lemon/lime half.

Remember to keep track of expiration dates. Label jars with them so that you can keep track of it.

Don’t toss silica gels or desiccant away! They are moisture absorbers and you can place them inside cabinets or cupboards where you store your jarred dry goods.

Place a used tea bag or some charcoal in your refrigerator to avoid any nasty smell. Keep your food really fresh and nice smelling this way!

Awesome tips, right? Well, go ahead and practice these for fresher produce/food! Get going!