Here’s how to keep food fresh for longer with simple kitchen cleaning and storage tips, from organising your fridge to storing fruit and vegetables correctly.
Spring cleaning your kitchen is about more than scrubbing the counters. The way you clean, organise and store your food can also help ingredients stay fresher for longer. These simple food storage tips can help reduce waste and keep your kitchen in order.
Give your fridge a proper spring clean
Start by taking everything out of the fridge and wiping down the shelves and drawers with warm, soapy water. Always clean up any spills as soon as they happen. Keeping the fridge clean helps prevent bacteria from spreading between foods.
Tip: Your fridge should typically be kept at 4ºC or below, with your freezer at -18ºC. Avoid packing the fridge too tightly as cold air needs room to circulate.
Keep fruit away from sensitive vegetables
Some fruits produce ethylene, a natural gas that speeds up ripening. While that can be useful when you want fruit to ripen, it can also cause other ethylene-sensitive produce to deteriorate more quickly. Bananas, apples, avocados and pears are examples of produce that can produce ethylene and can be sensitive to it, while leafy greens, melons, cucumbers and eggplant are more sensitive to it. Try separating these fruits and vegetables by storing them separately in the fridge or on counter-tops in your fruit bowl of choice.
Don’t wash all your produce at once
It might feel like a good spring-cleaning shortcut, but washing everything as soon as you get home can sometimes make storage trickier. Instead, wash fresh produce under running water before preparing or eating it, and dry it thoroughly where appropriate. Remember to always wash your hands before handling produce, and remember that soap or specialist produce washes aren’t necessary.
Paper towel is your friend
Since refrigerators contain moisture and humidity, certain delicate produce such as fresh herbs and berries can deteriorate quicker or develop mould. Storing these items on a paper towel can help absorb excess moisture, which will extend their shelf life and keep them fresher for longer in the fridge.
Give older food the front-row seat
A little fridge organisation can go a long way. When unpacking your groceries, move older items towards the front and place newer ones behind them. This way you’re more likely to spot food that needs to be used sooner over something newly bought. It’s also important to properly store your leftovers. Use clean, covered containers or sealed bags to protect food and help keep your fridge organised.
Make your freezer part of the plan
If you know you’re not going to use something in time, don’t wait until it’s already past its best. Freezing is a useful way to preserve many foods and reduce unnecessary waste. Label frozen leftovers and ingredients with the date so you know what needs using first. Just remember that freezing helps extend storage, but it doesn’t make spoiled food safe to eat. When in doubt, throw it out.
