For aspiring master chefs, one of the struggles in the kitchen is making their fruits and vegetables fresh longer. One of the most frustrating things to ever happen is to buy a lovely bunch of apples or bananas, only to find them turning brown within hours of slicing. For many, it might be a high price to pay for living healthy or organic.
But true master chefs know the secret to keeping produce fresh longer. For thousands of years, they have kept the secret to stop lettuce from wilting and avocados from browning. Well, we decided to list down the ancient art of preserving fruits and vegetables.
Below are 10 ways to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh for longer:
1. Leafy greens rot because of moisture. Wrap them in paper towels to absorb excess moisture, and put them in plastic bags before storing them in the fridge.
2. Like humans, lettuce needs bath time! When they start to wilt, place lettuce leaves in a bowl filled with ice water and shake them around for a minute or two to bring them back to life.
3. Use the freezer! Simply chop bananas, bell peppers, berries, broccoli, cabbage, celery, eggplant, cucumbers, mushrooms, onions, and more, and stick them in the freezer. Blanch them before you store in the freezer to neutralize bacteria, and put them in individual ziploc bags.
4. Store them in Electrolux’s NutriFreshTM Inverter Refrigerator! Its FreshShield Crisper keeps vegetables great-tasting and market-fresh for up to seven days by tightly sealing the shelves, therefore minimizing water loss, and providing higher humidity. It also has a FreshTaste Deodorizer to attract and absorb stray odors, and eliminate 99.8% of bacteria. Its Inverter Technology is designed to provide up to 37% of energy savings.
The Electrolux NutriFresh™ Inverter Refrigerators comes in a variety of models and sizes. The Top Freezer refrigerator is perfect for families of all sizes allowing maximum fridge storage; whilst the Bottom Freezer is designed to give easy eye level access to the fresh food compartment. The 3-door refrigerators give you even more flexible space with adjustable shelves and bins to store food your way.
5. Yes, you should refrigerate bananas. Those who have tried it may notice that it turns the skin black (an enzyme called polyphenyl oxidase turns phenols into polyphenols, which blackens the skin), but the inside will be perfectly ripe. If you don’t want the sight of blackened bananas, you can store them in a plastic bag in the crisper.
6. Wrap broccoli, lettuce, and celery sticks in tin foil before putting them in the refrigerator to keep them crisp longer. Trust us, the crunch when you bite them is going to be worth it.
7. For carrots, cut off the leaves and put them in a plastic bag before storing in the crisper. You can also add water to avoid that dried-out look!
8. Berries like strawberries and raspberries will be fresh longer if you wash them in a mix of one part vinegar and three parts water to disinfect against mold. Don’t forget to rinse them before putting in the refrigerator!
9. Squirt some lemon or lime juice on avocados to prevent browning! You can also store avocado slices with large slices of onion (the same gasses that make your eyes water will prevent oxidation). It won’t affect the taste of the avocado as long it doesn’t touch the onion.
9. Squirt some lemon or lime juice on avocados to prevent browning! You can also store avocado slices with large slices of onion (the same gasses that make your eyes water will prevent oxidation). It won’t affect the taste of the avocado as long it doesn’t touch the onion.
For more information on Electrolux’s NutriFresh™ Inverter Refrigerators, visit the Electrolux Philippines website.
