Food Storage Tips
Storing food may seem straightforward, but there are some guidelines that should be followed for food safety and quality. From the freezer to the pantry, there are certain things you need to know to store food properly. Food storage tips can help you keep your food tasting fresh, and keep it safe for your consumption. Does this Spark an idea?
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Airtight
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Whether you are storing meat or non-perishables, removing the oxygen from food packaging helps keep it fresh longer. Oxygenation of food causes loss of flavor and nutrients. Vacuum-sealing food helps lock out oxygen, but you can also minimize oxygen exposure with plastic wrap, food storage bags, and plastic containers. The smaller, the container the better because the less space between the food and the lid, the less room there is for air. When using bags, squeeze air out and make sure the seal is tight. Make sure food wrapped in plastic is wrapped tightly and securely.
Avoid Contamination
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Foods can cross contaminate one another. Before you store food keep everything separated. When you put meat in the refrigerator or freezer make sure it doesn't drip juices on other foods or onto the refrigerator. To do this, wrap meat individually and put it in a plastic bag when freezing it. When refrigerating it, put it on a plate or in a plastic bag.
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Save Space
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To save space in the pantry, remove food from its outer packaging. Often, the outer box consumes much more space than needed. Put things like cereal, cookies and crackers in airtight containers. Not only does it save space, but it helps keep them fresher longer. Things that come individually wrapped, like portion-controlled snacks, breakfast pastries and candy, can be left in their individual wrappers but removed from their our box and stored in baskets or containers to save space.
Use a Bread Box
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Bread should be stored in a bread box or cabinet. Refrigeration removes moisture from bread and causes it to lose freshness. To store bread for longer than five days, freeze it in an airtight container or bag.
Pad the Lettuce
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To keep lettuce and other leafy veggies fresh longer, it is best to rinse it and store it. Drain the moisture and place lettuce in a airtight bag lined with paper towels to absorb the moisture from the lettuce. Keep it in the crisper of your refrigerator.
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References
- Photo Credit modern kitchen with cabinets image by redking from Fotolia.com
