By going to the supermarket or your local greengrocer, you choose your fruits and vegetables carefully and buy with great desire. So, imagine taking them out of the fridge after a few days and noticing that they have decomposed and gone completely moldy. Isn’t that a frustrating situation? Especially when you were barely planning to prepare lunch and you especially needed these products for your daily menu!
How many times have you been forced to throw away your fruits and vegetables because of their loss of taste or clearly visible mold spots? No need to remind you that you should never consume them in this state, even if you think that certain parts are not really affected. They remain harmful to health!
This is a fact to take into account: the low temperatures of the refrigerator can trigger a large amount of humidity in the food stored inside, and inevitably lead to the appearance of mold.
Of course, preserving these perishable foods is particularly delicate. But sometimes, a few steps are enough to prevent them from spoiling too quickly.
Here are tips that can help you preserve your fruits and vegetables longer.
The sponge
Remove all fruits and vegetables from your refrigerator drawer. Clean it thoroughly, taking care to remove all stains and excess moisture. Dry it well, then place two sponges inside.
Then place your fruits and vegetables on the sponges. These will absorb the moisture that would normally be sucked up by different foods, allowing them to stay dry and fresh for longer.
If you want to achieve a more effective effect and take the opportunity to also eliminate bad odors, simply add a few drops of white vinegar to the sponges.
This natural deodorizer will neutralize all unpleasant odors and, at the same time, prevent the formation of mold in the fridge.
Sponge
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Sponge – Source: spm
This remedy seems effective because it allows you to quickly and easily absorb excess humidity from the refrigerator. Knowing that humidity accelerates the process of decomposition and spoilage of food.
However, sponges, particularly those made of microfibers, have excellent moisture absorption properties.
Apart from this method, to preserve the freshness of your fruits and vegetables, there are many other tips. Let’s find out!
L’Essuie tout
L’Essuie tout
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L’Essuie tout – Source: spm
As we have already mentioned, the main reason why fruits, vegetables and other fresh foods tend to deteriorate is excess humidity.
In addition to the two sponge trick that we just saw, it can also be useful to cover the entire refrigerator drawer with absorbent paper. We recommend using a strong, durable type of paper to prevent your vegetables from deteriorating further.
Temperature
The temperature of the refrigerator is a very important step to take into account. Because, if it is too low, it will inevitably tend to spoil your fruits and vegetables. So remember that the highest temperature in the refrigerator is that of the drawers, reaching on average 10°C.
Wash the refrigerator drawers
Refrigerator drawers
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Refrigerator drawers – Source: spm
Another very important tip that will allow you to keep fruits and vegetables longer is to clean the refrigerator drawers where you store these products once a week.
Never forget that these compartments are conducive to the formation and proliferation of bacteria.
Therefore, constant cleaning could be helpful in eliminating bacteria and thus preventing food spoilage.
Paper bags
It is also advisable to always store fruits and vegetables in paper bags: they will not only promote good air circulation, but they will also effectively protect your products.
Warning: avoid plastic bags, which on the other hand tend to encourage the formation of humidity.
However, if you have no other choice and only have plastic bags, you can always make small holes in them to let air through.
Throw away rotten produce
If you notice rotten produce in your refrigerator, don’t wait too long to throw it away.
Indeed, they could easily cause other foods to rot.
Therefore, to prevent your food from rotting quickly, we strongly advise you to clean your fridge at least once a week!
Caution
Avoid using or eating moldy fruits and vegetables, as they are loaded with bacteria and can be dangerous to your health.