storing your fresh ingredients

Choosing, storing and preparing fresh veg can be a little daunting. And it can be quite expensive. So it’s important to get it right.

Pretty much every major class here at The Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School includes a module on fresh veg.

In previous classes, I’ve gone into great detail about the ideal storage temperatures for each vegetable. I’ve also explained the role of ethylene gas in the ripening and shelf life of fresh produce.

But thinking about it now, I may have been over complicating the message.

So here’s a simplified system for veg storage.

1. If in doubt keep them in the fridge
Most chemical reactions slow down at cooler temperatures. Same with micro-organism growth.

So in general cooler = longer shelf life.

There are, of course, exceptions.

I store the following at room temperature, in the pantry, preferable in a dark place:
§ potatoes – in a hessian sack – allows them to breathe & protects from light
§ whole avocado (sensitive to chilling injury) once cut, though I tend to keep in the fridge.
§ garlic
§ onions – in a hessian sack – allows them to breathe & protects from light
§ tomatoes (sensitive to chilling injury) refrigeration changes their texture and dulls their flavour
§ bananas (sensitive to chilling injury)
§ lemons – I love having a big bowl of lemons on the dining room table. They’re fine in the fridge too.
§ anything that is under ripe

Interestingly, my brother gave me his big flashy fridge a few months ago, and I’ve noticed my veg are lasting significantly longer in the new fridge than in our tiny old fridge.

2. Use the veg crisper OR store in plastic bags
The refrigeration process removes moisture from the air inside your fridge, making it particularly drying.

Because veg and fruit tend to have high water contents, they are very sensitive to drying. You know yourself, if you leave a lettuce in the fridge uncovered, it will wilt pretty quickly.

The solution is to make the most of the crisper section of the fridge – and have it set to the ‘veg’ storage setting.

I also tend to keep my veg wrapped in plastic bags as extra protection.

3. Don’t worry about ethylene
As I mentioned above, in previous classes I’ve included a list of veg and whether they are sensitive to ethylene or not. And the thing is, in a home environment when you’re storing small amount of a wide range of veg, it doesn’t make that much of a difference.

And to be honest I hardly even think about it.

The only tip I have, is that bananas produce lots of ethylene gas as they ripen. And ethylene can speed up the ripening process in other produce. So if you have something like an avocado that you want to ripen quickly, just pop it in a paper bag with a ripe banana and it will happen in no time.

hessian sack

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