The refrigerator in my apartment is a very bare-boned model. The shelves are bare wire racks, which means that if something leaks on the top shelf, it very quickly saturates the entire fridge. There isn't a cheese drawer (I have an old clear plastic shoe box on the bottom shelf that corrals the cold cuts and cheeses) and the space on the door is slim. The one thing I do have is two crisper drawers and I use them as much as possible, often stuffing them beyond a comfortable capacity. This does sometimes mean that I lose a green pepper or a head of broccoli, only to find it again when it is soft and brown.
Over at the Unclutterer, Erin has a similar problem with her crisper drawers and began to wonder if the crisper drawer was the best place to store her fruits and veggies. She has put together a list of produce and the storage recommendations for each item. It's a helpful resource and one that may save you a lot of money and pain, as it will teach you how to keep your apples crisp (keep in bags punched with holes on the shelf for good air circulation) and your corn fresh (keep in husk if you're going to use it immediately, otherwise remove the husk and silk, vacuum seal and freeze). She also says that bananas can go in the fridge to slow down their ripening, that onions should go someplace cool, dry and ventilated (not the refrigerator) and that potatoes can be stored in the crisper drawers, but should be given a day to warm up to room temperature before you use them.
Cheese Course: Brebis Pardou
A transcendent summer tomato salad
Sliced bread turns 80 today
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 16)
12-28-2007 @ 11:37PM
geeky said...
My fridge died on xmas day. My replacement is a pretty nice model made affordable at a dent/ding appliance shop (hopefully arriving soon). I'll have to save these tips for when I am re-refrigerated.
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 6:50AM
Don Mercer said...
I have used the green bags you see advertised with fantastic results. They will keep a head of lettuce crisp for three weeks in the frig.
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 7:14AM
Jodi said...
Are you kidding me?? Ever tried putting a banana in the fridge?? Ty it sometime and I guarantee you it WILL turn black inside of a few short days. Sheesh where do you all get your info?
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 7:19AM
JBJG24 said...
HAVE SEEN THOSE GREEN BAGS THAT MERCER COMMENTED ON AND HAVE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT THEM . THANKS FOR THE INFO!!
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 7:39AM
Jean said...
I use aluminum foil to keep left over celery. Keeps twice as long as storing in water.
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 7:39AM
rebecca said...
I just realized something...I need to clean my fridge..before something in there will be classified as my daughters science project..
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 7:47AM
florence dunnett said...
I was always under the impression that potatoes lost ther nutritional value if stored in the fridge. Read it more than once. Any comments on this??
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 7:52AM
silverado said...
Where do you purchase these green bags? NEver seen them before. I have a large 25 cubic ft side by side and dont lose food too often but there is nothing worse than a mushy cucumber or pepper that fell to the bottom of the crisper drawer!! I keep my celery in the original packaging in the crisper drawer and have it for a few weeks also with out it turning yellow or getting limp. Heard not to mix fruits and veggies in the dr awers tho so beaware of that. A chemical emits from some of the fruits and ruins the veggies.
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 7:57AM
ann said...
eggs are on the door never do this
that is why the refig did away with the egg placements that they used to have on the door as they were not cold enough
I would never put bananas in refrig as they don't go bad on me
I never buy alot I buy them Green and eat as soon as they are yellow
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 7:58AM
Pat said...
If you want to have fresh corn on the cob, try this: roll corn (husk, silk) in a sheet of newspaper and tape it and throw it in the freezer. Will taste like fresh corn everytime (I guarantee it). I keep my corn for 1 year
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 8:01AM
Mark said...
ok who's the Moron who said to put the Bananas in the fridge?
Ever seen them after they've been in the fridge.
they look like ....
and if they go in the fridge, why do they sell Banana hangers in the produce section right next to them ? That's because they are supposed to hang at room temperature. Some people think they know everything about everything. time to shut your PIEHOLE !
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 8:04AM
al schrader said...
The reason why your bell peppers, etc. went soft is you should never store these items.
Always purchase this type of produce on the day you plan to prepare your recipe.
In the produce business there are many factors
beyond control. The best way to prepare fresh produce recipes is to first visit your produce monger
and purchase the current highest quality items.
If the bananas are not yet ripe, skip the Bananas Foster recipe today and buy the perfectly ripe
peaches and make Peach Cobbler.
Top chefs never have produce in a fridge for more than a few of hours - mainly just to chill it
when a recipe calls for a cool item like for a Ceasar salad, etc.
There are a few high quality "flash frozen" veg
products like Pictsweet's frozen corn, etc. that equal fresh in quality because of Pictsweet's
cryo-freezing process.
To store these, you will need to max-out the freeze setting on your fridge.
You can email me if you have questions...
Chef Alfred
alfredschrader@aol.com
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 8:14AM
mary said...
WHEN I PURCHASE PEPPERS I SLICE THEM AND FREEZE THEM THEY NEVER GO BAD, I FREEZE MY BREAD, LEFT OVERS AND THEY NEVER GO BAD, WITH SLICED PEPPERS YOU CAN PUT THEM IN OMELETS, SAUCE, SALADS AND FRY THEM WITH EGGS AND THEY ARE DELICIOUS.
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 8:16AM
mary said...
I ALSO WRAP ALL MY VEGETABLES AND SALAD GREENS IN SCOTT TOWELS AND PUT THEM IN THE VEGETABLE BIN THEY LAST LONGER
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 8:19AM
Phyllis said...
I also use those green bags & love them, but there IS a secret.......don't put anything in them that's wet. I can finally use spinach without it turning black & icky. I put it in green bag loosely, get all air out of bag. It may take as many as 3 or 4 bags to accomodate a big package of spinach, but it's worth it, & the bags can be used over & over.
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 8:33AM
Andy said...
Again, where do you get the green bags?
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 8:34AM
Faith said...
I just saw those "green bags" advertised on T.V. but there is a web site you can go to. I am not 100% positive but I think it is "www.greenbags.com",and ,no, I am not being funny or fresh! The ad said you can use each bag up to 10 times and they cost $9.99 for 10 latge and 10 medium ,but then they throw in extras for you.I was also interested.
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 8:35AM
Denise of Myrtle Beach said...
I am in total agreement with the group on many things. I keep banannas in the fridge. They do last about 2 weeks. I cut a stalk of celery in half, wrap each in foil and it keeps 3 weeks. Has anyone tried the new vac and seal bags for the freezer?
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 8:37AM
Melissa said...
The only time I would ever put bananas in the fridge is if I had some strange unnatural craving for a brown, mushy piece of fruit...that happened to be cold. Yucky! Same for tomatoes...if you want to ruin a really good tomato, just put it in the fridge. You'll get a cold, mushy, grainy mess that will not be good on anything as is. I learned this in the good, ol South. :)
Reply
1-01-2008 @ 8:38AM
far25 said...
It is true bananas do keep good in the lowest section of the fridge.Leave them in the grocery shopping bag.Leave the bag open for air ventelation.Ripe bananas will stay good for atleast a week. Green or partially ripe bananas will stay good for a few weeks. I got this idea from an article on how bananas are transported from South America to New York in ships ,the storage areas of which are cool and very ventelated. I like to eat bananas along with other fruits. Fully ripe bananas are sold at the cheapest price at some super markets.We can buy these and still enjoy them without fear of them going bad.
Reply