Every American household throws away $640 worth of food each year. The reason behind this is that people buy too much food or fail to eat the leftovers. One survey shows that ½ of Americans throw away food once a week while ¾ throw is once a month.
A study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council shows that Americans throw away $165 billion worth of food every year.
If you want to stop throwing away all that money and food, we’re giving you 8 tips how to make your fresh foods last longer:
1. Cheese
Parmesan cheese and any other hard cheese can last for months if it’s stored properly. When you buy Parmesan, remove the wrapper, wrap it in parchment paper and then with a layer of foil. This way you’ll keep in moistness. Don’t throw the cheese away if you notice a little mold. Just cut off the mold spot and re-cover the cheese in fresh wrap.
2. Onions
Store your onions in a paper bag and keep them in a cool, dark place. This will keep your onions fresh for at least 2 weeks. Another way you can keep onions fresh is to store them in old pantyhose. This will keep them fresh for months.
3. Herbs
Trim the stems and keep your herbs in a glass of water, just like you do it with flowers. What you can also do is place a baggie over the top and store them in the fridge.
4. Berries
Berries can go bad in a short amount of time and that’s why it’s better if you eat them quickly. To extend their life for a day or two, rinse them with vinegar and water mixture.
5. Eggs
Eggs can last for 5 weeks if kept in the fridge. Keep them in the container and in the back of your fridge where it’s coldest.
6. Dairy
Heat can cause dairy products to spoil faster. Bring a cooler with you to the grocery store if you’re buying dairy products just to keep the dairy in a cold place.
7. Meat
Double wrap your meat and keep it in the bottom drawer to make it last longer.
8. Greens
Heat and moisture can cause greens to spoil faster. Keep your greens dry, in an airtight bag. Punch two small holes in the bag and keep it in the fridge.
How to Organize Your Fridge to Keep Your Food Fresher?
Certain parts of the refrigerator are colder than others while others like the shelves on the door vary in temperature. It’s very important to store highly easy spoiling foods that require storage in the coldest areas with stable temperature in the fridge to avoid spoilage.
This info-graphic explains how to best organize your fridge for food safety.
Raw meat, fish, poultry and leftovers need cold and stable temperatures and should be kept on the bottom shelf. This also ensures any drippings not to contaminate other foods on their way down.