Using fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the simple steps that can go a long way to making a meal much more pleasurable. However, finding produce that’s gone bad—or turned not-so-fresh—in your fridge can be a major disappointment to anyone who’s about to start preparing a meal.
The simple fact remains that while refrigerating produce will certainly extend freshness, even a piece of unripened fruit will eventually spoil if left long enough in the fridge.
Fortunately, there are a few simple tricks that can keep fruits and vegetables fresh for longer periods of time inside your refrigerator. Not only will these hacks result in better-tasting food, but they will help reduce your food waste.
Disha Nayak, a social media influencer with 1.3 million followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube (all using the handle @feeedmi), told Newsweek the best place to start is making sure your storage space is clean.
“Bacteria and moisture are often the cause of rapid ripening of foods, so it’s helpful to make sure your fridge is clean,” Nayak said.
Devanshi Shah, the short-form content creator of Dee’s Kitchen, offered another pre-storage tip: Never buy ripe avocados.
“Always buy unripe avocados and leave them out on a kitchen counter. They will ripen within one to two days, and at this time you can store them in the fridge in your fruits and vegetables drawer,” Shah told Newsweek.
With these tips in mind, you only need to complete a few other steps to keep produce fresh once you’re ready to load up the fridge.
Use Paper Towels
“To keep your leafy greens fresh for longer don’t store them in your plastic grocery bag in the fridge. Instead, wrap them in a paper towel and place in the fridge. It will last around one week longer before turning brown,” Nayak said.
Paper towels can also be used to help berries retain freshness.
“When you buy your berries, wash them in a mix of three parts water and one part vinegar and let them soak in that mix for five to 10 minutes,” Nayak said. “Then wash with cold water and let them fully dry. Next, place a paper towel in a Tupperware and toss in your berries, then store in your fridge. The paper towel will absorb any extra moisture, allowing the berries to stay fresh longer.”
Shah said paper towels are also great for maintaining the freshness of herbs. After washing the herbs, she said to place them on a kitchen towel to dry. Next, she said to wrap herbs (or leafy greens) in paper towels and then store them in a zip-top bag or brown paper bag inside your fridge.
Does wrapping individual food items seem like too much of a hassle? Nayak suggested an alternative for some produce can be to line fridge trays with paper towels before placing the items inside.
Squeeze Lemon on Fruit
A little bit of lemon juice can go a long way to extending the life of fruit once cut.
“To prevent your chopped fruit like apples, pears, etc. from browning quickly, here’s the best hack: Chop your fruit and squeeze some lemon juice on all the slices,” Nayak said. “Then store them in a container and place in the fridge. The fruit will stay fresh longer.”
Use Mesh Produce Bags and Containers
Shah said storing bell peppers, chili peppers, tomatoes and squash in a reusable mesh produce bag will go a long way to maintaining freshness. She also recommended separating each category of vegetables into different bags.
“Store half-used veggies in an airtight container in the fridge,” Shah said.
Cover the Tops of Bananas
Bananas have a tendency to brown and go bad quickly. To prevent this, Nayak said you should wrap the head of banana bunches with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
She said, “Usually the banana starts to ripen when the head of the banana bunch is exposed to more moisture in the air. By tightly wrapping the head of the bunch, the bananas will last longer.”
Nayak also offered a suggestion for all produce: “Make sure to store your veggies and fruit separately in your fridge.”
Tips for Outside the Fridge
Shah offered additional tips for keeping produce fresh outside of the fridge, such as storing green onions in a glass of water away from direct sunlight and changing the water every day.
