Food Storage Basics

Proper food storage is essential!  But what about those iffy items that may torment us with the question, does it go in, or stay out?  By no means is this a comprehensive list - but it's a start! 

 

And while we're at it, here's some helpful info on canned goods (they don't last forever like in sci-fi movies where survivors are eating them 10 years later!) 

 

Check out the a tip chart on general food storage at the bottom of this page. 

 

OUT
potatoes
onions (Keep separate from potatoes!)
garlic
tomatoes (Ruins their flavour - really!)
honey
peanut butter (Unless organic)
coffee (Easily absorbs odours of other foods)
basil, parsley 
(Store in a glass of water - treat like a flower.  Change water every day or so)
avocadoes
stone fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, mangoes)
squash
pineapple
 
IN/OUT
apples (Depends if you like cold or room temperature fruit.  I vote cold.)
bananas
bread (Some say, in the summer, keep it in and in winter, out.  Refrigeration will slightly change the texture of your bread.)
butter (Just take what you need for a couple of days and keep in a covered butter dish.  Keep the rest in the fridge.)


 
IN
anything that says, refrigerate after opening
whole wheat flour
nuts (their oils can make them go rancid)
nut oils (such as walnut, hazelnut, sesame)
lemons (If you put them in a plastic bag in  the fridge they will last up to 4 times longer!)

Here's some info from:

 

www.eatrightontario.ca

 

Do you want some of your fruits to ripen faster? Place the

fruit in a paper bag with an apple or banana and soon that

fruit will be ripe enough to eat.  Why?  these fruits give off a

gas called ethylene. Ethylene gas makes foods ripen faster. If

vegetables are stored with fruits that give off ethylene, they'll

begin to ripen and may spoil faster. This is why fruits and

vegetables should not be stored in the same part of the

refrigerator.

 

The Goods on Canned Goods

 

Food manufacturers generally recommend that canned goods

be stored for no longer than one year for best quality. Tomato

products, canned fruits and other high acid foods should be

used within 18 months. Low-acid foods (such as canned

vegetables) have a shelf-life of 2-5 years. 

 

For the best quality canned food, store in a cool and dry place

– not near pipes, the stove or range, a furnace or in direct

sunlight. Keep cans dry to avoid the metal lids from rusting.

Rust can cause leaks and food spoilage.

 

Properly stored canned foods will almost always be safe to

eat. However, do not eat foods from cans that show these

warning signs:

• Bulging
• Leaking
• Denting at the seam or rim (can allow air/harmful  bacteria to enter can)

Foods that don’t look spoiled can still have bacteria that can

make you sick. When in doubt, throw it out!

Check out this handy chart for storage!