There is nothing worse than having to throw food out because it has gone off or it is past its best-before date. It can be a huge waste of food and money - it’s definitely not something you should be doing if you are trying to save as much money as possible!
Thankfully, there are certain storage tips you can try that should help your food last for as long as possible. Read on to find out how you can beat those best-before dates!
It’s worth pointing out at this point that best-before dates aren’t the same as use-by dates. You can still use food once it is past its best-before date; it just won’t be in as good quality. However, if something passes its use-by date, you will need to throw it out as it could be developing harmful germs and bacteria.
Cheese
One of the main reasons why cheese seems to go bad so quickly is because people don’t give it chance to breathe once they open it. Once you open cheese and take it out of the packet it came in, you should wrap it in a porous material. You can actually buy special cheese paper for this purpose. This will allow as much air as possible to the cheese so that it can breathe. If you don’t expose it to oxygen, you will find that it dries out a lot quicker than you might expect!
Flour
To keep regular white flour for as long as possible, you should tip it into an airtight container and leave it in a cool pantry. When it is stored in this way, it should last for about a year. If you don’t store it in this way, it could get damp and go off. Or, even worse, you might find small mites living in it! However, you need to store wheat flour slightly differently as this can actually go off if left in a pantry. Ideally, you should make room for it in your fridge so that it can stay as cool as possible.
Butter
Did you know that you can freeze butter? It’s true! This is a great way to store your butter that you know you won’t use straight away. If you notice that your butter in the fridge starts to turn an inconsistent color, it’s a sign that you need to freeze it because you’re not using it quick enough. You should wrap the butter in clingfilm and then place it back in its original carton. Then place the carton in a freezer bag. Butter can be left in the freezer for up to one year.
Wine
You might think that wine will last for a long time as long as you don’t open it. However, that’s not really the case. If you know that you won’t be opening a bottle for a while, it’s a good idea to lay it down. White wine should be kept cool as well. You can find top rated wine fridges here, all of which provide plenty of space for you to lay down your bottles in a cool atmosphere. Don’t lay down your red wines in a fridge, though. These will fare much better in a slightly warmer place, such as your pantry or under the stairs.
Spices
Do you find that your spices seem to go off before you get to use them all? This happens to even the best chefs! But you will find that if you move them from your spice rack into your fridge, they should last a little longer. This is especially the case for red spices, such as cinnamon, chilli powder, and paprika. Being in a cool environment can help them keep their flavor and color. However, if they are left out, then the sunlight can turn them darker and reduce their flavor.
Bananas
There is an old wive’s tale that says we should separate all our bananas once we buy them and wrap them individually in cling film. This isn’t true, and doesn’t really work. In fact, you’ll be much better off leaving them together as a bunch. If you do want to wrap them in cling film, make sure you only cover the stem. This should help them last a couple of days longer than what they would normally.
So, there you have it - you don’t need to be a magician to help your ingredients last longer. You just need to use these storage tricks, and you will find that everything in your kitchen and pantry stays fresher for longer!
