Easy Ways to Keep Food Fresh

There are countless benefits to eating fresh, unprocessed foods, not the least of which is to help maintain a healthy diet, but the downside is that these foods are virtually free of preservatives, which leads to faster food spoilage. Fortunately, there are many natural ways to keep food fresh, especially fish, fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, cheese, bread, eggs and milk. While some of these methods is simply a matter of common sense, others may be surprising; these useful tips to help you to enjoy food at its freshest:

Pay close attention to expiration dates when shopping, buy food packages with the latest date printed on it.

Keeping your refrigerator between 38 and 40 degrees F will keep food the freshest.

There are more temperature fluctuations in the refrigerator door, do not store highly perishable foods, especially milk.

Drying vegetables and fruits before storage, and not store them in plastic bags trap the ethylene gas that causes produce to ripen faster.

Meats

To stay on top of the freshness of meat requires lots of air circulation around them in the fridge.

Meat should be stored in the original wrapping in refrigerator if you want to use it within two days.

Smoked meats such as bacon or ham must be packed in a vinegar-soaked cloth.

Meat should be wrapped in foil or freezer paper before being placed in the freezer.

Dairy Products

Be sure to put the milk back in refrigerator immediately after use.

Always keep milk in the original container.

Never store milk in the door, this is where the temperature fluctuates the most.

Before storing ice, place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on surface, will keep it fresher longer.

Store ice cream in the main part of the freezer, not in the freezer door.

Always wrap cheese in plastic or waxed paper before storing it in the deli drawer.

The best way to store eggs with the pointed side down.

Fresh fruits and vegetables

Produce releases ethylene gas as it ripens, while this is natural, it raises other fruits and vegetables to ripen faster. Some products are more responsive to ethylene than others, and conversely, some fruits and vegetables produce more ethylene than others.

Among the more sensitive is the green beans, salad, watermelon, carrots, apples, eggplant, broccoli, cucumbers and potatoes.

The high-ethylene producers include pears, cantaloupe, apricots, tomatoes, bananas, plums, avocados, peaches, kiwis, mangos, papaya and nectarines.

Avoid storing any of the major producers with the more delicate fruits and vegetables.

Always keep bananas on the counter, do not refrigerate them.

Be sure to wash and dry all produce before storing.

Never store produce in plastic bags.

Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries should be stored in plastic container they came in, keeps them in the back of the refrigerator.

Baked Products

If you do not want broke within a week, the first slice and then freeze it, then you can remove the slices as you need them.

Fresh bread should be stored in a dark, cool, dry pantry.

Keeping the pound cake and banana bread fresher always cut slices from the middle when you take a slice of pushing the two ends together so you still have a bread like this, there is no cut ends to go out of date!

Large cake with half an apple in the container, it will stay moist much longer.

Store cookies in an airtight container or jar with a slice of bread, this will help keep them softer.

A scientifically proven breakthrough in food preservation, which increases the shelf life of nearly all foods, both in the fridge and pantry called eggstrafresh ®. Not only will keep food fresh, eggstrafresh ® will also enhance the natural color, flavor, taste and texture of all your fresh food.