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HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: You know I absolutely cannot resist a good clickbait headline, especially I read the ones about kitchen things.
A headline came up in my email saying: "food items you’re probably storing incorrectly."
Okay, I thought, I’ll bite!
What food items am I storing incorrectly?
And I have to say, some of the answers were surprising.
I keep apples in the refrigerator. I keep cucumbers in the refrigerator. I keep avocados in the refrigerator. According to this article, two of those are wrong. Do you know which two?
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I keep bread in the refrigerator. Or freezer. Yes, I know, it makes it weird, but if I leave it on the counter it gets moldy. The article says to keep in on the kitchen counter. I say no.
Tomatoes--I know enough to leave in a colander on the counter.
Parsley is like a bouquet, in water. Until it gets slimy.
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Somebody told me once never to wash raspberries in advance. Or blueberries. And this article said never to wash anything in advance, but wait till right before you use it, because you’re washing off the protection from spoilage. Is that true?
Potatoes I keep in a drawer, or sometimes in a paper bag in the mudroom. I don’t store them with onions. Or apples. Apparently that’s a thing.
Corn on the cob, still with the husks on, that’s a pain. I usually leave it in the paper bag it came in.
Mayonnaise and peanut butter are in the refrigerator. Jelly is in the refrigerator. Soy sauce is in the refrigerator. Ketchup, too.
And there’s just nothing to do about bananas. You just have to eat them. Once you open a banana, you’re doomed, and there’s nowhere to put it. And instantly it will get fruit flies.
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And what do you do with mushrooms? It seems like you have to wash them, they have dirt on them! But then they get all slimy.
Can we talk about this?
(Oh, and hurrray-- the winner of Wanda Morris's book is Karen in Ohio!
And Lev Rosen's winner is Flora!
Email me your addresses at hank@hankphillippiryan.com!)
I suppose everyone has their own idea about how to store fruits and vegetables and such . . . .
ReplyDeleteI put my bread in the refrigerator, too; otherwise, it's moldy before we can eat al of it.
Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, all in the refrigerator, unwashed.
Apples and onions and potatoes, all in the pantry, but not together.
Mayonnaise, ketchup, and jelly all go in the refrigerator; peanut butter is in the cabinet.
If I'm doing it wrong, I guess ignorance is bliss . . . .
I keep my peanut butter in the cabinet too.
DeleteOh, I so agree! But peanut butter seems like it would need to be in the fridge…no?
ReplyDeleteI think ones like Jif and Skippy are pretty shelf stable - I’ve never refrigerated them. The more natural ones where the oils separate usually recommend refrigeration.
DeleteYou can keep ordinary peanut butter a long time in the pantry as I did for decades without problems.
DeleteSince the last two years I’ve bought natural peanut butter, meaning that it only contains Dry roasted peanuts. When you open the contenant, the oil is on the top, separated as Lisa wrote, and you have to mix it through the peanuts. After that I keep it in the frigo to avoid to having to start over.
Oh, yes, I see..We have the mixable kind.
DeleteAnd eggs! In the US we need to refrigerate them because they’ve been washed to control salmonella, but this removes the protective coating that keeps the shell from being porous and absorbing other bacteria. In France (and many other countries) the chickens are inoculated against salmonella so eggs are left on the counter. This is why French recipes work better if you bring the eggs to room temp first.
ReplyDeleteWe are trying to adjust to the daily markets here and buying smaller quantities of fruit and veg so storage isn’t as important.
I buy fresh, free-range eggs from a neighbor with an urban "farm", and they are not washed when I get them, just the goop rubbed off. I still refrigerate them eventually, because we just don't use eggs as fast as we used to.
DeleteEggs are good for 3 months. The ones that you get in the store are usually at. Least 3 weeks old already. Eggs in Europe are date stamped. We only keep eggs that the shell is broken in the fridge but I do store eggs for sale in the fridge
DeleteNot home studying to work the tablet! Bread is best kept in an old fashioned bread garage extra bread is best in freezer but it does dry it out. I have no idea what I anything as the font is so small
DeleteThat's what is so nice about living in France - the French markets where you can buy fresh produce directly from the farmer almost daily in some areas, which allows you to buy in smaller quantities like Lisa mentioned she does.
DeleteEggs! This is so interesting..yes, ours are in the fridge. Now I am thinking about aggs with goop. What a city girl I am...
DeleteI used to wash all my food beforehand because of my deep fear of pestilence --Ebola, rickets. beri-beri, catarrh, polio, autism, acetaminophen, and the vapors. Turns out washing food beforehand doesn't really work with Cheerios. Once you wash the Cheerios, you have to immediately place them in the freezer; that way they might still have some crunch when you eat them.
ReplyDeleteJerry, in dire need of a smile this morning. Thank you, for the washed Cheerios tip. Elisabeth
DeleteThanks for the chuckle Jerry!!
DeleteJerry, too funny. I'm just finishing my Cheerios. I rinsed them in a little half & half right before eating.
DeleteSadly, Jerry, washing Rice Krispies and freezing does not restore the snap, crackle, and pop.
DeleteI'm just going to let you all talk..xoxooo
DeleteI keep most of the things you’ve mentioned in the fridge. Not the bread (I would but hubby doesn’t like it) and not the peanut butter, which is Skippy and eaten fairly quickly. When it was just her, my mom kept hers in the fridge. It makes it hard to spread. The bananas and the apples are on the counter. The bananas mostly end up in banana bread because they get too ripe too fast here.
ReplyDeleteYes, like in two days!
DeleteHmmm. I keep avocados and cucumbers on the counter, apples in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteUnwashed berries and mushrooms in the fridge.
Mayo, ketchup, natural peanut butter, eggs also in the fridge.
Potatoes and onions are stored separately in different bins in the kitchen.
GRACE: Onions are always on the counter. After cutting them, I put the remainder inside a container and put it in the fridge after cooking. Maybe not a good idea?
DeleteOh, cooking, you MUST refrigerate! And yes, after cutting too, refrigerator.
DeleteSame here. Bread goes in the freezer until we start using the loaf, then on the counter. We get weekly egg delivery from a local farmer (US), but he's required to wash them so into the fridge they go. Greens like kale, romaine, etc get their bottoms trimmed and then placed in a glass with water as you do with fresh flowers. The greens last sometimes up to two weeks if the water is regularly changed. - J
DeleteI try to buy more no than 3 bananas as they spoil faster than I want to eat them. Breads on the counter. I don't wash fruits until I'm ready to eat them. I store most fruits and veggies in the fridge. Potatoes on the counter. Eggs in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteI buy a week's worth of bananas at a time. They are on the counter. If one gets too ripe, I peel it and then feeze it to use in baking. Potatoes are in a bag in the cupboard and onions are in a basket. My kitchen is really small.
DeleteYes, sometimes I just buy two bananas--one for Jonathan, and one me to to be frustrated about. :-)
DeleteSoy sauce, peanut butter, and butter stay out, as do avocados, tomatoes, and bananas. Cukes and unwashed berries and mushrooms in, and mayo and ketchup and mustard. Potatoes in a paper back in a cupboard, onions in a basket. Bread in the fridge in the summer, out the rest of the year, same with the jam.
ReplyDeleteBut HANK, did I miss the answers to the photo locations you showed us a couple of days ago??
EDITH: How long do you store your potatoes in a paper bag in a cupboard? I learned that I have to use the potato within a day of buying it because we forget about the potatoes in the cupboard. They became spoiled.
DeleteAnd here are the answers--I put them in the comments the day of the blog. ! That is the lobby of the Doylestown Inn, in Doylestown Pennsylvania, a block from the wonderful Doylestown bookstore. The next photo is the lobby of the glam Hotel Zaza, in Houston, where I stayed for my appearance at Murder by the Book, a fantastic store! . And the final picture is the wax museum in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. That is the view from the highway! I gasped in the back of the Uber! Never a dull moment…
DeleteI knew it was the Zaza!
Deleteyes!
DeleteThanks! I thought I kept checking back day of for the answers but I must have missed them.
DeleteDiana, we keep potatoes for weeks. It helps if they are fresh from the farm. Keep them dark and cool and not in plastic helps.
DeleteHi Hank. Avocados and tomatoes on the windowsill. Sometimes peaches and nectarines, too.
ReplyDeleteApples, oranges and most green vegetables and all berries in the fridge. Berries washed just before use. Mushrooms in the fridge and washed before use. Mayonnaise in the fridge. Eggs in the fridge. All open jam in the fridge. Butter in the fridge, just out before use. Cheese in the fridge.
Bread in the breadbox sometimes in the fridge and sometimes in the freezer depending on when it will be eaten.
Skippy in the cabinet.
yes, the good old windowsill!
DeleteJif lives in the pantry, even the huge Costco jar. Steve eats a 1/2 banana most days with his cereal. He only pulls the peel down far enough to get his half, then folds it back, and not tidily. It stays fresh, except for the cut area.
ReplyDeleteI buy six avocados at a time at Costco: ripen on the counter until the skin turns dull, the stem end sinks in and the "bellybutton" either pops off or is easy to flick off, and the narrow end responds to light thumb pressure. In the fridge it goes then, where it will stay at that level of ripeness for a week or two, unless the fruit has been damaged by dropping. I have four ripe ones right now, and since we are leaving tomorrow for almost three weeks, I'll put these in the freezer for later. We rarely waste avocados anymore.
Yesterday I pulled about 40 pounds of green tomatoes, so today I will store some for ripening, can some sliced ones for fried green tomatoes later, and grind and freeze some for cooking--they can be used in quick breads, just like zucchini, and they make great sauces. I almost always pick tomatoes before they are fully red, otherwise the critters get them. Then I ripen them on the counter; no paper bags, no windowsill, just in a basket. When they get to peak ripeness they go in the fridge to stay that way. But unripe fruit never gets refrigerated because the cold stops the ethylene from continuing the ripening process.
Karen - 40 lbs of tomatoes? Congrats!!! Last time I tried to grow tomatoes the salt air from the ocean wasn't good for them and we had these little green worms that apparently loved tomatoes just as much as we would have liked them!
DeleteYou can freeze avocados? Just..whole?
DeleteI use the avocados in smoothies, so I slice them before freezing to help out the blender.
DeleteYes, you can freeze them whole, or chunk them up and freeze them. It's the best thing I have learned in recent years, aside from freezing eggs!
DeleteEggs are different, you can't just freeze a whole egg. I crack them into a bowl, and break up the yolks and mix in with the whites, then freeze them into ice cube trays. Then when they're frozen I pop them out and store them in freezer bags with the air squeezed or sucked out. They're great for omelets, scrambled eggs, or baking. If you're using them for baking, though, you should weigh them to be sure you have the right quantity.
DeleteI am gobsmacked at learning at today's day old that I can freeze whole tomatoes and pre-scrambled eggs! Thank you, my friend. Have a fabulous trip.
DeleteThanks, Edith! Don't expect photos until after October 15, but I hope to have some good ones.
DeleteI think the Chiquita banana lady even sang a song about not putting bananas in the fridge. Avocados stay out too, but almost everything else is in the fridge for me. Rachel Ray taught me to clean mushrooms by wiping them with a damp tea towel, so that's what I do. She also recommended washing everything before putting it away, but I do not do that.
ReplyDeleteYes, and now I am singing!
DeleteGrowing up we had a pantry cooler, a cabinet that had a small screened opening to the outside air. My mom put all fruits and veggies in there. When I think about it, all fruits and veggies "live" outside in the garden patch (or wherever they come from LOL). So it makes sense that they wouldn't need refrigeration like dairy products. But, I put a lot of fruit in the refrig to keep it cold, especially oranges and tomatoes, because they just taste better. I freeze berries because they defrost quickly and don't spoil as fast.
ReplyDeleteLisa mentioned eggs in Europe and the US. I was surprised when I saw eggs sitting out in France, so I thought if they can do it, I will too. Then I was told the reason why Americans must refrig their eggs - is to prevent bacterial growth. Ugh!!
Organic farmers get frustrated with state board of health rules at farmers markets. Eggs have to be refrigerated in many places, like Ohio, and cannot be sold unwashed. Once they've been washed they have to go in the fridge.
DeleteAs I recall, the refrigerators in Europe are smaller than the American fridges. And people shop for groceries on a daily basis or more often than once a week?
DeleteOh, tomatoes in the fridge? Don't they get...mealy?
DeleteYes, fridges are typically smaller, although our flat has one that is more American-sized. There are grocery shops everywhere, so we’ll typically stop as we walk home from wherever and pick up a few things, almost every day.
DeleteHank, not if they are fresh, local tomatoes. The ones that get mealy are the ones that are hard when you buy them, shipped from who knows how far away.
DeleteI tend to look at where fresh foods are found at the grocer and use that as a guideline. After that, I look at bottles to see if it says refrigerate or not and go from there. Bread is always on the counter unless it was on sale and a spare is in the freezer. I don't wash fruits and veggies until I'm getting ready to use them with the exception of asparagus which I wash and then stand upright in a glass of water until I use them or they give up the ghost. -- Victoria
ReplyDeleteThat is a GREAT idea!
DeleteI just took a loaf of Heidelberg bread out of the freezer. Once it is thawed and I make my sandwich it will go into the fridge. I thought I remember that it said on the package to store in the fridge. But I don't see that anywhere on this package. It does, however, say it is made with no preservatives. I'll continue to store it in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteAs for bananas, I buy them slightly green and they hang on the counter. Only eating one a day, I think they get too ripe, so before that happens they go into the fridge. They will not be pretty, but inside they are still good, slightly soft but that's okay.
My peanut butter goes in the cupboard, never the fridge. The butter is in the fridge and if I will be using it I take it out several hours beforehand. I often go days never using butter and even in a covered butter dish it sometimes tastes off if I have left it out.
Yes, I agree it tastes off if it's left out...
DeleteHANK: Interesting topic today. It is quite an uphill battle because I'm always finding spoiled food in the refrigerator. I try to clean the fridge once a week yet i always seem to miss something like jars with salad + dressing; jars with pickled cucumbers and lemons / limes.
ReplyDeleteSince I've cut back on quantity (two bags instead of 4 to 6 bags of food), there are less spoiled food in the fridge. It's a learning process for me.
Victoria's idea about looking at where fresh foods are found as a guideline is a good idea, which reminds me to do that when I shop for groceries.
The other day I bought a box of Chai Tea and the box says "refrigerate after opening" and the next line is "Consume within one week". I love Chai Tea with soy milk, Many places have Chai Tea with cow milk, which I cannot have anymore.
Oh, those little packets of leftovers..ahhh. Out they go. It's much easier to throw them the second day, right?
DeleteRight. If I remember to throw them out the second day. Menopause brain.
DeleteHalf of a loaf of bread goes on the counter, the other half in the freezer. Since I toast most of my bread, the freezer half is fine when used. Peanut butter goes in the pantry, unless it's the natural kind, then in the fridge. Opened jars of mayo always in the fridge, ditto for jams and jelly. Fruit, except for bananas, goes in the fridge. Cut onions in the fridge, otherwise on the counter. Potatoes on the counter. Eggs in the fridge, butter in the butter dish on counter for every day use.
ReplyDeleteVery organized! xoox
DeleteEarlier this week, I made a fantastic recipe for curried chicken… Which I haven’t made in at least 10 years and which was probably the last time I used my curry. There was A bottle of curry powder in my spice cabinet, sell by date 2015. I tossed it and a littl jar of leftover chutney (sell by date 2013)… major sticker shock when I went to the supermarket to replace them, and there were no papadums in sight.
ReplyDeleteWhoa.
DeleteThis summer our bread has gotten moldy before we can finish the loaf so I am going to follow the advice from all of you and refrigerate it going forward. Otherwise I think I do my food storage much the same as most of you. Fruits on the counter to ripen, if needed, then into the fridge, unwashed. (Unfortunately the fruit flies are rampant this year.) Potatoes on the counter along with onions, until the latter are cut, then refrigerated. Avocados on the counter until they are ripe and then into the fridge. PB in the pantry. Butter refrigerated unless being served, then out to soften a bit.— Pat S
ReplyDeleteYes, bread in the fridge--works for us! And it has saved us from tossing lots of bread...
DeleteOnions and garlic in bowl on counter, potatoes in mesh or paper bag under the counter. Tomatoes and avocados out--the avocados only until they start to ripen, then they go in the fridge. Eggs, mayo, mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, and natural nut butter in fridge. Citrus fruit in fridge. It spoils so fast! Apples I stick in the top shelf of our little drinks fridge. It's about 50 degrees, so cold enough to keep apples from spoiling too quickly, but keeps the apples separate from other produce. Cukes and berries in fridge. Oh, bread, we usually have bakery bread, too expensive to let spoil, so most divided up in portions in freezer, with just a couple of days worth left out. The fridge seems to really dry it out.
ReplyDeleteIt's all so confusing, isn't it?
Yes, frozen bread works, and agree, it's best to divide and freeze. And we all do the avocado juggle! xxx
DeleteSo many culinary issues! I remember as a kid we had a root cellar in our old farmhouse and lately with my love of Korean dramas, they show storing things in kimchi cellars and now I kind of want one. LOL.
ReplyDeleteBut, in Arizona you would have to have a cellar, which are probably as rare in AZ as they were in CA!
DeleteI know that apples and tomatoes should be left out, on counter or in bowl or whatever. Peanut butter in the refrigerator? Who told you to do such a thing, Hank? I put bread in the bread drawer, as I don't like it cold, but if we don't eat a pastry or piece of cake we've bought the same day, I put those in the refrigerator. Mayo, jelly, jam, ketchup, mustard in the refrigerator. Onion out, unless I freeze some I cut up. Blueberries and strawberries in the refrigerator. Bell peppers I put in the refrigerator, but I wonder if they could be stored on counter. I saw where Edith said she kept butter out, and that's one I always wonder about. I just can't seem to keep from putting butter in the fridge though. That's all I have for now.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I would put butter in the fridge in the summer, but the man I live with, who eats way more butter than I do, wants it on the counter. Neither of us has ever gotten sick from warm butter...
DeleteGot to keep butter (one stick in current use) out of fridge. Hard butter ruins many pieces of bread, muffin, etc.! Never heard of anyone getting sick, including me, from room temp butter. I keep it in a closed lid Pyrex bowl.
ReplyDeleteOkay, butter out on counter. Bread usually becomes toast ( and I’m cutting back on carbs so it lives in the freezer) just tried the apple in with the potatoes and I think they’re lasted longer otherwise apples and avocados on counter, Peanut butter in cabinet, but cucumbers, mayo (and miracle whip) in fridge. Tomatoes in fridge. Why am I supposed to leave them in a colander on the sink?
ReplyDelete