How to Store Fresh Vegetables Properly
Vegetables do not all need the same treatment when they come home. A cut cucumber, a bunch of spinach and a whole onion have different jobs and storage needs. Start by separating what is already cut or perishable from produce that belongs in a suitable dry storage area.
Keep greens and herbs in view
Put delicate produce where it will be easy to notice when opening the refrigerator. If a wet bunch of greens needs attention, remove damaged leaves and avoid leaving water pooled in its container.
Refrigerate cut produce
Cover and refrigerate vegetables promptly after cutting. Wash produce under running water before preparing it, and use a clean board that has been washed after contact with raw meat.
Prepare for the meal, not for a longer display
Wash produce under running water before preparing it; do not add soap or household detergent. Follow labels on pre-washed, ready-to-eat produce. Dry vegetables when the recipe calls for a dry surface, such as spinach entering a skillet or cucumber entering a thick yogurt dressing.
Cutting everything at once is not always the most useful preparation. A salad you will not eat until later may be better assembled from separately stored components. Check the food and package instructions instead of assigning one storage period to every cut vegetable.
Give the remainder a named use
If a meal uses part of a cabbage, record the amount left and choose a different texture for the next meal: finely shredded slaw after a cooked cabbage dish, for example. What Can I Cook? can compare recorded amounts, but an unlisted storage result is not permission to guess a safe date.
Store dry produce by type
Keep whole onions in a dry, ventilated place. Move a cut onion to a covered container in the refrigerator. Check the storage directions for packaged produce.
Put this into practice
- Match the vegetables you have in usable amounts
- Use a portion of cabbage without another long simmer
- Handle a food absent from the storage catalog