Making Foods Last Longer

Produce

Herbs. To keep herbs fresh, treat them like cut flowers. Trim the bottoms of the stems then store in a glass of water. They should last from a few days to more than a week, depending on the herb. To make them last far longer, though, lay them out and let them dry. Dried herbs last much longer and pack more punch than fresh ones, meaning you have to use less.

Garlic. Fresh garlic can dry out pretty quickly if not used right away, but it can be stored for an extended period. Peel the cloves, then store them in a glass jar with olive oil in your refrigerator. After you've used all the cloves, the garlic-infused olive oil can also be used.

Eggs. Storing eggs in the door compartment of your refrigerator can shorten their useful life since they don't stay as cold. Store them in the colder interior of the refrigerator.

Milk. Glass milk bottles aren't just good for nostalgia - they'll also make your milk last longer than plastic or cardboard containers. Get a glass container with a lid and use it to store your milk instead of the container it came in. But make sure you empty the container and rinse it out completely before pouring new milk in so that old milk in the bottom won't spoil the whole batch.

Breads and meats

Meat. If you have a meat main course, such as steak or a roast chicken, all of the meat may not get eaten, but there may not be enough left for another full meal. Don't throw the excess away or give it to the dog! Making foods last longer isn't just about staving off spoilage - it's also about using leftover amounts to create additional meals. Freeze leftover morsels to use in soups, on salads, in recipes or with noodles, rice, etc., for a simple, hearty dish.

General tips

Not enough room in your refrigerator freezer? Consider buying a deep freezer. They are surprisingly affordable, come in several sizes and can be put in a utility area or garage, so they don't take up space in your kitchen.

Note that a few things don't freeze well, though. Avoid freezing milk, eggs, vegetables with a high water content (like lettuce and cucumber) and starchy foods like pastas and cooked potatoes.

Dehydrate. I'm sure you've seen infomercials about dehydrators and wondered if they actually work. They do! Dehydrating is great for making foods last. Dehydrating simply removes moisture, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and, thus, spoilage. Most foods can be dehydrated - fruits, vegetables, meats, breads, etc. Foods can be eaten in their dried states (beef jerky, banana chips or croutons, for example), or re-hydrated later.

Take your temperature. If the foods in your refrigerator or freezer are going bad quicker than you think they should, the thermostats on the appliances may be set too high. Your freezer should be set around 0 degrees, and your refrigerator should be set about 35 degrees - cold enough to slow bacterial growth, but not so cold that it freezes its contents.

Seal items. Whether you use plastic bags, hard plastic containers, aluminum foil or plastic wrap, sealing leftovers and opened containers of food will go a long way toward making foods last longer. Just putting an open, half-eaten can of soup on the refrigerator shelf might seem like the easiest way to store it, but the soup will dry out, and it will likely absorb the metallic taste of the can. The tighter the seal and the less excess air in the package, the better. So, if you use a zipper bag, squeeze out the excess oxygen before you seal the bag.

How do you make foods last longer?

What do you do to get a little more life out of the foods you buy? Share with your fellow readers how you save stuff before it goes bad!

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