Food storage is important! According to the USDA, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply. This corresponded to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010. I’m sure you could think of plenty of ways to put that kind of cash to good use, and those ideas are bound to come in handy after you read this post!
Reducing food waste is as simple as learning a few tips and tricks about proper food storage so it lasts longer and is less likely to go bad before you can eat it. Here, I’m sharing 36 quick food storage tips for fruits and veggies, meat and eggs, pantry staples, and dairy products.
No matter what type of food you’re interested in learning how to store, you’ll find helpful tips right here!
36 Food Storage Tips That Keep Food Fresh Longer
▶︎ General Food Storage Tips
1. Check Your Fridge Temperature
Check the temperature inside of your fridge, which should be somewhere between 38-40°F. This is cold enough to keep your food as fresh as possible without freezing it. Eliminate the guesswork with a fridge thermometer, which you can buy for just a few dollars online.
2. Check Dates at the Store
Make sure to check the expiration date on foods while you’re shopping at the store. There’s nothing wrong with buying foods that are a day or two away from their expiration date, but you should only do it if you can make a solid plan to eat it ASAP.
3. Plan Around Your Fridge
One strategy that can help you cut down on waste is planning a few meals around what’s in your fridge and how long you expect it to last. For instance, if you have a bag of spinach in your fridge that is on its last legs, you could plan to use it in omelets the next day!
4. Grow Your Own
If you have the space for a garden (or even just a few pots), try growing your own food! Home-grown tomatoes, squash, and herbs are packed with flavor and can be picked and eaten the very same day. You never have to wonder how long your food was in transit or how long ago it was picked when you grow it yourself.
5. Buy from Local Farms
If you’re not much of a gardener, the next best option is to buy it from a local farmer. Local produce is sure to last you at least a few days longer than their supermarket equivalents, which have already traveled long distances before it arrives at the store. And it’s always good to support local businesses!
6. Prep Your Food
Clean and prep fresh food shortly after you get home according to how you plan to use it. If you do the prep work beforehand, you’ll be more likely to actually use it the way you planned to before it goes bad!
▶︎ Tips for Keeping Fruits & Vegetables Fresh
7. Moisture Control
Line the bottom of the produce drawers in your fridge with paper towels. The paper towels will help absorb excess moisture and keep many foods fresh so they don’t rot prematurely.
8. Mushrooms
You can help keep mushrooms from getting slimy by wrapping them in paper towels before refrigerating.
9. Tomatoes
If you notice your tomatoes are starting to get a bit wrinkly, they’re probably on their last legs. Buy yourself an extra week or so by roasting your tomatoes in slices or chunks. Place the roasted tomatoes in a container with olive oil, and they’ll stay good in the fridge for about a week.
10. Berries
Wash berries in water and a small splash of vinegar before refrigerating them to help keep them fresh. Store them in the plastic container they came in or a ziplock bag, and place them in the back of the fridge where it stays coldest.
11. Lettuce
Wrap lettuce in a damp paper towel before storing it to help keep it fresh. If your lettuce has started wilting, you can usually revive it by soaking it in ice water for several minutes.
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12. Greens
Store kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, and other hardy greens with their stems in a glass of water. Cover the greens loosely in a plastic bag, and they’ll stay nice and crisp longer.
13. Crunchy Veggies
To keep celery, carrots, and radishes fresh, chop them and store them in the fridge in a container of water. They’ll stay fresh for a surprisingly long time this way!
14. Squash
Coat whole squashes in a thin layer of vegetable oil and store them in your pantry. They can stay good for months this way!
15. Apples
Store apples separately from other foods. Apples give off ethylene gas that can cause other foods to decay more quickly than they would otherwise. (But on the other hand, this effect can come in handy in cases when you want to quickly ripen bananas for banana bread!)
16. Green Onions
You can triple the lifespan of green onions by storing them in a jar of water on your countertop. The tops will keep growing and you can snip them off as needed!
17. Asparagus
Asparagus will last longer in the fridge if stored with its ends in water. Just stand the bunch up with the larger ends at the bottom, and stick it in a shallow glass of water.
18. Bananas
Avoid separating bananas before you plan to eat them. They stay fresh longer when kept in a bunch! Store bananas at room temperature until ripe. If they’ve over-ripened, stick them in the freezer to use in a future batch of banana bread.
19. Garlic
Don’t store bulbs of garlic in a closed container. It will last much longer if stored in an open basket or a paper bag.
20. Avocados
When buying avocados that need to ripen, store them at room temperature. If an avocado is ripe but you don’t want to eat it right away, stick it in the fridge to prevent it from ripening further.
21. Freeze Fresh Herbs
Keep herbs fresh by storing them in whole bunches. Just rinse the bunch, put it in a ziplock freezer bag, and toss it in your freezer. It should stay fresh for up to a month this way! When you’re ready to use them, just chop them up and toss them in whatever you’re cooking.
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▶︎ Tips for Keeping Meat, Fish, & Eggs Fresh
22. Fresh Fish
Fish should be kept in a bag on top of a bowl of ice inside your fridge. Eat it as soon as possible! You can also freeze fish to keep it fresh for longer.
23. Eggs
Store eggs in their original carton. If you can’t decide if your eggs are still fresh, place one in a cup of water. Fresh eggs should sink, while old eggs usually float.
24. Meat & Poultry
Meat and poultry should be kept in their original packaging if you’ll eat them in the next day or two. If not, wrap it in tin foil or stick it in a ziplock bag, then store it in your freezer. Better yet, invest in a vacuum sealer! To freeze smoked meats like bacon, ham, etc., wrap them in a vinegar-dampened cloth, then cover in wax paper and freeze.
▶︎ Tips for Keeping Bread & Pantry Staples Fresh
25. Flour
Freezing flour for 48 hours is sure to kill any insects that may be present. After that, transfer it to a tightly sealed container. Store the container in a cool, dark location.
26. Coffee Beans
Buy whole-bean coffee and grind as needed to get the best flavor. Store your coffee beans in an airtight and opaque container to keep them fresh, and use within 3-4 days. (If you bought more than you can use in that period, you can freeze the rest to keep it fresh!)
27. Dry Ingredients
To help keep weevils at “bay,” store your flour, rice, or cornmeal with a bay leaf in the container. The scent of the bay leaf should deter weevils from moving in.
28. Bread
Storing bread in the fridge can actually make it go stale faster because it’s such a moist environment. For best results, keep bread out on your countertop in a tightly sealed bag or container.
29. Shelf-Stable Foods
Store your dry foods in airtight containers, rather than the packaging they came in! This will help keep pasta, cereal, pretzels, and other foods fresh for longer. I like to use mason jars, but any airtight container will do!
30. Salt
If you live in a humid area, you’ve likely experienced salt clumping up in your salt shaker. To prevent this, put a pinch of dry rice into the shaker too. The rice will absorb excess moisture and keep the salt from sticking together.
31. Brown Sugar
Store brown sugar in your freezer to keep it from hardening. For brown sugar that has already gone rock-solid, toss a piece of bread or a marshmallow into the container to soften it up.
32. Honey
Honey won’t ever really spoil, so there’s no need to toss it out when you see crystals or cloudiness. Just microwave it on medium power in 30-second increments until it clears up and thins out.
▶︎ Tips For Dairy & Cheese
33. Cheeses
Before storing cheese in your fridge, wrap it tightly in wax paper to allow airflow while sealing out moisture. After cutting the cheese, you can rub butter on the cut part to help keep it fresh. To freeze shredded cheese for later use, simply shred it, toss it with cornstarch, and store it in a freezer bag.
34. Milk
Keep milk in the main part of your fridge rather than in the door. The shelves in the door are typically warmer than the rest of the fridge, and your milk will stay fresh longer if you keep it nice and cold!
35. Butter
To keep butter fresh in the fridge, keep it in its original package. To freeze it for later use, seal it up in a freezer bag and store it for up to 6 months.
With the help of these tips, you’ll be reducing your household’s food waste in no time (and keeping more money in your pocket while you’re at it!)
What’s your best tip for keeping food fresh?
Something I learned from cheese makers in Vermont is that, for aged hard cheeses, cut off the mold. This is what they do to prep it for sale. Many of them eat that, which I have done too. Moldy soft cheeses should be tossed/composted.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.One useful tip is that food doesn’t “expire.” Those dates are essentially how long the company is guaranteeing them. Use your eyes and nose to determine if it’s good, which is usually WELL past that date.
Regarding bread — and I both bake and buy bread — I usually refrigerate it and freshen it by heating. Unless I’m using it up quickly, it dries up too much outside the fridge and bread in plastic grows mold at room temp.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I freeze cold cuts all the time,just wrap in foil and put in a ziploc. I also freeze bread and take out when I need it… leave on counter a few minutes or put in the microwave for 10 seconds.Bread would go stale in a week on the counter.If there’s only two people in the house it takes too long to eat a whole loaf.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t recommend putting honey in the microwave, it destroys the health benefits of honey. Just place the jar in a pan of simmering water until it liquufies.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m a beekeeper and this is true! Treat it like you were heating a baby bottle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Herbs are so easy to grow in pots. Start from seed or buy the small pots and place in larger pots or the garden.
Good tips here if you must keep food. But how many of us leave food until the last possible moment then “use it up before it goes bad”? Dearhearts it started going bad the second you brought it home. OK some things last longer than others. Still. Buy the freshest food, spices, etc. you can find, and in small enough quantities to use up right away. Your food will taste so much better and you won’t have any waste. Yes you might have to shop more often, yes you might pay slightly more but not having any waste will offset most or all of that. It really is a small price to pay for good tasting meals. And it’s one of the reasons many cultures have “night markets” – it’s social and everyone goes out to get their groceries for the next day or two only. Try getting freshest food and using it up right away and you will not want to go back to keeping food on hand until it is tasteless and you have to eat it in order to not “waste” it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I tried storing the cottage cheese and sour cream upside down. When I went to lift the sour cream up for the next use – it leaked all over the refrigerator and on to the floor. Apparently, not all containers have leak proof lids.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Don’t freeze your coffee! It will destroy the flavor. (I thought it tasted like poison!) Store your coffee beans in its original wrapping and in a metal container.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Exactly. Never freeze or refrigerate beans like I used to do until I read the guidance from coffee specialists
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You used to have the ability to print your articles in a condensed version. Why did you stop? Please put it back.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes, I agree. Too much fluff. I spend so much time deleting the fluff from here and other people’s articles that in MS Word, the count goes down to at least half.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Why do I do that? Because I want the article to get to the point without all the unnecessary fluff added.
Lisa, we are in the midst of making some changes to the website and hope to add the feature back. In the meantime, you can use this website to make one of our posts print-friendly. It functions exactly like our print-friendly feature.
https://www.printfriendly.com/
If it is a recipe that you would like to print without waste, we do have a print-friendly feature. Just scroll all the way down to the recipe card and click on “print”. It will give you different options of what you want to print so you don’t waste paper and ink.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you can’t eat your bananas before they get too ripe move them to the fridge. The skin may get dark, but the fruit itself will still be fresh.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I store mushrooms in an open container in the fridge. I’d rather have them dry up a bit than get slimy. If they get too dry, I might dry them completely and save for later use. If the caps are just a little bit slimy, you can peel them off easily and use the rest of the cap. They have to be really fresh for the stem to be usable.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Very interesting about the Farm eggs. We will occasionally get eggs from my sister when their hens are producing a lot. We also will occasionally save our egg cartons for her.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.how long does the celery keep for ?? how often do u get to change the water ??
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I store it in the new Rubbermaid containers that have bumps inside and vents on the cover. I don’t recall the name of them, but they keep celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and other veggies a lot longer than any other method out there. Been using them for a few years, so I can attest to these containers working.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.NEVER PUT GROUND COFFEE IN THE FREEZER!!!! (it ruins it)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have found that wrapping asparagus in wet/damp paper towel and placing the parcel in the fridge actually keeps them longer than standing in water. Also, Avocados ripen better when placed in a cool dark place.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I see many of these hints advocate the use of plastic – can we look for other ways?
Jill, tried to print this article. It is not printer friendly. Is so spread out on many pages. Is there any other way I can get a nice smaller copy. I don’t need the pictures, just the print information?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks, Shirley
That would be your printer’s settings. Right-click, Copy, and Paste into Word. That way you can delete unnecessary information and the photos. Been doing that for years.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Another thing to remember if you like to buy in bulk. Vacuum sealers are your friend. And if you use it as often as I do, don’t waste your money on one of the plastic ones from the big box stores. A decent near commercial model like the Weston that I use doesn’t cost that much more than a Foodsaver. And if something on the Weston breaks, you can actually get replacement parts. Good luck trying that with a Foodsaver machine, or any of the homeowner grade machines, for that matter. I went through four of the cheap machines prior to the Weston, so take my word for it. They won’t last. And when you buy bags, buy in bulk on Amazon, Webstraunt Store, or Google vac sealer bags for more choices (I buy ’em 1000 at a clip). If you buy those small packages at the big box places, you’ll pay too much, and the savings become much lower. Freezer bags are ok for short term use, but not even close to vac sealing for the long term. And here’s a little tip for vac sealing high liquid items. Clean out a good area in the freezer, put you high liquid content foods in the bags, and carefully stand them up in the freezer overnight to freeze solid. Then you can just pull them out the next day and seal up the frozen solid contents with no mess. We like to do that with strawberries in particular. And if you are into marinating meat, you can buy a marinating container that does the job in a very short time, as opposed to overnight. My Weston even has an automatic cycle for marinating that vacuums and releases a few times to enhance the process and get the marinade deeper into the meat. I believe the whole cycle only takes around a half hour.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Please note: Many people realize how bad for one to use a micro-wave and have gotten rid of it long ago so please when giving directions for use one also please add the alternative. I use a very inexpensive toaster oven and use it many times instead of using my regular oven.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.And I don’t have to be concerned about the radiation that the micro-wave gives off.
Actually, there are many studies that show many foods (vegetables, for sure) actually keep their nutritional value better, when cooked in the microwave, vs stovetop or frying. You must cook them correctly and do not add too much water or overcook. As long as your microwave is in good condition and the door seal is in good condition, they do not pose any danger. Technology has been greatly improved over the years since the microwave was first invented.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.During the Covid isolation I learned that freezing milk is a great way to save it from going bad. I wrote the amount and date on a ziploc bag, then laid them flat in the freezer. The milk fat will separate during freezing and makes it appear yellow, but when you defrost it, the milk looks just as it did in the container and tastes just fine.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for sharing this great tip! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.How to store oranges to keep it last longer?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best way to store citrus so it will last longer is to keep it in the fridge, unwashed.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have read that once food is cut the nutritional value goes down daily and if not used by the third day all the good stuff is gone, just empty calories. The same for cooked food.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Be careful buying honey in stores. if the container has a date on it, do not buy. True honey with NO additives will not go bad. the ‘dated’ honey will grow a science project. Darker honey or honey with chunks of honeycomb is more natural. As for crystals, I always put the bottle in hot water, not boiling, for a few minutes. Great with my tea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Isn’t dating just a legal requirement? I’ve never had any problems with it
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Bananas: Store in an airtight container in the frig. I have only tried this once & it was after they had sat on the counter a few days, but it has now been 2 weeks and the 1 that’s left is as firm, sweet & fresh as day one! The skin turned dark, but it could be because I didn’t do this right away. You can separate each of them from the bunch, as singly it’s easier to fit them into the container. It takes up a fair amount of room, but boy, to me it’s worth it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great article – thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you have a FoodSaver with a mason jar attachment, chop or tear your heads of lettuce (whatever your preference is), wash, spin dry and lay it out on paper towels on your table or counter. Blot as much water as possible off the lettuce and pack it in mason jars. I pack it in tight. It doesn’t bruise or crush the lettuce. Vacuum seal it and store it in the fridge. Your lettuce will last at least a month. This has worked best for me with iceberg and romaine. I stock up when it’s on sale and a packed quart jar is the perfect amount for 4-5 people to go with a meal.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I always read to separate bananas to keep fresher, this is the first I heard to keep them together. Has anyone experimented?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It never occurred to me to separate them – but I do wrap the top in plastic to keep them from browning. All told, I would say I get maybe an extra 2 days using this method before they become unattractive
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