I hate to admit it, but I haven’t been particularly great about keeping fresh fruit in the house lately. And it’s not because I don’t like fruit, because I do! It’s mostly because when I do keep fruit in the house, I usually end up throwing half of it away because it goes bad before I can use it all. But the warmer weather we’ve been having lately has inspired me to redouble my efforts to eat better, so I decided I needed to solve the fruit problem once and for all.
I did some digging around online for answers, and it turns out that my fruit problem stemmed from how I was storing it. Little did I know that keeping fruit in a ceramic bowl was such a no-no! Apparently, using a solid bowl or container for fruit doesn’t allow for enough air circulation, which makes the fruit go bad more quickly. So what is the best way to store fruit? A fruit basket! And here are a few reasons why.
Related: The Easy DIY Produce Wash That Will Save You Money Now & Later
3 Reasons Why You Should Store Fruit In A Fruit Basket
1. Air Circulation
An open basket allows the gases from the fruits to escape into the air, rather than getting trapped and causing the fruit to age more rapidly.
2. Visibility
A basket give you a good view of what fruits you have inside, so you can easily know what you have. And if you see the fruit, you’re much more likely to eat it while it’s still fresh!
3. Room Temperature
Your fruits can sit out on the countertop in a basket without requiring refrigeration. The only fruits that need to be refrigerated are berries and fruits that have been cut.
Bonus Tips For Storing Fresh Fruits And Vegetables
- A good rule of thumb is to store fruits that emit a lot of ethylene gas away from other produce items, which includes apples, avocados, stone fruits, pears, bananas, and tomatoes. Be particularly careful to keep these away from cabbage, leafy greens, lettuce, and broccoli, all of which are highly susceptible to wilting or rotting if exposed to the gas.
- Store onions by themselves (or with garlic) to prevent them from affecting the taste and smell of your other produce. Store them away from potatoes in particular, which will sprout more quickly when onions are present.
- Potatoes keep best in cool, dark locations, so you may want to keep them in a pantry or cupboard if your fruit bowl resides in a sunny kitchen.
- Produce stored at room temperature needs good air circulation, which means plastic storage bags or containers can lead to premature spoilage. Even if the bananas, potatoes, or onions you bought came in a perforated plastic bag, they’ll last longer if you take them out.
- Many people store oranges in their fruit bowl, but citrus fruits only keep for about 4 days at room temperature. They’ll keep for 4 weeks in your fridge, so use your fruit bowl to store citrus fruits you’re going to use in the next day or two. Any other citrus fruits should be kept in water in your fridge for maximum longevity.
- If your fruit is nearing the end of its lifespan, freeze it! Frozen fruit is great for making smoothies, adding to hot cereal, adding to muffins and quick breads, mixing with yogurt, or making a fruit sauce for pancakes and waffles.
Once I had learned that a fruit basket was the way to go, I started shopping online for one. I ended up finding several good options that could work for a variety of home and kitchen situations. Here are some of the best and most affordable ones I found:
7 Types Of Fruit Baskets Worth Considering
1. 2-Tier Fruit Stand
This is the fruit basket I ended up buying. It has two-tiers, which can hold a surprising amount of food! It’s around $20 and looks nice on my countertop.
2. Fruit Tree Bowl With Banana Hanger
This fruit bowl is similar to the one above, but instead of having a second bowl on top, it has a hanger that’s perfect for bananas!
3. Three-Tier Wire Market Basket
If a tiered design is your thing, then check out this cute design! This one stands tall at 48″ and has 3 separate baskets, so you have plenty of room for all the fresh fruit your heart desires! :-) You can use the other baskets to store things like potatoes, onions, garlic, or other foods!
4. 3-Tier Hanging Basket
If you’re short on counter space, try a hanging fruit basket! This one has 3 tiers for all your produce, and would add a cute decor element to your kitchen too.
5. Mesh Apple Fruit Basket
If fruit flies are a concern for you check out this covered model! It has a mesh dome that sits on top, which allows for air flow but will also keep the flies away. The best part is that the whole thing looks like an apple! (Here’s how to get rid of fruit flies if they are already flying around your kitchen.)
6. Fruit & Vegetable Hanging Storage Mesh Bags
Another design that saves on counter space are these hanging mesh storage bags. The mesh material allows for air flow, and there’s a hole near the bottom to remove what you need. Place new fruits or vegetables in the bag through the top, so you’re always using the oldest items first.
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7. Reusable Mesh Fruit And Vegetable Storage Bags
These bags come in sets of five, and work great as reusable produce bags you can bring along with you to the grocery store. Then when you get home, you can simple hang your produce up on a rack or on a hook on your wall, making these bags a two-for-one for shopping and storage!
I love that some of these are not only functional but decorative in a sense, as well! One thing…I am afraid that while I am working hard on dinner, I may begin to resent my fruit in that hammock doing nothing but lounging and relaxing!! ;-}
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Never store potatoes and onions together, the gasses they emit will make each other go bad.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ha! Goody-goody for me, I just got a 3 tier wire basket last fall that I’ve been keeping my fruit in. Is THAT why it seems to last better?!? Thanks for letting us know! Now I know to keep it up!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The only thing that works for me is Fridge Smart from Tupperware.They are vented with pictures outside and they tell you what not to put in, and what to put in and the veggies last forever almost. My favourites in the kitchen!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love the sling!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I noticed that in a couple of your pics and comments that you mention that you can use the other basket to store onions, potatoes and garlic…however, I heard years ago, that for a similar reason as fruit needing circulation from the gases that they give off, you need to keep potatoes and onions stored away from each other. Here is a piece of the article from http://www.stilltasty.com:
“Potatoes and onions may taste great together in hash browns. But when it comes storing them raw, you need to keep them well apart. The reason, as the food safety experts at Penn State University point out, is that onions and potatoes can release moisture and gases that will cause the other to spoil faster. So to prevent your spuds and onions from rotting too quickly, keep them separate and store each in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place.”
This knowledge helped me years ago from my onions and potatoes spoiling so quickly. Today, I store my potatoes in my pantry (dark and cool place) in a breathable basket and I store my onions in the refrigerator in an plastic onion saver. Hope this helps someone…:)
P.S. LOVED the first basket you showed!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I put my fruit in the refrigerator.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I always put my fruit in a cermic bowl but now thanks to you its going to be in a wire basket i am going to go to walmart site and see about buying one and i did not know that aboug potatoes in a brown paper bag will do that too, thanks for all of your tips very useful.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Bananas and apples should not be stored together. It will cause them to spoil quicker.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s what I thought.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ive heard that too. I think we’ve always stored apples in the fridge or our sunroom in colder weather.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We have the fruit tree bowl with the banana hanger shown in picture #2.We think it helps our bananas last longer.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What about different kinds of grapes? I only saw grapes in the last basket/ hammock. I buy about 8-9 lbs at a time at Sam’s club because I live so far away!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Grapes keep best in the fridge! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee, you aren’t suppose to store onions and potatoes together!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s right! I was going to make that comment myself. They will keep longer if kept FAR apart.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I do not like to store/place any fruit or vegetable in a wire basket, it puts unappealing lines/dents in the surface.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Jillee, if you place 2 or 3 corks amongst your fruit in the bowl or basket, fruit flies hate cork and won’t bother you any longer. It works!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wow I love this info! thanks! I won’t store it anywhere besides the fridge because I hate those fruit flies!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Lyrrem, thanks! I store my corks in the shed. As soon as I post this reply, I’m off to the shed to get a handful of corks to add to my fruit bowl!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can the cork be from wine bottles?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee, I’m in my 70s and just learned a new trick to keep my potatoes from growing eyes: Put an apple in the bag with them. I tried it and surprise, it does work! Also, somewhere I read that apples give off a gas that makes other fruits go bad quicker so store them separately. Does anyone know if this is a fact? By the way, I learned how to make my popular and wonderful lotion from you on your site…the one with a coconut oil base, baby lotion, and vitamin E cream. I’ve made this for a few years now and give it for gifts. Thank you for a great site full of helpful tips!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Awesome! Thank you Claudia :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Claudia, what is that recipe? I’m new to Jillee’s fan club, and can’t find it on her site.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you
Here’s the lotion post Dorothy :-) http://jillee.co/2hgWqnK
Dorothy, sorry I didn’t respond to your question. We had a horrible storm up here in CNY and everything was down. I’m so glad you got your recipe from Jillee. Good luck with your lotion.
I enjoy getting your emails! I appreciate your information & have gained many useful ideas!
Did you know that potatoes & onions shouldn’t be stored near each other? They should be stored away from each orher, for pretty much the same reasons that you listed above. Potatoes & onions give off moisture & gases that will cause them to go bad more quickly.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee, you rock <3
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the brilliant inspiration.
Like you I end up throwing out too much fruit thats gone "funky".
I live in an apartment so counter space is premium.
Love the two tiered ideas.