Different needs

Fruits and vegetables are living products that, once picked, continue to ripen into your kitchen. Not all are stored in the same way.

While some need the freshness of the refrigerator, others must absolutely be stored at room temperature. This is the case, for example, with bananas, avocados, squash, mangoes and tomatoes which do not can’t stand the cold.

Most fruits can be stored at room temperature. Certain fruits, such as pears, apples, bananas, naturally give off a gas, ethylene, which will accelerate the ripening of others. If, for example, you have an avocado or a kiwi that is not quite ripe, you can place them with the apples or bananas, this will help them ripen faster.

Fresh !

On the other hand, vegetables: eggplants, artichokes, broccoli, headed cabbage, celery and root, zucchini, fennel, endives, green beans, turnip, peas, pepper, radish or salad will benefit from an ideal temperature in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator (between 7 and 9 ° C). This will keep them for several days.

If you have fruit that you don’t want to consume right away, you can slow down its ripening by placing it in the refrigerator. They should be taken out 2 days before consuming them so that they warm up and finish ripening.

If your refrigerator has two bins, choose one for fruit and the other for vegetables. To develop their flavors, take them out of the refrigerator about XNUMX minutes before consumption.

Please note that the cleanliness of the vegetable drawer is essential for the preservation of fruits and vegetables. Clean it regularly and avoid leaving dirt or sand … Also regularly monitor the presence of condensation and dry it if there is any because humidity promotes microbial development.  

If you have cut fruit to make a salad, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight box and consume them within 24 hours.

Buy as you go

In order to prevent fruits and vegetables from spoiling, but also to retain a maximum of nutrients and taste pleasure, the ideal is to adapt your purchases to your consumption and their conservation must be limited in time.

If you have products that are too ripe, do not throw them away but make a compote or a crumble for example.

Finally, if you want to freeze fruits and vegetables, it is better to do so immediately after purchase so that they retain their nutrients as much as possible. For vegetables, it is advisable to immerse them in boiling water 1 to 5 minutes (blanch) before freezing for better preservation.