Storing food in the home has its own inherent problems but by following some simple food storage guidelines you should be able to make the most of the produce you bring home for the family. In depth and detailed lists are available to you on the internet and after a quick search online you would be drowning in more information than you can process about all kinds of different products and their shelf lives. This would not only scare most people away from even trying to store food properly but it may also not be that practical to everyone. Below we are outlining some basic tips to help increase the shelve life of your products.
A Few More Food Storage Guidelines…
Take a tip on food storage guidelines from your local supermarket. When unpacking all those new goods you’ve just spent your hard earned money on, always pack the newest items behind the old items. There is nothing worse than one day getting to the back of a cupboard to find an item that you forgot about weeks ago festering away. On that note, proper storage containers can help greatly increase the shelf life of most products. From simple sealable bags to full on air tight plastic containers, in the long run the money you spend on acquiring them will be saved many times over when your food starts lasting loner!
Another good tip is to understand the difference between a ‘use by date’ and an ‘expiration date’. Quite simple if you hit the expiration date of a product it would be best to dispose of it. The one exception to this rule is eggs which should last about 2 weeks longer than the given expiration date. The use by date is a little more flexible. Should you have the option of a freezer available to you, anything frozen before its use by date will last well beyond the date stated on the packaging. Most if not all products we purchase from our supermarkets today will not only have these dates printed on them to help you out but will also have proper guidelines printed for correct storage. For those products that don’t have a specific expiration or use by date, fresh fruit for example, you can simply ask you retailer as to the production date to gauge the age of the produce.
Ensuring your pantry is cool and dry will help greatly. Ideally your pantry should maintain a temperature of between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Using oxygen removers which should be available through most retailers who sell food storage containers, you can create a nitrogen rich environment in your dry goods containers. This will slow down the degeneration of you products and also help keep out pests.
Using food storage guidelines should never be a burden but always help increase the enjoyment you get from using fresh and tasty produce. Your refrigerator and freezer should come with their own set of guidelines which you can follow to help you on your way. These are never set in stone but are an excellent place to start.
Related posts:
