Guide to storing food

Who knew if you store apples with potatoes they can help prevent those knobbly sprouty bits growing on the potatoes?

Or that you should separate onions and potatoes because they spoil faster together.

Do you have any other hot tips to add to this list?

Leafy greens like English spinach, kale, silver beet, spring onions, celery leaves, cauliflower leaves, carrot tops, radish leaves and celery leaves
Wrap in a clean damp tea towel and place in an airtight container or plastic bag in the fridge.

Herbs such as parsley, coriander, chives, sage, rosemary, thyme
Wrap in a clean damp tea towel and place in an airtight container or plastic bag in the fridge.

Mint, basil
Store in a glass of water on the kitchen bench.

Citrus fruits: oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit
Store in fruit bowl until ripe. Then pop them in the fridge and keep them separate from vegetables and any unripe fruit.

Stone fruits: peaches, plums, nectarines, and berries, pineapple, pears, tomatoes, avocado, mango
Keep in a fruit bowl until they're ripe. Then put them in the fridge and separate from vegetables and any unripe fruit. Store tomatoes upside down to keep them fresh.

Carrots
Store unpeeled, unwashed carrots in a jar, large glass or plastic container, or sealed plastic bag, completely submerged under cold water. Replace the water whenever it becomes cloudy, about every 4 to 5 days.

Celery
Remove the leaves, wrap in a clean damp tea towel and place in an airtight container or old plastic bag in the fridge.

Chop the body of the celery into sections and store in a sealed container with a little bit of water.

Cauliflower
Keep your cauliflower as moisture free as possible.

Wrap the whole head of cauliflower in a perforated plastic bag and put it in the crisper drawer.

Placing the cauliflower stem-up will help avoid condensation on the head.

You can also cut the cauliflower up before storing it. Dry the florets on a paper towel before putting them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Broccoli
Spritz the broccoli florets with some water from a spray bottle then wrap the broccoli bunch loosely in a paper towel and store in the crisper drawer of the fridge.

Or, loosely cover the broccoli bunch with a plastic bag. You can poke holes in the bag or keep it open to maintain freshness.

Beetroot
Store in the crisper drawer of your fridge.

Leave them unwashed as excess moisture can make them go bad more quickly but chop off all but 5cm of the stem.

Zucchini
If you plan to cook them within a few days of purchase, the best way to store them is on the counter at room temperature.

If you plan to use them more than a few days after purchase, store them in a paper bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.

Avoid storing zucchini in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container because the lack of airflow can impact its quality.

Pumpkin
Store whole pumpkins upside down in a cool dark place.

Store cut pumpkin, wrapped tightly in beeswax wraps, in the fridge. Make sure you remove the seeds first.

Potatoes, onions, shallots, sweet potato
They love a cool, dark place.

Separate potatoes from onions and shallots as they spoil faster side by side. You can store apples next to potatoes to prevent sprouting.

Garlic
Store on countertop or in pantry away from moisture, heat and direct sunlight.

Milk
Keep milk at the back of the fridge on a shelf where it’s consistently cool. Don’t store it in the door – that’s the warmest part of the fridge.

Cheese
Fromaggio fans take note: plastic or cling wrap seals in moisture and invites mould. Instead, cover your cheese with wax paper or parchment so it can breathe and stay fresh.

Yoghurt, cottage cheese and sour cream
Flip containers upside down before storing in the fridge. This creates a vacuum seal that slows mould growth.

Eggs
Put eggs in the fridge to keep them fresher for longer. To check freshness, place them in water. Fresh eggs will sink and bad eggs will float.

Plain flour
Place a bay leaf in your flour tin to prevent pantry bugs.

Brown sugar
Keep a marshmallow in your brown sugar to prevent hardening.

If you're working in the food industry and would like to know more about reducing food waste, check out this free training by Edge Environment.

Hundreds of hospitality workers in our local area have already participated in the training.