Ways To Increase Shelf Life Of Foods

Most working couples do their grocery shopping weekly. Some even do it biweekly or once in month. So, storage of food has gained more importance in the modern urban set-up than ever before. Many a times we find that foods decay or spoil even after refrigeration or storing in air tight containers. Every good homemaker needs to learn the art of increasing the shelf life of foods. Not only does it cut down on wastage, but it is also our moral duty to preserve food.

Here some very simple tricks to increase the shelf life of foods at home. You need to do nothing more than changing your food storage habits for this.

1. Green leafy vegetables are essential for our good health. However, they decay if you keep them at room temperature and shrivel if you refrigerate them. There is a better option, wrap the leafy vegetables in old newspapers or any clean paper when you preserve it in the refridgerator.

2. We think that oil does not spoil. However, unknown to us the nutritional value of oil, especially olive oil, gets compromised if we do not store it properly. Heat spoils the quality of oil. So, store the oil jar away from the gas oven and microwave. Do not store warmed oil. Once its warmed do not pour it back into the jar. It inceased the shelf life of the food that will be cooked in the oil.

3. Chillies are something that we like to hand pick because everybody has their own set of preferences for spice. However, they dry up in a few days if not stored properly. To preserve the capsian (spice producing chemical) in chillies, store them in air tight food containers.

4. We think that canned foods can be stored in the refrigerator directly but we make a vital omission. Canned food can be stored in refrigerator only if it is not opened. Once it is opened, you need to transfer the contents in an air tight food container and then refrigerate it. This holds true for juices, canned olives etc. Once the can is opened, the compressed cardon dioxide escapes so it is no longer preserving the canned food.

5. Storing dairy products is a whole chapter by itself. Milk has to be boiled periodically if you want to preserve it. Butter must be stored in a glass container and in the chiller of the refrigerator. When you buy cheese, first of all, remove its plastic cover. Then wrap it up in waxed paper and store it a spot in your refridgerator that is teh warmest. This could be your vegetable basket or some crowded corner of the shelves. You need to remove the cheese from the refrigerator every two to three days so that t sweats a little or else, it will dry up.

6. Never put heated food back into the refrigerator. Heat small quantities of food that you can consume at once.

Use these home improvement tips to increase the shelf life of your food.