Simple Food Storage Ideas for Every Kitchen

Ever flip on the television and notice the stockpiles of “Extreme Couponers?” While stockpiling may not be your thing, the proper storage of food can extend the shelf-life of your products AND the value of your dollar.  Even if you’re a seasoned kitchen pro, certain foods can have storage requirements which may surprise you! Read on to discover some common kitchen items and the best ways to store them for maximum usage!

Herbs
We ALL use herbs in our cooking to spice things up.  If you’re using fresh herbs in the kitchen, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends wrapping the herbs up in a paper towel “burrito” and keeping them refrigerated for up to a week to preserve maximum freshness.  If you prefer dry herbs, the good news is that these will last for up to about a year.  The best way to store dry herbs is to keep them in a cool, dark place away from humidity.  The Academy even suggests keeping dry herbs away from drawers near your dishwasher as the steam can dampen the herbs.

Brown Sugar
This multi-functional kitchen item can often be a pain to store for long periods of time because it hardens after being opened.  One great way to store and soften brown sugar overnight is to leave a piece of bread in the sugar, this way the sugar will absorb the moisture from the bread and soften.  Don’t want to use bread?  An apple slice or the peel of half a lemon will work similarly.

Bread
Unless you go through a loaf of bread every few days, chances are you’ve experienced the frustration of having to get rid of the rest of a fairly new loaf due to mold. A sometimes over-looked way to halt mold growth is to freeze bread until you’re ready to use it. When you want a slice, simply detach it from the loaf and microwave for a few seconds or leave on the counter for about 10-20 minutes to completely thaw.

Any foods with an expiration date
Restaurants are required to store their perishables using a method called “First In, First Out” or “FIFO.” This method is also great for your kitchen, and simply means that you should store the items with the earlier expiration dates in front of the ones with the later dates so that the ones which expire sooner will be used first. This way, less food is wasted and more money is saved!

Although you may not be stockpiling your foods or even storing them for long periods of time, these tips can help you spare your kitchen-and your wallet-from uneessary wastefulness!

What are some food storage tips you live by in your kitchen?

An Intern Behind the Plate,
~Rachel