Many households often find themselves having to buy lemons in bulk, or maybe only needing to juice half for their latest dish.
And while they can last a while in your fruit bowl, before long they will begin to shrink and go wrinkly. But it seems there is a way to store your lemons that can keep them much fresher for longer.
According to food writer Xanthe Clay, keeping your lemons submerged in a jar of water will keep them fresh for up to a month, reports The Telegraph. The nifty trick is also said to work with limes.
First for Women found the lemon stayed fresh in the water up until the fifth week when it conducted an experiment to see how long it would last. It was then it “lost some of its colour” and “felt a little slimy” to touch.
Other foodies believe storing your lemon in an airtight container could help boost its shelf life once popped in the fridge.
How to remove condensation from salad
Waitrose senior environment manager Ben Thomas says you can remove unwanted condensation from your salad by putting a sheet of paper in the bag. For best results, some experts believe you should change the paper towel every day, reports Real Simple.
Storing bagged salad in another container could also help. This avoids the lettuce getting crushed by the heftier fruits in your fridge’s crisper drawer.
Washing your vegetables could speed up decomposition
One popular life hack is to wash your fruits and vegetables with bicarbonate of soda. But one expert says this could actually shorten their lifespan. Speaking to The Telegraph, Thomas said: “The moisture could speed up decomposition.”
Keep your food in its packaging
Food packaging, particularly fruits and vegetables, often have strategically placed air holes to stop the product from going off. Experts say this means you should avoid the increasingly popular social media trend of decanting your foods into a new container.
Where to store bread to keep it fresh
Eco charity Wrap has warned that storing bread in the fridge could actually reduce its shelf life. Instead, it says you should store your loaf in a cool dry place.
Ideally this would be something like a bread bin or cupboard. Once open, the charity says it is best to re-tie or fold the wrapped underneath the bread to keep it fresh.
Store mushrooms in a paper bag
Mushrooms should ideally be bought loose to help keep them fresh. Once purchased, it is best to keep them in a paper bag, foodies say.
If you do spot a mushroom that is starting to turn brown, you can simply peel off the outer layer to give it a new lease of life.
Where to store cheese to keep it fresh
World Cheese Awards leader Owen Davies told the Telegraph that the salad drawer is actually the best place to keep your cheese. He said: “It doesn’t dry out as much and you create a kind of cave with its own environment, protecting it from the fridge’s fans.”
Separate your fruits and vegetables
According to consumer watchdog Which? fruits and vegetables should not be kept in the same drawer. This is because it will produce ethylene which will over ripen your food, meaning it will go off faster.
