A TikTok user has shared how we are storing one common food all wrong and stopping them from keeping fresher for longer. The item is bananas.
Lottie Dalziel, who goes under the TikTok username @lottiedalziel, has shared how to store the fruit. Dalziel, a sustainability expert, explained that people should keep the fruit in bunches.
The video started: “This is how bananas are normally stored… I was in my local grocer the other day and they were actually hanging them. Now there’s a good reason why they’re doing this.
“Hanging them means that the ethylene gas is actually released more slowly. This is the gas that ripes not only bananas but the fruits around them.”
The camera then shows Dalziel going around the supermarket and the fruit aisle with bananas separate from other items.
She continued: “All the way over from all of these other vegetables and fruits. It also means that they’re less likely to bruise as well.”
It comes as marketplace Too Good To Go has shared tips on how people can reduce the amount of food wastage.
Seeing as the amount of food that we waste contributes to 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. This is according to Project Drawdown, who say reducing food waste is one of the best things we can do to tackle climate change.
Here are Too Good To Go’s top tips to help cut down food waste:
Check the temperature of your fridge
If the family fridge is warmer than 5C then the contents will spoil in record time. Keep it cool to keep it fresh.
Watch the weight
If cooks measure out the ingredients then they are less likely to make more than people can eat.
Get creative with leftovers
A classic Bolognese sauce can become chilli con carne, meat pie or even a lasagne. Stale bread doesn’t just have to be thrown away either, what about turning the ingredient into a classic bread and butter pudding?
Use the whole ingredient
Keep potato skins on when creating a creamy mash or boil down the remains of your roast chicken for some stock.
Love it, list it, leave it
Planning is everything. Keep a whiteboard and pen on the fridge so that when something runs out, any family member can write a reminder to stock up or add a reminder that eggs and cheese really aren’t needed this week.
Check the label
When scouring the supermarket shelves for goodies, remember to look at the Best Before or Use By label first. Getting a few extra days to eat that ham will make a world of difference when it comes to filling kids’ lunchboxes for the week.
When in doubt, freeze
This is the oldest trick in the book. Virtually anything can be frozen if people don’t think the family is going to be able to eat it in time. Batch-cooking meals to keep in the freezer for a later date is a great way to make sure the fresh ingredients can still get used while they’re at their best.
