ASPARAGUS TIPS AND OTHER HELPFUL HINTS ON KEEPING FOOD FOR LONGER
KEEPING herbs in ice cubes or spring onions in a water bottle are the latest tips in the kitchen to cut waste.
A top 10 guide has been devised by the Good Housekeeping Institute to help shoppers make the most of their food. Here are the hints:
1. Chop spring onions then freeze them inside an empty water bottle.
2. Keep salad crisp by transferring leaves to a bowl, put a couple of sheets of kitchen paper over them then seal the top with cling film. 3. Wrap damp paper
towels around the bases of asparagus or herbs or store them upright in a vase or glass with about an inch of water.
4. Wrap raw, peeled carrots or celery in foil and store in the fridge to keep them for two weeks longer.
5. Chop up herbs, store them in an ice cube tray, add water and put them in the freezer. Use cubes in cooking.
6. Wash, dry and cut vegetables as soon as you get them, put them in the fridge in covered containers lined with kitchen towels to keep moisture out.
7. Don’t wash berries before storing them as it makes them more likely to spoil from the dampness.
8. Don’t store fruit such as bananas, avocados and peaches with other produce. They give off ethylene gas, which acts like a ripening hormone.
9. Grapes and berries should be in the fridge to save them deteriorating.
10. Stone fruit such as nectarines and mangos should be moved to the fridge once soft to preserve them.
The Good Housekeeping Institute report read: “These are genius hacks to save not-so-fresh fruit and veg from the recycling bin.”