How do you like saving money? How about keeping your food fresh for a longer amount of time? The Early Show pointed out that $155 billion of food is wasted each year and that the average family wastes around $1,200 during that time.
Most of that is fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy that goes bad from either not being used or improper storage. This food waste can be cut down, but it takes a bit of work. The big plus to not only saving money, but you get to be more eco-friendly to go with it!
You can freeze meat forever. It may get freezer burn, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It means that it’s dry in the spots that have been burned by the frost. The best way to freeze meat is to wrap it in foil and then put it in freezer bags.
Bread can be frozen for 2 weeks and should be thawed and used with in a week.
Fruits and Vegetables seem to be the hardest to keep fresh and keep from spoiling. A big part of that is storage. Apples should be kept in the refrigerator and tomatoes and potatoes on the counter. If you have fruit that is cut into slices, sprinkle lemon juice on it. The citrus keeps the fruit from turning brown.
Milk should be kept at the back of the refrigerator, in the coldest area. Wrap your cheese in wax paper and put it in plastic bags to help keep the cheese fresh. Remember moldy hard cheese can still be eaten, just cut off the mold and toss it. Soft cheeses need to be tossed out if they get moldy.
What other ideas do you have for keeping your food fresh?
Source: CBS News
Photo by The Marmot
Wed, Apr 21, 2010
News