How many times have you found that the smell of muskmelons has permeated into the other foods kept along with it? And that your onions and potatoes have gone bad much sooner than what you had expected? Well, you are not alone. This generally happens to all of us from time to time. But the best way to avoid this is to adopt some best practices for storing food items in your kitchen.
Broad Best Practices
- Never store your food products near cleaning products or other chemicals. The fumes from these usually enter the food product, making the foods smell like the floor cleaner.
- Never use old containers that once contained cleaning materials to store food products and vice versa. The chemical residue in the containers may contaminate the food.
- Avoid storing food directly on the floor as it encourages mice and other pests to have a field day at your expense.
- Get a hold of some bins and baskets and store similar unopened packets in them. Products like biscuits, treats, pastas and bread products can easily be segregated and put in these.
- Once the packs have opened, transfer the contents to a glass or a plastic air tight box and then store them. Alternatively, secure the packages with clips or rubber bands or store them together in air-tight containers.
- Keep all food items covered to retain their freshness and to avoid anything from falling into them.
- Keep the storage area dry, well-ventilated and not too hot.
Specific Best Practices
- Store grains, pulses, flours, rice, and other essentials in separate, easy to reach glass or stainless steel containers with a ladle of their own. This ensures quick measuring out as these items are needed on a daily basis.
- Always store spices separately in airtight glass or plastic containers to avoid them losing their aromas and invading the other’s personal scent as well.
- Do not use aluminum foil to store acidic food products such as tomatoes, cabbages and soft fruits like raspberries, strawberries and the like. These foods will react with the foil and rot sooner than expected.
- Stack the plastic lids in their own containers rather than leaving them floating around in the cabinet.
Remember, you need to not only adopt these but imbibe these best practices into your daily routine to ensure that you have a healthy, odor-free and hassle-free food experience!