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Does that work, keeping the garlic in the fridge? It seems to sprout REALLY fast on the counter where I keep it, but I always thought I should keep it there.
There are some things I don't store in the refrigerator (unless I'm using only a portion of them): onions and garlic, potatoes, avocados, tomatoes. Root veggies I keep in a cool closet in the basement; I buy only the amount of avocados and tomatoes I'm going to eat within a day or two.
There are some things I don't store in the refrigerator (unless I'm using only a portion of them): onions and garlic, potatoes, avocados, tomatoes. Root veggies I keep in a cool closet in the basement; I buy only the amount of avocados and tomatoes I'm going to eat within a day or two.
Try a celery crisper; they work pretty well.
I agree with most of this. I do refrigerate avocados once they are getting ripe, but they ARE better if you eat them before you ever do this.
I keep potatoes in a metal mesh bin on the bottom shelf of my kitchen bookshelf, which is a cool, dark, place.
You can refresh wilted celery by cutting the end of the core (bulb?) off and sticking the whole thing is a glass of water big enough to submerge the end.
It will suck up some of the water like a straw (as cut flowers do) and crisp up.
Garlic - I like to mince it up as soon as I get home and keep it in a jar with infused oil or just fresh water until I'm ready to use it. Makes for quick preparation when the time comes. The garlic jar has a tight-fitting lid. Sometimes I just peel it and toss a few whole cloves in there, because some things I cook I prefer minced and some whole... so I like to have both ready.
Onions - I prepare the white ones ahead. I chop a few and keep them in the fridge ready to go. I use a glass pyrex container with a nice lid that seals tightly. The red ones I leave whole because I like them sliced fresh with burgers and salads and sandwiches. The green ones (scallions) I try to buy and use the day I need them because they go gross and slimy too quick. If they have to sit in the fridge, I wash them and wrap them in paper towels, then put them into a ziploc bag, and then keep them in the crisper.
Carrots and Celery - I wash them, cut them into finger-length pieces, and keep them in a container in the fridge with some fresh water. This way they are an easy grab-and-go snack and also already washed and ready to slice up or chop up for preparing meals. Carrots are fine laying down, but celery does better with less water and standing upright.
Avocado and Tomato - in winter, we buy the canned Muir Glen tomatoes. They are really tasty. We also buy the packaged avocado that comes in the clear bags. It's not as good as fresh, but it keeps much longer. Avocado is often so $$ and I really don't like wasting money. In summer, we buy fresh tomato and avocado and eat them so quickly that they never have a chance to go bad, we keep them out on the counter.
Fresh Herbs - I wash these as soon as we get them home, and wrap them in paper towels and keep them in a ziploc bag in the crisper. They keep longer this way. You can also blend your fresh herbs up with a bit of water, then freeze them in ice cube trays. Pop them out into ziploc bags and label each bag with whatever herb it is.
Fruit - we keep just about all our fruit in the fridge. Remove labels and wash and dry first. Apples, oranges, pears, grapes, whatever. Top shelf. Easy access. Reach in and grab a snack. We don't eat bananas (son is allergic)... but in case you do, bananas should not be put in the fridge. Pineapple is skinned, cored, and sliced and put into a glass container first, then into the fridge. Fresh pineapple is so much better than the canned... especially the organic ones. Way less chemically and acidic-tasting. Yum. We don't buy it too often because we try to mostly eat what's grown locally and in-season... but sometimes we like a treat!
Aww... thanks Mina... but I'm really not that good! I learned most of these tricks during my 11+ years experience working with food at Whole Foods Market. That's the best way to learn food, is to get a job working with people that really know food. Watch and learn....watch and learn... it was a lot of fun!
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