food storage Archives - falafelandcaviar.com Mon, 22 Jan 2024 09:37:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 Expiration Dates: is the Ultimate Kitchen Myth Actually False? https://falafelandcaviar.com/expiration-dates-is-the-ultimate-kitchen-myth-actually-false/ Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:44:10 +0000 https://falafelandcaviar.com/?p=19240 Nothing like a good expiration-date panic: You’re about to pour some milk you’re your morning coffee or spread cream cheese on your evening toast, when suddenly, you notice they’ve expired two days ago. But… have they? It turns out that expiration dates aren’t exactly fortune tellers. Here’s how you know whether you can trust those […]

The post Expiration Dates: is the Ultimate Kitchen Myth Actually False? appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> Nothing like a good expiration-date panic: You’re about to pour some milk you’re your morning coffee or spread cream cheese on your evening toast, when suddenly, you notice they’ve expired two days ago. But… have they? It turns out that expiration dates aren’t exactly fortune tellers. Here’s how you know whether you can trust those numbers or not, and some tips on further extending the life of your food.

It’s a Date

Unlike what many people think, expiration dates are more like suggestions. They’re a guideline for peak freshness, not a death sentence. Use your senses—smell, look closely, and taste. If it smells okay and looks normal, you’re probably in the clear.

Understand Labels

Understanding labels is key. “Use by” has to do with freshness, while “sell by” is only meant for retailers. It’s not a countdown to the food apocalypse. Learn to understand the language, and you’re likely to save major amounts of food.

Proper Storage

Storing food correctly is a solution to so many things (some say it can even cure the blues). Keep your fridge and pantry well-organized. Cold storage helps slow the aging process, so your food has more shelf life than you think.

Common Sense

Last but not least, trust your instincts. In food, much like in love – if your gut says it’s off, it probably is. Our senses are the ultimate freshness detectors, and they rarely lead us astray.

The post Expiration Dates: is the Ultimate Kitchen Myth Actually False? appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> How to Store Your Dry Goods For Maximum Longevity https://falafelandcaviar.com/how-to-store-your-dry-goods-for-maximum-longevity/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 06:05:00 +0000 https://falafelandcaviar.com/?p=16302 When you’re stocking up on dry goods, there’s a bit more to consider than you might think when it comes to storage. The need to be careful with your storage will depend on how quickly you use your stock. But it’s always a good idea to have at least enough substantial stuff like lentils, beans, […]

The post How to Store Your Dry Goods For Maximum Longevity appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> When you’re stocking up on dry goods, there’s a bit more to consider than you might think when it comes to storage. The need to be careful with your storage will depend on how quickly you use your stock. But it’s always a good idea to have at least enough substantial stuff like lentils, beans, and rice in your pantry for a few extra meals at all times, in case you’re hungry and haven’t been to the store in a while. Here’s how to store your dry goods to make them last.

Environment

Things like oxygen, sunlight, and humidity can all contribute to the degradation of dry goods’ nutritional value, flavor, and of course, safety. So it’s important to store in a dark, cool, dry place like a closed pantry inside where sunlight won’t degrade the goods. It’s also important to keep your goods stored in the air, and watertight containers to keep oxygen from degrading them. More importantly, if water gets in there is a possibility for mold growth, so it’s very important to keep the air as dry as possible and your containers sealed.

Pests

Unfortunately, some pests are very persistent when it comes to getting into containers. If you’ve never seen any kind of pantry moth or rodent anywhere in your home, and you’re planning on using your dry goods quickly, then it’s probably okay to leave them in their original packaging until you open them. However, unfortunately, many pests such as mice and even some pantry moths can chew through plastic! So if you’ll be keeping your goods around for a long time, the best thing you can do is store them in sealable glass jars. Thick, hard plastic jars or Tupperware are also a good option, but glass is best.

The post How to Store Your Dry Goods For Maximum Longevity appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> These Foods Should Always Go Straight Into Your Freezer https://falafelandcaviar.com/these-foods-should-always-go-straight-into-your-freezer/ Sun, 15 Sep 2019 10:44:46 +0000 https://falafelandcaviar.com/?p=11296 When you get home from the grocery store, you probably only consider where to put your food if it needs to be put into the fridge, pantry, or if it’s frozen, the freezer. But, there are actually a lot of foods that do much better if stored in the freezer, so if you want to […]

The post These Foods Should Always Go Straight Into Your Freezer appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> When you get home from the grocery store, you probably only consider where to put your food if it needs to be put into the fridge, pantry, or if it’s frozen, the freezer. But, there are actually a lot of foods that do much better if stored in the freezer, so if you want to keep your food fresher for longer, go on and pop more things into the freezer!

Nuts


Because nuts have a really high-fat content, they can actually spoil kind of quickly if left out at room temperature. Instead, chuck those nuts into the freezer and you can eat them for up to 2 years! The best part is you don’t need to defrost them before you eat them because they won’t solidify or get icy, so go ahead and go nuts with your nuts. 

Butter

If you’re someone who only occasionally uses butter for cooking and baking, this trick is perfect for you. Butter that’s put into a freezer bag can last up to 1 year if it’s a salted stick, and 6 months if it’s unsalted! This is great if you want to cube up butter in advance to use for pies and pastries, all you have to do is pull it out, let it sit for a few minutes to soften slightly, and bake away!

The post These Foods Should Always Go Straight Into Your Freezer appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> Here’s Where You Should Store Potatoes Instead of in the Fridge https://falafelandcaviar.com/heres-where-you-should-store-potatoes-instead-of-in-the-fridge/ Wed, 01 May 2019 12:38:55 +0000 https://falafelandcaviar.com/?p=7843 When you keep potatoes in the refrigerator, two bad things happen. They lose their natural flavor and texture because sugar content changes due to cold, but even more importantly, they can develop into a dangerous chemical acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures after being stored in the fridge. Potatoes easily produce acrylamide when their sugar […]

The post Here’s Where You Should Store Potatoes Instead of in the Fridge appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> When you keep potatoes in the refrigerator, two bad things happen. They lose their natural flavor and texture because sugar content changes due to cold, but even more importantly, they can develop into a dangerous chemical acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures after being stored in the fridge.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwuZtDSAL5Y/

Potatoes easily produce acrylamide when their sugar levels change. This chemical is usually found in paper and adhesives, but it may be harmful to your health when eaten or ingested.

Where should you keep the potatoes then? Store them in a cool, dry place and allow air circulation. You can keep them in your pantry, wrapped in a paper bag.

The post Here’s Where You Should Store Potatoes Instead of in the Fridge appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> ersion="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> food storage Archives - falafelandcaviar.com Mon, 22 Jan 2024 09:37:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 Expiration Dates: is the Ultimate Kitchen Myth Actually False? https://falafelandcaviar.com/expiration-dates-is-the-ultimate-kitchen-myth-actually-false/ Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:44:10 +0000 https://falafelandcaviar.com/?p=19240 Nothing like a good expiration-date panic: You’re about to pour some milk you’re your morning coffee or spread cream cheese on your evening toast, when suddenly, you notice they’ve expired two days ago. But… have they? It turns out that expiration dates aren’t exactly fortune tellers. Here’s how you know whether you can trust those […]

The post Expiration Dates: is the Ultimate Kitchen Myth Actually False? appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> Nothing like a good expiration-date panic: You’re about to pour some milk you’re your morning coffee or spread cream cheese on your evening toast, when suddenly, you notice they’ve expired two days ago. But… have they? It turns out that expiration dates aren’t exactly fortune tellers. Here’s how you know whether you can trust those numbers or not, and some tips on further extending the life of your food.

It’s a Date

Unlike what many people think, expiration dates are more like suggestions. They’re a guideline for peak freshness, not a death sentence. Use your senses—smell, look closely, and taste. If it smells okay and looks normal, you’re probably in the clear.

Understand Labels

Understanding labels is key. “Use by” has to do with freshness, while “sell by” is only meant for retailers. It’s not a countdown to the food apocalypse. Learn to understand the language, and you’re likely to save major amounts of food.

Proper Storage

Storing food correctly is a solution to so many things (some say it can even cure the blues). Keep your fridge and pantry well-organized. Cold storage helps slow the aging process, so your food has more shelf life than you think.

Common Sense

Last but not least, trust your instincts. In food, much like in love – if your gut says it’s off, it probably is. Our senses are the ultimate freshness detectors, and they rarely lead us astray.

The post Expiration Dates: is the Ultimate Kitchen Myth Actually False? appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> How to Store Your Dry Goods For Maximum Longevity https://falafelandcaviar.com/how-to-store-your-dry-goods-for-maximum-longevity/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 06:05:00 +0000 https://falafelandcaviar.com/?p=16302 When you’re stocking up on dry goods, there’s a bit more to consider than you might think when it comes to storage. The need to be careful with your storage will depend on how quickly you use your stock. But it’s always a good idea to have at least enough substantial stuff like lentils, beans, […]

The post How to Store Your Dry Goods For Maximum Longevity appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> When you’re stocking up on dry goods, there’s a bit more to consider than you might think when it comes to storage. The need to be careful with your storage will depend on how quickly you use your stock. But it’s always a good idea to have at least enough substantial stuff like lentils, beans, and rice in your pantry for a few extra meals at all times, in case you’re hungry and haven’t been to the store in a while. Here’s how to store your dry goods to make them last.

Environment

Things like oxygen, sunlight, and humidity can all contribute to the degradation of dry goods’ nutritional value, flavor, and of course, safety. So it’s important to store in a dark, cool, dry place like a closed pantry inside where sunlight won’t degrade the goods. It’s also important to keep your goods stored in the air, and watertight containers to keep oxygen from degrading them. More importantly, if water gets in there is a possibility for mold growth, so it’s very important to keep the air as dry as possible and your containers sealed.

Pests

Unfortunately, some pests are very persistent when it comes to getting into containers. If you’ve never seen any kind of pantry moth or rodent anywhere in your home, and you’re planning on using your dry goods quickly, then it’s probably okay to leave them in their original packaging until you open them. However, unfortunately, many pests such as mice and even some pantry moths can chew through plastic! So if you’ll be keeping your goods around for a long time, the best thing you can do is store them in sealable glass jars. Thick, hard plastic jars or Tupperware are also a good option, but glass is best.

The post How to Store Your Dry Goods For Maximum Longevity appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> These Foods Should Always Go Straight Into Your Freezer https://falafelandcaviar.com/these-foods-should-always-go-straight-into-your-freezer/ Sun, 15 Sep 2019 10:44:46 +0000 https://falafelandcaviar.com/?p=11296 When you get home from the grocery store, you probably only consider where to put your food if it needs to be put into the fridge, pantry, or if it’s frozen, the freezer. But, there are actually a lot of foods that do much better if stored in the freezer, so if you want to […]

The post These Foods Should Always Go Straight Into Your Freezer appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> When you get home from the grocery store, you probably only consider where to put your food if it needs to be put into the fridge, pantry, or if it’s frozen, the freezer. But, there are actually a lot of foods that do much better if stored in the freezer, so if you want to keep your food fresher for longer, go on and pop more things into the freezer!

Nuts


Because nuts have a really high-fat content, they can actually spoil kind of quickly if left out at room temperature. Instead, chuck those nuts into the freezer and you can eat them for up to 2 years! The best part is you don’t need to defrost them before you eat them because they won’t solidify or get icy, so go ahead and go nuts with your nuts. 

Butter

If you’re someone who only occasionally uses butter for cooking and baking, this trick is perfect for you. Butter that’s put into a freezer bag can last up to 1 year if it’s a salted stick, and 6 months if it’s unsalted! This is great if you want to cube up butter in advance to use for pies and pastries, all you have to do is pull it out, let it sit for a few minutes to soften slightly, and bake away!

The post These Foods Should Always Go Straight Into Your Freezer appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> Here’s Where You Should Store Potatoes Instead of in the Fridge https://falafelandcaviar.com/heres-where-you-should-store-potatoes-instead-of-in-the-fridge/ Wed, 01 May 2019 12:38:55 +0000 https://falafelandcaviar.com/?p=7843 When you keep potatoes in the refrigerator, two bad things happen. They lose their natural flavor and texture because sugar content changes due to cold, but even more importantly, they can develop into a dangerous chemical acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures after being stored in the fridge. Potatoes easily produce acrylamide when their sugar […]

The post Here’s Where You Should Store Potatoes Instead of in the Fridge appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]> When you keep potatoes in the refrigerator, two bad things happen. They lose their natural flavor and texture because sugar content changes due to cold, but even more importantly, they can develop into a dangerous chemical acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures after being stored in the fridge.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwuZtDSAL5Y/

Potatoes easily produce acrylamide when their sugar levels change. This chemical is usually found in paper and adhesives, but it may be harmful to your health when eaten or ingested.

Where should you keep the potatoes then? Store them in a cool, dry place and allow air circulation. You can keep them in your pantry, wrapped in a paper bag.

The post Here’s Where You Should Store Potatoes Instead of in the Fridge appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

]]>