{"id":140364,"date":"2019-05-20T02:00:04","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T09:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=140364"},"modified":"2020-08-05T13:38:54","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T20:38:54","slug":"why-food-gets-moldy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/why-food-gets-moldy\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Tips to Keep Your Food From Getting Moldy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tired of spending your hard-earned money on groceries only for them to get moldy before you have the chance to eat them? Yeah, same.<\/p>\n

Below, dieticians share six tips and tricks for extending the shelf life of some of your favorite foods.<\/p>\n

Keep produce dry<\/strong>
\n\u201cKeeping produce dry is critical when it comes to preservation,\u201d says registered dietician Angela Carullo<\/a>. That\u2019s because mold requires moisture to grow, so minimizing wetness when cleaning produce is the key to longer shelf life. \u201cWhen it comes to delicate fruits and veggies that can be difficult to dry thoroughly (think berries, grapes, or lettuce), it\u2019s best to wash them right before you consume them,\u201d Carullo says.<\/p>\n

Buy under-ripe fruits and veggies if you don\u2019t plan on eating them immediately<\/strong>
\n\u201cThink about when you will be eating the produce before you buy it,\u201d suggests registered clinical nutritionist Gabriela Peacock<\/a>. \u201cIf it’s two or three days away, get something that looks a little under-ripe, so that by the time you eat it, it [won\u2019t be moldy].\u201d<\/p>\n

Expose your avocado seed<\/strong>
\n\u201cAvocados can last two to three weeks,\u201d says registered dietician Lorraine Kearney<\/a>. The trick is to to create a slice that exposes the seed just a tad. \u201cUse a sharp knife to create about an inch-wide wedge, make two lengthwise cuts from top to bottom (about an inch apart at the middle), then peel out the wedge,\u201d instructs Kearney. \u201cThis will help to prevent the avocado from oxidizing.\u201d If you want to extend the shelf life of an avocado even further, “Place a damp paper towel around it and store it to an airtight container,\u201d says Kearney.<\/p>\n

Know which products should stay at room temperature<\/strong>
\n\u201cStoring groceries in the refrigerator may seem like the best way to extend their life, but not all foods thrive in cold storage,\u201d says Carullo. \u201cGarlic, onion, potatoes (white and sweet), pumpkin, rutabaga, and stone fruits, for example, can all be stored at room temperature in a cool, dark, dry spot. When stored properly, they can stay fresh for weeks\u00a0 \u2013 or even months \u2013 sans refrigeration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t overfill your fridge<\/strong>
\nWhen it comes to keeping food fresh, the last thing you want to do is cut off circulation. \u201cDon\u2019t cram produce into the veggie drawer \u2013 you want a good air flow, which will help keep your produce fresher,\u201d says Peacock. “Additionally, keep bananas, apples, pears, peaches, and kiwis separate from each other and away from other fruit and veggies, as they can cause the others to ripen and mold faster,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Growing your own herbs<\/strong>
\n\u201cFresh herbs are super expensive and recipes often only call for a few sprigs,\u201d Carullo explains. \u201cThe result? An enormous bunch of cilantro that\u2019s bound to spoil before you can use it all up.\u201d Instead of tossing the excess or throwing it in the freezer, she recommends investing in a small herb plant. \u201cNot only do rosemary, parsley, or cilantro look nice in the kitchen, but a few fresh sprigs can be used weekly with zero waste,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n

Do all these tips make you wonder what other mistakes you could be making? Here\u2019s what you could be doing wrong when shopping at Whole Foods<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"Tired of spending your hard-earned money on groceries only for them to get moldy before ...","author":7532800,"featured_media":140387,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[268,260],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20111203\/kristina-tripkovic-604027-unsplash.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20111203\/kristina-tripkovic-604027-unsplash-386x200.jpg","formated_date":"May 20, 2019","category_name":"Life","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113832\/entertainment.svg","author_name":"Rebecca Norris","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#d45cd6","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140364"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7532800"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}