Now that we’ve all bought enough food and supplies to last the year, or at least through any foreseeable quarantine, where do you store it all?
You’re on your own for the toilet paper and paper towels and disinfectant. But we suggest, as a last resort, under the bed.
This blog post, however, is not about that. We’re here to help solve the dilemma of whether opened ketchup belongs in the fridge or the cupboard and how to store half an avocado.
The people behind the Love Food Hate Waste website have a handy guide to storing many of the basic foods we all use. Bananas belong on the counter. Potatoes in a cool cupboard. Avocados stay on the counter until ripe, then they go in the fridge. The site suggests storing unused avocado halves with the stone to keep them from going black, but we’ve never had much success that way.
Tomatoes are like avocados: On the counter until ripe, then into the fridge. Before you use a refrigerated tomato, let it sit on the counter overnight to improve its flavor.
Besides the storage tips, including advice about freezing, the Love Food Hate Waste guide includes recipes, some of which are truly original ideas for leftovers.
Now, for the great ketchup debate. The expert at another site says it is perfectly fine to store opened ketchup in the cupboard or the fridge. Dietitian Dr. Sarah Schenker says this about ketchup: “Sometimes people keep ketchup in the fridge, simply because they prefer a chilled taste, but otherwise it doesn’t need to be refrigerated.”
Ditto for mustard in all its many varieties – English, Dijon and wholegrain. “Storing mustard in the fridge is more about preserving the colour, which may change in a warmer environment,” Schenker says.
We hope this helps solve those sticky food and condiment storage questions, so you can move on to finding a place for your paper supplies.
Image by Steve Buissinne
