Chapter 2

How to Keep Food Fresher, Longer

By Alexandra Sifferlin

According to a 2015 report, American households toss out around $640 worth of food each year. A lot of that might be due to preventable spoiling—if you don’t store your food right, it simply won’t last as long as it could. But since food waste contributes to already overstuffed landfills (all while wasting your own pretty pennies), we asked Jo Robinson, a food expert and the author of Eating on the Wild Side, for tips on keeping your food fresh for longer.

Onions

If you want onions to last for more than two weeks, put them in a paper bag and store them in a cool, dark space outside the fridge. Consider an unheated garage, as long as it’s above freezing.

Cheese

Soft cheese should be eaten soon, but with hard cheese, take it out of whatever wrapping it came in, then wrap it in parchment paper and tinfoil. This keeps it moist and fresh much longer; a hunk of parmesan can last months if stored correctly. Usually, eating moldy food is ill advised, but with hard cheeses like parmesan and cheddar, the safest way to get rid of mold is to cut away an inch of cheese around the moldy spot—then dig in.

Berries

Berries should be eaten right away for the most freshness and nutrients, but washing berries in a vinegar-and-water mix (about one cup vinegar to three cups water) can extend their shelf life by a couple of days.

Herbs

There are few things more frustrating to a home cook than having to buy an entire pack of fresh herbs when all you need is a sprig or two. That’s because the rest invariably ends up in the trash. To keep herbs for longer, treat them like flowers. Make sure herbs are dry, trim off the stems, put them in a glass of water, and cover the top of the herbs with a baggie or a paper towel. Store them in the fridge.

Apples

These fruits will last 10 times as long if they are kept in the coolest part of the fridge in high humidity—usually the bottom drawer.

Tomatoes

Store them out of the fridge—they lose their flavor in the cold. Just keep them out of direct sunlight and be sure to eat them within a couple of days.

Potatoes

Spuds don’t need to be stored in the fridge, and don’t be worried about little sprouts that may grow. Just rub them off; the potatoes will likely taste sweeter.

Lettuce

Plunge your greens into cold water as soon as you get them home, since heat is what spurs spoiling. Spin them dry so that leftover water doesn’t develop rot. Put the dried greens into an airtight zip-top bag. Take a pin or needle and punch about 10 holes on either side. This helps greens last up to four times as long as usual.

Eggs

Did you know raw eggs in the shell last up to five weeks in the fridge? Just don’t put them on the refrigerator door. Keep them in the back, where it’s cooler, and store them in the container they came in.

Grapes

Pay attention to the color of the stem. Fresh grapes have bright green, flexible stems. If grapes at the store have brown, brittle stems, it means they are going to spoil rapidly and not taste as good.

Dairy and Milk

Consider bringing a cooler or an insulated bag with you to the grocery store. Exposing dairy products to heat for even a short amount of time will shorten their shelf life.

Meat

Keep meat in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator, and be sure to double-wrap it if it’s near produce.

If you pop your popcorn on the stove (and if you don’t, you should—it’s fast and fun), use a little coconut oil instead of other oil to add fat to your snack.

Despite being high in saturated fat, coconut oil may be good for your heart, weight and energy levels. Coconut oil is composed of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are easily digested and have been shown to help the body burn fat and increase “good” cholesterol levels. More than 50% of coconut oil consists of lauric acid, and while lauric acid increases bad cholesterol, it raises your good cholesterol that much more. Some studies suggest improved exercise performance related to MCT consumption, but the data is not yet convincing.

Brew yourself a cup in the morning and drink it as plain as possible—the health benefits come from the coffee, not the cream and sugar you add to it.

There’s been back and forth on how much is too much when it comes to coffee, but one study of 130,000 adults found no evidence that coffee increases the risk for health problems like heart disease or cancer, even among people who drank 48 ounces a day. The fact is, coffee is a complex drink containing hundreds of different compounds. Those include antioxidants that have been linked to a lower risk for Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s and liver cancer. Keep in mind, that’s without added sugar and cream. Most experts say that up to four cups a day isn’t just OK—it’s healthy.

Remove the stems, which can be rough, and wash before cooking. Then try sautéing collard greens with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Lots and lots of garlic.

A sister to broccoli and brussels sprouts, collards are considered a cruciferous vegetable. Cooked collards are effective at lowering cholesterol—more so than even kale—as well as fighting cancer. Just half a cup of collard greens contains two days’ worth of vitamin A, essential for healthy vision, teeth and skin.

Grilled corn with a little salt and a small amount of butter is good any time of year. Of course, getting it fresh—typically that’s in the late summer or early fall—is when corn is the tastiest. The longer it’s held in storage, the less sweet it becomes.

There may be no vegetable more evocative of summer than corn, though there are certainly reasons to eat it year-round. One ear of corn has approximately the same number of calories as an apple, with equally high nutrient levels. Non-genetically-modified corn is also loaded with lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytochemicals that promote healthy vision.

Try a homemade chili with cumin for seasoning. Include other spices like ground pepper and chili powder, as well as the usual suspects: ground meat, onion, tomato paste and beans. It’s also good sprinkled into Greek yogurt as a dip or onto roast vegetables.

Cumin may be a common kitchen spice, but its health benefits are more than ordinary. Ground cumin may support heart health, fight infection and combat inflammation; just half a teaspoon of cumin has twice as many antioxidants as a carrot.

Add them to salads or an egg sandwich in the morning. You can also stew them into stock for a delicious soup base. An easy way to cook dandelion greens is to substitute them for spinach on the stove. Cook on medium high while they wilt, and add seasoning of your choice (such as garlic).

Bitter greens, like dandelion, are rich in vitamin C as well as B vitamins, calcium, iron and potassium. That’s an ideal mix for healthy bones and muscles.

This vegetable, kin to the tomato and bell pepper, is an excellent substitute for meat in almost any dish. It has the right amount of toughness and can be eaten on its own or added to a pasta dish like lasagna or some orzo with feta cheese and tomatoes.

Purple foods may be a powerful weapon in fighting heart disease, since they’re a rich source of phytonutrients—naturally occurring plant chemicals that are thought to have disease-preventing capabilities.

Eggs, whether they’re fried, poached or scrambled, are delicious any time of day. No matter how you eat them, they’re always better with hot sauce.

Eggs deliver essential vitamins and minerals in a very small package. Plus, they’re a low-calorie, low-fat source of extremely digestible protein. The egg yolk in particular is a source of choline, important for proper cell and nerve function. Because cholesterol in the diet does not appear to have an impact on cholesterol in the blood, they’re not a food to skimp on—yolks and all.

Often used raw in salads or appetizers, cooked endive can taste sweet and nutty. Endive tastes great when combined with a couple of other items on our list, like apples and fennel. Chop them up together with some feta, olive oil, red wine vinegar and lemon juice for a simple salad.

Endive is high in insulin and fiber which can lower LDL cholesterol levels. Endive is also a great source of vitamin A and beta-carotene, as well as B vitamins, iron and potassium.

Farro is a versatile grain. It can be stirred into stews or serve as the base for a grainy salad with veggies and a simple vinaigrette.

Farro is an ancient ancestor of wheat. The whole-grain variety requires overnight soaking and 30 to 40 minutes on the stovetop to yield a tender grain. Farro is lower in calories and higher in muscle-building protein and cancer-fighting fiber than other whole grains.

Try baking fennel bulbs with some garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and maybe a little butter and cheese. You can serve it as a side dish or as a main course. It’s also nice thinly sliced into a green salad or stirred into a vegetable soup.

Fennel is a vitamin cocktail, providing antioxidants, vitamin C, fiber and a unique mix of phytonutrients. One such phytonutrient is called anethole, which in animal studies has been shown to reduce inflammation and fend off chronic disease.

Pair figs with healthy appetizers like almonds for dinner-party guests. With some manchego and prosciutto, they also make a delicious sandwich topping. Of course, you can simply eat them whole too.

These fruits are high in vitamins A and C, and they have a unique taste that works in both sweet and savory dishes. Avoid figs with bruises, as that makes them more likely to spoil. They should be a bit soft when you’re choosing which ones to bring home.

Flaxseeds are great on oatmeal, yogurt and granola, or baked into muffins or scones for some added nutrition. Just make sure you grind them right before you want to
use them.

These tiny seeds have more than 100 times the amount of phytonutrients as oats, wheat bran, millet and buckwheat. Flaxseeds are a source of plant-based fatty acids, fiber, B vitamins, potassium, and minerals like calcium and iron, making them especially popular with vegetarians. Research suggests that flaxseed may help lower cholesterol, help fight cancer and lower the risk of osteoporosis.

This one is very simple: add garlic to everything. OK, maybe not everything, but when you’re cooking over a stove, there are very few instances when garlic ought to be off the table, particularly when you consider how good it is for you.

This pungent little allium has serious health merits, packing both flavonoids and sulfur-containing nutrients that bolster immunity and support healthy joints. Garlic is well known for its cardioprotective benefits, and it’s also an effective antiviral.

Use it the same way you’d use butter, coconut oil or olive oil on the stove. It has a pleasant, slightly nutty flavor.

Ghee is clarified butter, made by melting butter and skimming off some of the milk solids. It can be easier for some people to digest and is a staple of Indian cuisine. It’s high in vitamins and can be used as an alternative to cooking oils or butters.

If you’re worried about having to buy a whole root and using only a little bit, wrap it and store it in the freezer. Take it out and microplane it onto fish, chicken, salad dressings or anywhere you need a little zing. It’s tasty in smoothies too.

This twisted root is widely considered a natural remedy for nausea and motion sickness and has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. It packs not only spicy flavor but also disease-fighting compounds.

Even a small amount of goat cheese goes a long way. Add some crumbles to a roasted-beet side dish or to a sandwich with tomatoes.

Goat cheese can feel indulgent, but it actually has less fat per serving than most other cheeses. It also contains protein, calcium and 3% of your daily dose of iron in just an ounce. (Some research has suggested that compared with cow milk, goat milk increases iron absorption and benefits your bones.) Still not convinced? Don’t forget that eating for pleasure is good for your health as well.

Slice a grapefruit in half, add just a pinch of sugar, and eat with a spoon for breakfast. Grapefruit also pairs well with sliced avocado. Add a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for extra flavor.

The grapefruit may not be heralded as a “superfruit,” but it should be. Available in white, pink, yellow and red varieties, grapefruit is low in calories and loaded with nutrients, supporting weight loss, healthy skin, digestive balance, increased energy, and heart disease and cancer prevention.

Grass-fed beef is pricier than grain-fed, but all it needs is simple preparation—a grilled steak, for example—and you’ll have a healthier and cleaner-tasting cut.

Grass-fed beef is lower in saturated fat than conventional beef and higher in “good fats” such as omega-3s, monounsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid. It’s also a great source of protein and iron, which are important for growth and development.

Yogurt has long been a go-to breakfast item for the health- (and taste-) conscious. Add some fruit, nuts or chia seeds for a little crunch.

Conventional yogurt is an excellent source of calcium, potassium and protein, but the Greek varieties have up to double the protein, half the sodium and half the carbohydrates of regular yogurt. Probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei are often added to yogurt, increasing healthy gut bacteria and bolstering immunity. While fat-free Greek yogurt has fewer calories than 1% Greek yogurt, the latter has the ability to make fat-soluble vitamins (such as A, D, E and K) more bioavailable.

It’s super-versatile and can be dotted onto fried eggs, mixed into soups or stews or even mashed into potatoes.

This spicy chili paste or powder is having a moment, and for good reason. Recipes for harissa can differ, but in general they usually contain a mixture of healthy ingredients like chili peppers, garlic, olive oil and spices. Chili peppers contain a compound called capsaicin, which is thought to have pain-relief and cancer-protective effects.

The seeds taste nutty and earthy and work well sprinkled into a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich or tossed into a quinoa salad or a bowl of Greek yogurt. (And no, hemp seeds won’t get you high.)

A seed from the cannabis sativa plant, this food contains easily digestible protein and all nine essential amino acids, plus fatty acids, vitamin E and trace minerals.

The secret to a kale salad that’s fresh but not too bitter is to give the kale a little massage. You can use a little olive oil, or simply water, to give the leaves a softer texture.

Consider this dark green, leafy vegetable Mother Nature’s sunglasses: rich in the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, kale delivers these pigments to the retinas, which absorb the sun’s damaging rays. Nutrients in kale have also been shown to lower cancer risk, support bone health and aid in natural detoxification.

For a hearty soup, cook up some kamut: let the grain sit in boiling water for about 30 minutes before adding it to a broth with vegetables and spices.

Kamut is an ancient grain whose true origin isn’t clear. It looks like brown basmati rice, but it has a more buttery, nuttier and sweeter flavor. Kamut has 40% more protein than durum wheat, and it contains an array of polyphenols and vitamin E, selenium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and thiamin.

This is a cocktail of good-for-you probiotics. It’s been shown to support immunity, improve lactose intolerance (despite that sounding counterintuitive), build bone density and fight cavities by minimizing oral bacteria. As with other dairy products, kefir is rich in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and protein.

You can buy it or make it yourself. It tastes great by the spoonful, or you can add it to soups or stir-fries—or even pair it with fried eggs.

Kimchi is the Korean version of fermented cabbage, and it is loaded with vitamin A, B vitamins and vitamin C. It adds a kick of flavor to almost any recipe.

You may be surprised to learn that the fuzzy-looking skin on the kiwi is actually safe—and tasty—to eat. You can also chop up kiwi and mix it with other fruit like pineapples and pomegranates.

Ounce for ounce, this fuzzy fruit—technically a berry—has more vitamin C than an orange. It also contains vitamin E and an array of polyphenols, which have a high amount of antioxidant protection. Fiber, potassium, magnesium and zinc—partly responsible for healthy hair, skin and nails—are also wrapped up in this nutritious fruit.

It tastes great roasted in olive oil or nestled under a roast chicken as it cooks.

This peculiar-looking root vegetable has a pale green or purple bulb that sprouts multiple stalks with dark leaves—and you can eat all of it. Kohlrabi is a cousin to broccoli and cauliflower and is high in fiber and potassium.