by Why store your food correctly? Whether you’re looking to store fresh food or your nightly leftovers, it’s key you do so correctly. Discover the secret here.
Whether you need to store your food like meat, dairy, fruits or veggies, there are plenty of reasons why it’s worth shopping the best paraphernalia and following the correct storage protocol for different types of foods. Here are our top five.
1. Avoid food poisoning
When food is stored incorrectly, there is the potential for the bacteria that cause food poisoning to multiply dangerously. And, unfortunately, it’s sometimes impossible to tell when food will cause harm as it can look, taste and smell the same as usual. This is another reason to store your food with proper measurements.
2. Food stays fresher for longer
We all know that fresh food equals tastier food. There’s nothing worse than buying a punnet of fresh berries only to find that they’ve gone soggy and fluffy within the space of a few days. Storing fruit and vegetables correctly ensures they remain crisp, juicy and delicious.
3. Less food waste
It’s estimated that millions of tonnes of food are wasted in the UK every year. And wasting the food also means wasting the water and energy used to grow, transport and pack the food. Plus, when food goes to landfill it rots, producing the dangerous greenhouse gas methane.
4. Save money
You probably didn’t expect to hear that storing food correctly could save you some cash. But if you’re throwing away food that’s gone bad quicker than expected, you’re also throwing away money. You’ll also likely be doing more top-up shops throughout the week to replace the perishables.
5. You’ll feel like an organised pro
Investing in proper, durable storage such as containers, reusable bags or cubes for your fridge will mean you can organise your leftovers, store food neatly and even meal prep days in advance. Pro tip: Opt for clear storage solutions so you can easily find what you’re looking for in your fridge or cupboard.
A storage solution we rate to store your food safely
Includes
- Medium glass box
- Large glass box
- Small vacuum bags x2
- Medium vacuum bags x2
- Bag closure tool
- Automatic vacuum pump
One of our favourite sets for storing food is without a doubt this starter kit from ZWILLING.
The glass containers are microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe and are even heat resistant up to 180 degrees. We found ourselves using them for a range of tasks from microwaving leftovers to freezing meals and baking bits in the oven.
They’re made of borosilicate glass which simultaneously feels durable and lightweight. Plus, they have a lovely, rounded look and stack easily with the lids on or off. The lids themselves use a unique double-seal technology to preserve freshness.
The reusable bags are also freezer-safe, heat-resistant (designed for sous vide cooking) and microwave-safe.
But the glacé cherry of this set is the light, automatic vacuum pump which is USB chargeable. Easy to use, we simply slotted the pump onto the valve of the containers (or reusable bags) and pressed its button, which extracted air from the containers in mere seconds. And, believe it or not, this ensures food stays fresh for up to five times longer than non-vacuum storage solutions.
While we found the glass boxes brilliant for preparing and presenting food — thanks to their elegant shape — we also found the reusable BPA-free bags were useful when it came to space-saving. The bag essentially shrinks around the food so it can slot easily into the fridge.
