Bananas: Do They Live in the Fridge or on the Bench?

Are you finding that your fruits and vegetables are going too ripe, too fast and inevitably getting thrown out before they are eaten? Well stop wasting your good food now with these handy tips and tricks to get the longest life out of those pesky fast-ripening fruits and veggies.

Tomatoes: As many cooks and foodies will try and tell you (or scream at you rather), tomatoes do not belong in the fridge. Tomatoes grow in warmer climates, during summer; therefore, keeping them at room temperature will do them good, as opposed to drying all the moisture out of them by keeping them in the cold fridge. Also, it’s a good idea to keep them on the bench, away from the fruit bowl, so they have space to breathe and not get squashed under other heavier fruits.

Bananas: Bananas go ripe pretty fast, as we all know. Even the green ones will ripen within a week. But refrigerating or freezing them while they are green will prevent them from ripening properly even after bringing them back to room temperature. So how do you get the most shelf life out of bananas that won’t have you desperately making banana cakes for the rest of the week? Well, for starters, don’t store them in the plastic bags you bought them in, because bags hold too much moisture, which will lead to the fruit rotting. If your bananas are ripe, pull each banana away from the bunch. This will keep each banana fresher for longer.

Broccoli: One unconventional but surprisingly effective way to keep broccoli fresh is similar to the way you might keep a bouquet of flowers lively. Simply put the broccoli into a bowl of water (half inch or so), with the head pointing upwards.

Storing broccoli in the fridge this way will keep it fresh for about five to seven days, rather than the usual three or four!