Put vegetables directly in the refrigerator? Should sweet potatoes be soiled before refrigeration? Tan Dunci teaches 3 types of vegetable and fruit refrigerator storage techniques

Housewives often buy vegetables from the market, wash them, and then put them all in the refrigerator. Later I discovered that leafy vegetables that looked fresh would start to lose water and turn yellow after just one day, and would not taste as good when cooked. Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Poison Center nurse Tan Dunci teaches everyone the secrets on how to keep leafy vegetables and spicy foods fresh.

Do not wash leafy vegetables first, then put them in the refrigerator

According to nutritionists Tan Dunci and Liu Yili in "Safe Food: Learn from experts how to correctly choose vegetables, boil water, cook fish and meat, and change the order to eat! ” states that, in principle, the best eating period for leafy vegetables should not exceed five days, because after five days, the nutrients in the vegetables will be lost. Do not wash them immediately after buying them, otherwise the nutrients will be lost.

For the fresh leafy vegetables (without plastic packaging) bought from the market, first use a larger paper towel to roll up all the vegetables, and then use a slightly larger plastic bag to cover the leafy vegetables (both paper towels and plastic bags are reusable). Then tie the opening of the bag, leaving a little space for air to enter, and place it upright in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for refrigeration in the direction of the leaf growth.

If you buy leafy vegetables wrapped in plastic wrap from the store, you should remove the plastic wrap before storing them, remove the leaves on the outside that are not as good as they should be. You can also dig out the stems, wrap them in paper towels and place them upright in the vegetable and fruit compartment on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. This way, they can be stored for longer and maintain their freshness.

Cut spices and freeze them to preserve their nutritional value

As for green onions, you can wrap the onion stem with a paper towel dipped in water, fold it in half and put it in the refrigerator to delay decay, or you can directly cut it and freeze it, because the nutritional value of spices will not be greatly affected after freezing. The purpose of wrapping vegetables with paper towels is to prevent the moisture of the vegetables from evaporating too quickly. The outer plastic bag should not be sealed too tightly, otherwise the moisture will be trapped inside, which will easily cause the vegetables to rot and mold.

If the sweet potatoes are refrigerated, do not brush the soil first. Just brush them before eating. Before refrigerating the sweet potato ice, you should also wrap it lightly in a dark plastic bag to prevent too much moisture, or directly use aluminum foil to prevent the sweet potatoes from sprouting when exposed to light, so that it can be stored for a longer time.

For rhizomes, cut off the stems, wrap them in paper towels and refrigerate

For root vegetables such as radishes, first cut off the stems and cut into the white area. Wrap the outside with a paper towel and place it with the cut surface facing down. Before eating, cut off a little more of the cut surface and then cook. Carrots can be left at room temperature. Also, washing and freezing sweet potatoes is an energy-saving method. This can save a lot of time when cooking without losing taste. But if the sweet potatoes are refrigerated, do not brush the soil first, just brush them before eating. Before refrigerating the sweet potato ice, you should also wrap it lightly in a dark plastic bag to prevent too much moisture, or directly use aluminum foil to prevent the sweet potatoes from sprouting when exposed to light, so that it can be stored for a longer time.

Avoid root vegetables from sprouting and place them together with apples

In foreign environments, root vegetables can indeed be placed in a ventilated and cool place. However, Taiwan is relatively humid, and only three key points are required for mold to grow: first, the temperature must be between 28 and 30 degrees; second, the humidity must be high enough, especially during the long rainy season; and third, mold prefers foods with high starch content such as peanuts, corn and grains.

Therefore, if there is a ventilated, cool and non-humid place in your home, you certainly do not need to refrigerate such foods; however, if you want to prevent root vegetables from sprouting, you can place such ingredients together with apples, because apples release ethylene gas, which can inhibit the sprouting of root vegetables!

Make good use of the "first in, first out" and "cooked items on top, raw items on bottom" principles when organizing your refrigerator

In terms of the structure of the refrigerator, the upper layer is the freezer. Although the lowest freezing temperature is about minus 18 degrees, if the refrigerator is turned on and off, at a room temperature of 18 degrees in winter, the temperature will rise by 5 degrees as long as the refrigerator is opened for 10 seconds; if it is opened for 15 seconds in summer, it will rise to 18 degrees. Therefore, the first step for food stored in the freezer is to sort them out, label them, and keep in mind the "first in, first out" concept; the next step is to "separate raw and cooked food", placing them on the principle of cooked food on top and raw food on the bottom to prevent blood from dripping onto the bottom.

In addition, since the volume of the refrigerator is about 60%, it actually needs a little space to maximize the refrigeration effect. Therefore, it is not encouraged to keep food in the refrigerator for a long time, or to buy too much at one time, making the food stale. It is best to buy once every three or four days, which is also the basic principle when purchasing.

As for the top of the refrigerator, it is the space with the lowest temperature, about 0 to minus 1 degree. It is best to place ingredients that are easy to spoil, such as meat or seafood, on this layer. The middle area is about 4 to 5 degrees, where you can put some prepared foods. As for the vegetable and fruit preservation area at the bottom, the temperature is about 8 degrees, so it is best to put vegetables and fruits in this area.

However, please note that although some people place raw food in the top area of ​​the refrigerator, if it is not handled properly, blood or dirty liquids will thaw and drip onto the layer of vegetables and fruits, so it is best to clean the refrigerator regularly to avoid contaminating other fresh ingredients. Also, most people are accustomed to putting some sauce packets leftover from eating out in the gaps between the egg racks. This is absolutely not allowed, as doing so will accelerate the destruction of the freshness of the eggs!

First, classify and manage the ingredients on the upper layer of the freezer, divide the ingredients into the required serving size for each meal, and affix labels with the product name and date. This can help you develop the concept of first-in-first-out classification and storage.

【Refrigerator Storage】

First, classify and manage the ingredients on the upper layer of the freezer, divide the ingredients into the required serving size for each meal, and affix labels with the product name and date. This can help you develop the concept of first-in-first-out classification and storage.

The top shelf of the refrigerator has the lowest temperature. Suitable for storing meat that will be eaten within 1 to 2 days and seafood that easily spoils. Remember to place the eggs in the middle layer of the refrigerator door on the inside of the refrigerator, not near the air outlet.

*Reminder: Do not place leftover sauce packets from eating out in the gaps of the egg rack, as this will accelerate the destruction of the freshness of the eggs.

Cold fruit and vegetable preservation area

You can make good use of the existing partition design to store vegetables and fruits separately. Remember to put heavier fruits and vegetables that are not afraid of pressure first. If you can wrap the vegetables with white newspaper or large paper towels in advance and store them in plastic bags, you can keep the vegetables fresher.

* Reminder: The shorter the storage time of vegetables, the better. Be sure to wash them before eating. Do not eat moldy ingredients.

Eat to avoid the risk of poisoning.

Refrigerated middle layer

Suitable for prepared foods. Store ingredients with a short shelf life, condiments commonly used in cooking, prepared dishes, or food that is about to be thawed, etc.

*Reminder: Remember to process the ingredients before putting them in to avoid blood or dirty liquids dripping out.