Money saving food storage hacks: Keep fruit fresher for longer with five expert tips
We all know that eating fruits and vegetables is good for us, but trying to eat healthily means you're buying lots of fruit and veg - the foods we often find wilting and brown at the bottom of the fridge.
It can feel like you're spending a fortune on fruit only for it to spoil within days before you've had a chance to eat it all.
But there are some clever storage hacks that few of us know about, which can help extend the shelf life of your fruit.
Food and flavour expert Matt Webster, from Seasoned Pioneers, has revealed five surprising storage tips to keep your fruit fresher for longer.
Bananas
Bananas often turn mushy and discoloured just a few days after purchase, leaving you with the choice of either making banana bread or eating them quickly to avoid waste.
In fact, bananas are one of the most wasted foods in the UK - with an estimated 1.4 million bananas being thrown away every day!
Contrary to popular belief, storing bananas in the fridge is the best way to keep them fresh.
While the skins may turn brown, the banana inside will stay fresh for up to two weeks. You can even prevent that strong banana smell from permeating your entire fridge by placing the bananas in a brown paper bag and tying the top.
Strawberries
Strawberries have one of the shortest shelf lives of any fruit. Many of us buy them during our weekly food shop, only to discover half of them have turned mushy and mouldy by the time we want to eat them.
Berries, with their thin skins and high moisture content, are particularly prone to mould. However, a common kitchen spice - cinnamon sticks - can help extend their shelf life.
The chemicals in cinnamon combat fruit decay, so placing a couple of these sticks in your strawberry tray can significantly prolong their freshness. Even used cinnamon sticks can be repurposed for this, helping to reduce food waste.
Just ensure they're dried before reuse. Using sticks instead of ground cinnamon prevents any residual flavour tainting your berries.
Avocados
Despite their numerous health benefits, avocados can be pricey. To get more bang for your buck, try preserving them longer, especially once they've been halved.
A cut avocado will brown within hours, but storing it in an airtight container with chopped onions can keep it fresh and green for much longer.
Tomatoes might seem like a natural fit for the fridge alongside other fruits and vegetables, but this can actually ruin their taste and texture.
Tomatoes, in fact, should be stored at room temperature. The secret to keeping tomatoes fresh lies in preventing moisture loss from the fruit.
Hence, it's suggested to place the tomatoes upside down with the stem side on a plate to minimise air exposure and evaporation.
Apples
While apples generally have a long shelf life, once sliced, they can brown rapidly. To avoid this, you can immerse them in salt water.
Salt acts as a preservative and adding a smidgen of salt to the soaking water can keep the apple slices looking fresh. Dissolve a quarter teaspoon of salt into a cup of water.
Add the apple slices, let them soak for onethree minutes (be cautious not to let the apple slices soak too long, or they'll absorb the salty taste), then drain them in a colander. Rinse the slices with fresh water.