Feeling kind of hungry? Oh, really? That’s odd. Current statistics suggest that the typical American family ditches so much food on a yearly basis – approximately $1,200 per four person household – that you’d think we either eat like birds (never quite getting around consuming the goodies in our cupboards and refrigerator before they spoil) or we’re just chronically wasteful. Surely it couldn’t be the latter, could it? With adult obesity affecting 1/3 of our entire population and the average U.S. citizen spending roughly $3,605 on groceries every year (according to U.S. Census Bureau figures from 2007 and 2008), it seems more likely than not that we’re in the wasters camp.
From grocery stores and restaurants to our own homes, we ditch enough edibles ($155 billion annually) to easily help feed the 49.1 million food insecure households in our country. If that doesn’t blow your mind, what do you think about the fact that American municipalities spend roughly 1 billion dollars a year just to dispose of this food waste? The Environmental Protection Agency says that 12% of our solid landfill waste is composed of food, which releases copious amounts of methane gas when it decomposes...but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Those who are looking for a relatively painless way to “go green” that -- as with so many other eco-friendly lifestyle tips also helps to preserve financial resources – should seriously consider reassessing their food chucking habits. We can all have greater control over our impact on the environment merely by doing our best on a personal level to reduce the amount of food that we waste. Here are some sensible, simple and incredibly effective tips that will ensure that all of us save a lot more money while also prolonging the life of the edibles tucked away in our refrigerators.
STORE FOOD MORE STRATEGICALLY!
Okay, so things come up. You may have a refrigerator packed to the gills with food but then receive an unexpected invitation to a friend’s house for dinner or gobble up so many freebie appetizers at a happy hour mixer that you can’t possibly get to your leftovers in time. Instead of allowing edibles to go to waste, wrap and store them with care to make them last a lot longer than you ever imagined. Here’s how to do it:
DAIRY ITEMS:
Prevent dairy items from spoiling by keeping them as chilly as possible -- this slows down the proliferation of micro-organisms such as mold, etc. Instead of storing them on the inside door of your refrigerator (which is far too susceptible to temperature fluctuations every time you survey what you’re going to have for dinner), move foods like eggs, milk and meat to the far back of the fridge which is a lot colder (preferably at 40°F or lower).
EGGS:
According to the Egg Safety Center, eggs easily last between 4 – 5 weeks beyond the “best by” stamp that is imprinted on the container. If you’re suspicious, try this handy-dandy trick. Carefully place your questionable eggs in a bowl of water and if they float, they’re not safe to consume because air has already entered the shell. Eggs that are still perfectly fresh can also be frozen if you don’t think that you’ll be able to consume them in a timely manner. Just crack them in a bowl and for every cup of raw eggs, stir in ½ teaspoon of salt (without breaking the yolks) to help preserve them.
MILK:
Best stored between 34° F and 38° F, continuously refrigerated milk will last approximately 1 full week after the container’s “sell by” date without turning sour. Believe it or not, milk can also be frozen at 0° F in an airtight container or poured into ice cube trays and thawed at a later date in the microwave.
CHEESE:
As with the previous dairy products, the colder the storage method, the longer the shelf life. However, remember to treat hard and soft cheeses differently. If you see mold growing on soft cheeses like cottage cheese and cream cheese, it’s a wise idea to dispose of the entire thing – whereas, with hard cheeses, as long as you cut off the funky areas, the rest will be perfectly safe to consume. Another nifty tip: moisten a paper towel or piece of cheese cloth with white vinegar and place it in the same container or plastic storage bag along with any hard cheese. This will inhibit the growth of mold, extending the life of your cheese significantly. Yes, you can also freeze hard cheeses – just bear in mind that the firmness will be slightly compromised, so it’s ideal to use it in casseroles and other cooked dishes rather than on a cheese plate ;)
YOGURT:
Bacterially fermented milk is typically heated to 180°F so that all unfriendly bacteria are killed, followed by a cooling down process at 110°F and voila – you have that characteristic tang. According to www.stilltasty.com, yogurt that is opened or unopened is safe to eat approximately 7 – 10 days beyond the “sell by” date. It is also safe to freeze (and ultimately thaw in the refrigerator), so if you make it from scratch or encounter an amazing sale at the grocery store, you can store any excess in the freezer with no issues.
MEAT:
With ongoing food recalls shaking our confidence in the food system, it is highly advisable to store all animal protein in the coldest part of the refrigerator. If you aren’t going to consume it promptly, then freeze it as soon as possible after bringing it home from the store. Ideally, you should remove it from the store packaging and rewrap it in foil or freezer paper and then in a storage bag (although there are multiple resources that also recommend putting the entire original package in a freezer paper/foil followed by a heavy weight storage bag). Whatever your route, the whole point is to prevent air from infiltrating the packaging and triggering freezer burn. Despite what you might think, however, areas that are burned do not mean that the meat is garbage can worthy. Just cut off any affected areas and move along your merry way.
BREAD:
Depending on the climate you live in, there can be a fungus among us in record time. Why tempt fate? Play it safe by refrigerating your bread items as soon as you get them home from the store (ideally stored in the original packaging INSIDE a plastic zip top bag). For even more bang for your buck, freeze your bread, bagel, English muffin and other grain based items and just thaw the portion you need at a later date.
FRUITS and VEGETABLES:
There is no catch-all method for the leafy greens and other assorted fruit and veggie items that you take home from your farmer’s market or grocery store. One of the most important things to remember is that many types of produce release varying degrees of ethylene gas, ultimately accelerating the deterioration process. This guide offers a comprehensive blow-by-blow account of what to do with the most common types of produce and if you are still a little iffy and require further advice, just type the item in question into Still Tasty’s database for even more fruit and veggie confidence!
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