14 Jun 2021

Keeping fruit and veg fresh

From Afternoons, 1:31 pm on 14 June 2021

Are your pears going off faster than they should? Are you having to throw things out every week? 

It's time to get on top of the food waste pouring into the compost.

And the best way to keep produce fresher for longer is to ditch the fruit bowl Sarah Pritchett from Love Food Hate Waste says.

“The classic mistake is having a fruit bowl on the bench full of beautiful looking fruit at the start of the week and it starts going wrinkly and it starts going mouldy towards the end of the week.”

bowl of fruit

bowl of fruit Photo: Glenda Wakeham

Your fridge is your friend when it comes to keeping the crunch when you munch, she says.

"It’s this amazing invention, the fridge. A lot of fruit is better kept in the fridge, things like apples and pears and stone fruit, they’re all better in the fridge."

Some people think there is a loss of flavour when fruit comes out of the fridge, so she advises bringing it up to room temperature first.

"So get them out before you want to eat them and get them to room temperature. For apples, you could have a few out in the fruit bowl rather than the whole bag."

In fact, she says, almost everything will keep longer in the fridge...even eggs.

"It’s controversial. They will last longer kept in the fridge but a lot of people prefer to keep them outside on a bench because they are better for baking. But if you want them to last for a long time, keep them in the fridge."

And seasonal favourites now - kiwifruit, citrus and avocado - all prefer a chillier climate, she says.

Avocados should be ripe before going in the fridge however.

Bananas are a different story, they go brown in the fridge, so leave them outside but apart from other fruit, she says.