20% of binned food is fruit and vegetables
- Store in the fridge. Fruit lasts up to two weeks longer in the fridge than in a bowl.
- Apart from bananas and pineapples which deteriorate in the cold - keep them in a cupboard.
- Bag it. If veg comes in a bag, like carrots and peppers, keep it bagged. You'll keep more air away from the product, so it stays fresher for longer (even once you've opened the bag, it's better to keep the remaining veg in there and fold over the top). A shrink-wrapped cucumber lasts around three times longer kept in the plastic.
- Apart from lettuce. Lengthen its lifeby putting it in a bowl of water in the fridge as soon as you get home, then top up every couple of days.
Yes, you can freeze ....
- Milk. Freeze as soon as possible, then thaw in the fridge as needed. You can freeze for up to six weeks. Write on the defrost date to keep an eye on freshness.
- Yoghurt. Freeze before the use-by date and you can eat it frozen or let it defrost in the fridge (in which case eat that day). can be frozen for one or two months.
- Eggs. Break eggs into an air-tight container (don't try to freeze in the shell - they'll explode) and beat a little with a fork. Keep for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge and use within three days.
- Potatoes. Raw potatoes go black if you freeze them, but boil for five minutes (peeled or unpeeled) and they're fine to pop in the freezer. You can cook them from frozen too. Freeze for up to six months.
Know portion maths - these sums equal one-person portions
- Rice - quarter of a mug of dried rice
- Peas - three heaped tablespoons
- Spghetti - make an 'O' with your index finger and thumb. Slide your finger to the base of the thumb, then fill the hole with spaghetti.
Don't fall for
- Suoermarket 'three for £3' offers sound good except you are rarely saving. Look at the small print and the items often cost £1 individually. If you are tempted, stick to the 'cupboard items only' rule - multi-buys on things you don't need to store in the fridge.
Glamour magazine, April 2014
