Wilted greens are as much of a staple in my fridge as sticks of butter and a carton of baking soda. None of us intend to let lettuce go soft but most varieties carry a shorter shelf life than other produce. To make matters worse, even the slightest mistakes in prepping and storing your leafy greens can cause them to kick the bucket faster.
If you’re sick of tossing bags of soggy greens into the composter or garbage can, you’re not alone. In an effort to get the most out of our next bag of Boston Bibb or mesclun, we asked an expert, Manzü Executive Chef Pedro Cajas, about the biggest mistakes we’re all making when storing lettuce and how to change our ways so we don’t lose it to the worms.
Here are five bad habits that are killing your healthy greens faster in the fridge.
1. Storing them at the wrong temperature
“Ideally, the temperature to store greens is between 36 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit” to prolong freshness,” recommends Cajas. Anything cooler or warmer and you’ll run the risk of greens wilting or freezing.
2. Not drying them well enough
If you wash your greens or they have residual moisture, be sure to thoroughly dry your produce before they are stored. “Proper drying prevents excess moisture, which can cause wilting, and helps keep your ingredients crisp for longer,” said Cajas.
3. Keeping them in close contact with other produce
Fruits such as apples and peaches emit ethylene gas, which can cause the greens that surround them to break down more quickly. Keep fruits and veggies separate either in different drawers or produce bags within the drawers.
4. Handling them too much
If you can, don’t pre-chop your salads or buy oversized bags of lettuce. “Cutting can accelerate their decomposition,” says Cajas, who also advises home cooks to handle greens with care during meal preparation. Once something is sliced, diced, chopped or even massaged, it releases its moisture and immediately speeds up the process of wilting.
Read more: You Have Too Many Kitchen Knives. Here Are the 4 You Need.
5. Not using the crisper
This drawer retains the most humidity in your fridge, which maintains moisture while preventing salad leaves and other vegetables from completely drying out.
Bonus tips
Climate is everything
Many fruits and vegetables can survive outside of a refrigerator, but your local climate should ultimately dictate the decision to forego modern technology. “In our restaurant, all the ingredients we use for salads require refrigeration due to the high temperatures in the area.,” Cajas says.
“This is especially true in Santa Teresa, where the intense heat affects the freshness of the vegetables,” Cajas says. “In other areas, such as San José, some items, like cherry tomatoes, could be kept without refrigeration, but in our case, all our ingredients are refrigerated.”
Curious to know which foods can stand up to their natural environments? Check out our complete guide on foods that don’t need to be kept in the refrigerator.
Fresh is best
The less time traveling from farm to plate, the longer the lifespan. Consider shopping for produce at farmer’s markets where notoriously fragile and flimsy ingredients such as herbs and salad greens may have been harvested as early as that morning.
“Costa Rica, with its tropical climate and variety of microclimates, allows for the availability of fresh produce nearly year-round,” Cajas says. “We respect closed seasons to ensure the growth and reproduction of species, which our customers greatly appreciate. Although some products have a specific season, such as Costa Rican guava and pitaya, we generally have access to a wide range of fresh ingredients thanks to the country’s natural conditions. This abundance enriches our menu offerings and allows our guests to always enjoy fresh, authentic flavors.”
Greens that don’t turn to mush… now that’s pura vida.
Frequently asked questions about produce
What fruits and vegetables do you need to wash before eating?
What are the best vegetables to air fry?
Starchy vegetables, like potatoes, are among the best veggies to cook in the air fryer, according to one chef. Mushrooms are good, too. Leafy, fibrous vegetables might not hold up as well.
Read the full article here
