Keep tomatoes on the bench and put mushrooms in a brown bag: The fruits and vegetables that belong in the fridge revealed - and those that do not
- Data reveals the average Australian family throws away $3,000 in food a year
- Some of this wastage comes down to not knowing how to properly store food
- Anti-waste campaigner Amanda Kane has shared her best tips for storing food
With the average Australian family throwing away $3,000 worth of food every year, it's worth knowing what foods should be kept in the fridge and which should not.
The hefty sum, which translates to 20 per cent of grocery costs, is often the result of not knowing how to store food correctly - something that can be easily fixed.
According to Australian anti-waste campaigner, Amanda Kane, making a few changes to how you store perishable items can help you save thousands.
Speaking to Sunrise, Ms Kane revealed her top tips for storing fresh fruit and vegetables and revealed which items you should never keep in the fridge.
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Each year the average Australian family throws away $3,000 worth of food (stock image)
Potatoes, onions and garlic
Potatoes, onions and garlic should always be kept out of the fridge as these do better in a dark space that's not chilled.
For better results, remove potatoes from plastic packaging first.
Australian anti-waste campaigner, Amanda Kane (pictured) has shared her top tips for how best to store a range of perishable items
Tomatoes
Tomatoes don't need to be stored in the fridge and doing so can affect their delicate flavour.
This is backed by research which shows the practice of chilling tomatoes below 12 degrees Celsius inhibits their ability to generate substances that contribute to aroma and flavour.
Ripe tomatoes can be stored on the kitchen bench. However, it is suggested these are laid out as a single layer as stacking one on top of another can limit air flow and accelerate ripening.
Research shows chilling tomatoes below 12 degrees Celsius inhibits their ability to generate substances that contribute to aroma and flavour (stock image)
Avocados
The Avocado Hugger will help keep your avocado from going brown once cut
Avocados do not need to be kept in the fridge and will ripen much more quickly if they are stored there.
If avocados are slightly hard when you buy them, then the ripening process can be sped up by placing the fruit inside a brown bag with an apple.
Once cut, an avocado can be stored in the fridge, although, the flesh once exposed to air can go brown.
To prevent this, Ms Kane recommends storing the fruit using an Avocado Hugger.
These are reusable plastic containers that easily slip over a cut avocado helping it stay fresher longer.
Avocados do not need to be kept in the fridge and will ripen much more quickly if they are stored there (stock image)
Stone fruits, apples, pears and kiwi fruit
A range of fruits, including apples, pears and kiwi fruit do better when stored out of the fridge - and doing so can help other foods stay fresher longer.
This is because all fruits and vegetables release a natural ripening gas called ethylene.
This gas, produced at a quicker rate by some stone fruit, apples, pears and kiwi fruits, can affect the rate at which other fruits and vegetables surrounding them ripen.
So, to avoid other foods spoiling faster, keep these items out of the fridge and stored on the kitchen bench.
Bananas, mangoes and pineapples
The flavour of tropical fruits is affected by being stored in the fridge.
Similarly, to apples and pears, tropical fruits also give off high levels of ethylene as they ripen which can affect other foods.
To help to slow the rate of bananas ripening, separate bananas from the bunch and wrap a small amount of plastic around the stem of each.
Mangoes and pineapples also fare stored in the fridge once these have been cut.
