It took me a long time to understand the fact that storing foods a certain way in the fridge could extend their freshness for longer. From my experience, a lot of foods can be put in a plastic airtight bag and stored in the crisper drawer,. However, not all foods thrive like that. Below are some of the foods I have stored in my fridge and what storage method I felt made them last the longest.

In the crisper

Below are foods that are best stored in an airtight bag in the crisper drawer:

• Ginger
• Lemon/lime
• Carrots
• Celery
• Lettuce
• Avocados
• Tomatoes
• Mushrooms (wrapped with a paper towel inside to absorb moisture)

Other

These foods have other ways of being stored:

Spinach

Wrap in paper towel to absorb moisture, then store in the plastic container from the store or a plastic bag.

Meat

Kept in the packaging from the store, otherwise washed, patted dry, and stored in a container with a lid.

Aloe vera

Once processed, the solid and liquid parts of the gel can be kept separately in airtight glass jars.

Apples, pears, peaches

I tend to store these on their own in the crisper drawer, but they may benefit from being in a plastic bag. I just have yet to see if that will improve their storage life.

Strawberries, blueberries, grapes

Strawberries and blueberries tend to dry out over time, so I will leave them in the store container only for the first day or two. After that, I will rinse them with water and white vinegar, pat them dry, and store them in a mason jar with the lid screwed on.

Bell peppers

I like to put these in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer.

Not in the fridge

These foods I find are best stored at room temperature:

• Onions
• Garlic
• Potatoes
• Bananas