Still Tasty

I don't know about you, but I hate throwing food away. Not scrapping the plate into the trash when I can't possibly take another bite, I mean taking out a bottle of salad dressing, or leftovers, or box of baking soda and not having any idea if it's still good.  More often than not I throw it away, because here's a fun fact about me-I have essentially no sense of smell.  While you may simply sniff the dressing, I just stare at it. 

Here is a new question I've been pondering lately-if tomatoes are in an unrefrigerated bin at the store, why do I put them in the fridge when I get home? My mom puts every vegetable but potatoes in the fridge, as well as the peanut butter, but that's a different blog post.  As the fourth child, my mom didn't explain a lot of kitchen mysteries to me, when I was underfoot in the kitchen she just told me to go read a book instead. That explains a lot of things.

So here I am, a late blooming kitchenista, wanting to unlock the hidden secrets of the most unfamiliar room in the house.  I recently discovered a website that has answered many of my questions, so I share it here, where you kind find out if things are still tasty. I'm sure most of you already possess most of this information, but I love the section on shelf life where you can find out proper storage for open and unopened items and how long they are safe to eat.  I printed several pages and put them in a plastic sleeves to keep in my kitchen for those details I can never remember, like which vegetables to store in plastic bags and which vegetables to never, ever store in plastic bags.  I'm cooking a lot more of what I bring home and my husband is happy to never hear the words "Can you smell this?" again.

Do you have any kitchen sites you like? Post them in the comments.  I want to be a good steward with both the money and the time I spend on meals and can use all the help I can get!

Comments

Monique said…
I read that tomatoes do better on the kitchen counter, SO...I left my container of grape tomatoes out and yes they did get fuzzy. (maybe you have to take them out of the container) or start with no so ripe ones?
MaryAnne Hommel said…
Still Tasty says unripe tomatoes out of the fridge, as the cold prevents ripening, but when they are ripe, into the fridge. Best bet is to use fresh vegetables w/in three days, according to Alton Brown. But he probably has a vegetable garden in his yard.
Sasha Wheatley said…
One of my favorite sites is allrecipes.com - the source for most of my recipes. You may already know it, but if you don't, you may want to check it out. It has thousands of recipes, as well as extra information on cooking methods, ingredients, etc.
And yes, my tomatoes stay on the counter - they may not last as long, but they definitely taste better. And they usually last long enough for me - i buy my produce once a week and it's sufficient.
Happy cooking! :)
Pamela Shattuck said…
I try to limit my use of plastic and also prefer to bake with glass/ceramic over aluminum, though am not always able. I read once where aluminum helps the onset of Alzheimer's of which my mother had succumbed. It's in a lot of things so the less use the better, though cannot always be avoided. I also prefer to use a ceramic plates or bowls in storage. I'll use half a tomato sometimes and store the other side cut side down on a small plate an put in the fridge. That way I don't need plastic and the cut side stays fresh. I usually eat it within a day or two and it's fine. Or if the leftovers are too much, to put on a plate or in a bowl and then cover with wrap rather than use a plastic storage container or wrap it all in plastic or aluminum. Microwaving kills all the nutrients in foods and microwaving with plastic or Styrofoam are a definite no-no's because of the out gassing of the materials into the foods. Lethal stuff over time. Limit nitrates, processed foods and get rid of sugar substitutes, as well as limit how much sugar you use. Cancer feeds on this. Yes I eat sweets, but do try to watch that too. I use honey in my tea and only cream (half and half) in my coffee, but then again we have to deal with all the stuff they feed and inject into the cows that contaminates their milk and meat. Ugh! It's endless and hard to stay away from all contaminates, but is possible to at least cut it out in many areas. I'm not obsessive, just wary and cautious.
Margie said…
Tomatoes-leave out at room temperature. You do have to use them within a few days which is how you should eat your veggies! Fresh and often!
If you do put them in the fridge, do not keep veggies in the plastic-that promotes those little fuzzies that none of us like (unless you live where you can't get antibiotics, then you could try to eat it)lol.
I like www.tastykitchen.com
www.smittenkitchen.com

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