Grocery shopping is a major household chore that demands your utmost attention. You need to ensure you get all the essential grocery items you need. Whether it’s the daily essentials like milk, eggs, and braid or groceries that last for months, like grains and legumes, you must plan your grocery shopping to save money, time, and energy. Thanks to technology and the internet, buying groceries online with Swiggy Instamart grocery shopping has become more common than ever. Today you can buy your groceries online from the comfort of your home, and they will get delivered to your doorstep within a few minutes.
Though buying groceries has become much simpler, many people often neglect the part that comes after buying groceries: grocery storage. If you work full time for 5 to 6 days a week, you may not have enough time to plan your grocery storage. Your grocery bags stay on the kitchen countertop for hours after they get delivered to you. But it’s important to understand that proper grocery storage can help you enhance the shelf life of the groceries and keep your kitchen clean and organized. It might sound like a lot of work, but don’t worry. It won’t take much of your time. To help you smartly store your groceries, here are six super helpful grocery storage tips you must know.
Immediately refrigerate the food that needs cold storage.
So you have ordered your favorite butterscotch ice cream, but sadly you forgot to keep it in the fridge, and now it’s melted. Don’t let this happen with your cold food. If you don’t want to spoil your food that needs cold storage, immediately refrigerate it once your groceries get delivered. Food items like cold beverages, cheese, yogurt, milk, fresh produce, meat, seafood, and many other things often go bad if you keep them in the open. You wouldn’t want to waste your money and time on spoiled groceries. Storing the food at a cold temperature slows the bacteria growth and keeps your food fresh for longer. It also reduces the risk of food poisoning. That’s why it’s best to refrigerate the food that needs cold storage.
Avoid washing the fresh produce before storing them.
Many of you must be thinking that you must wash fresh produce like vegetables and fruit before storing them in the fridge. It will remove any dirt and bacteria resting on it. Though you must wash the produce before using it, you need to change the timing of cleaning it. Instead of cleaning it before storing it in the fridge, wash your produce when you plan to use them. When you wash the vegetables and fruits, they get wet. This moisture accelerates the growth of bacteria. That means if you wash the produce before storing it, it will likely get spoiled faster. Once you buy vegetables online, store them in the fridge and only wash them when you plan to use them. It will significantly improve the lifespan of your fresh produce.
Store meat and seafood in the coldest spot in the freezer
Many people who buy groceries online often buy frozen seafood and meat. This frozen food lasts longer than fresh food and can be used for more than weeks. But you must ensure you store them in the coldest spot in the freezer. This way, the frozen food stays frozen and doesn’t get spoiled. Fridges have different temperature zones. If you keep the meat and seafood at the top of the freezer, it is more likely to get thawed and spoiled if you open the freezer regularly. So if you buy animal products like fish, meat and chicken, make sure you store them at the coldest temperature in your fridge or freezer. Store them on the lowest shelves of the freezer to avoid cross-contamination, and other foods won’t catch their smell.
Don’t store the milk in the fridge door.
You must have seen many movies and TV shows where they store the milk in the fridge door. Sorry to break it to you, but that isn’t a good idea. The fridge door cannot be the best place to store your milk. Milk often gets spoiled if it isn’t stored in steady, cold temperatures. When the fridge gets opened more often, the door temperature fluctuates a lot, and it also gets warmer. This is because there are more chances of your milk going bad if you keep it in the fridge door. Instead, store the milk at the back of lower shelves where it’s coldest. That way, you can avoid the milk going back earlier.
Keep potatoes and onions in a cool, dry place.
Getting an online grocery delivery of your essentials more nothing less than a blessing. But that doesn’t mean you should take it for granted. Food items like onions and potatoes are the most common ingredients in many Indian dishes. That means people often buy potatoes and onions in bulk, at least 5 kilograms and more. But if you don’t store them properly, you will see the potatoes and onions sprouting. If your onions and potatoes start sprouting or rotting, you have kept them in a place with excess moisture. This excess mixture can sprout the onions and potatoes and cause them to rot. To avoid that from happening, store your potatoes and onions in a cold, dark place. This way, they can last for months without rotting or sprouting.
Store grains in airtight containers
Buying bulk is always a great idea, especially when buying grains. Grains like wheat and rice are used daily in Indian households. It makes sense to buy them in bulk. But it’s essential to store the grains properly, or they can get infested with bugs and moisture. To avoid that from happening, store the grains in big airtight containers. That way, the bugs won’t enter the containers and won’t get spoiled with moisture.
Online grocery stores in India have revolutionized the way people buy groceries. As much as buying groceries has become easier, you must know how to store them properly. The proper storage will increase the groceries’ shelf life and help you get the best bang for your buck.
