Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Ice Cream

Wrap the ice cream container in foil wrap to prevent ice crystals from forming on the ice cream.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Keep Critters Away

Place a bayleaf in flour, rice and pasta when storing to keep critters out! 

Mom's Pizza Sauce Ready for the Pantry

Shortly before leaving on the first leg of our fall vacation, I was busy canning, freezing and dehydrating. Despite having a large, walk-in pantry (formerly a bedroom), I still need to use the space frugally.  All foods in the pantry are rotated including home canned foods.  This requires an organized approach to storage but it ends up saving both time and money in the long run. 

I canned four dozen 250 ml jars of Mom's Pizza Sauce a few days before leaving.  Once the jars cooled for 24 hours I removed the bands, tested the seals then labeled and packed the jars into their original cases.  Berardin, formerly Canadian owned now owned by Jarden Home Brands has recently changed the way they package jars for sale.  Jarden Home Brands now manufactures Bernardin, Ball, Kerr and Golden Harvest canning jars. 

I really dislike the new packaging which consists of lids and rings on the jars that are in a half case then shrink wrapped.  I understand that this method of packaging reduces the amount of cardboard used and that the plastic wrap is less expensive for the manufacturer but it is less than ideal for the home canner.  As a high volume home canner, I use the cardboard cases for storage of both filled and empty jars.  The new packaging offers no protection to the tops of the jars even when stacked and the cardboard portion is not as sturdy as the old cases.  As far as the new packaging being eco-friendly, although less cardboard is used, the original plastic cannot be recycled so ends up in the landfill. 

Kitchen Quick Tips - Keep Foods Fresh Longer

Both air and moisture can cause foods to spoil quickly.  Avoid this by vacuum seal foods stored in the refrigerator.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Refrigerating Highly Perishable Foods

Do not store highly perishable foods (eg. milk, eggs, sour cream) in the fridge doors as the temperature fluctuation will lead to quicker spoilage.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Block Cheese

Wrap block cheese in cheese paper or parchment paper, then place the wrapped cheese in a plastic zipper storage bag or container and refrigerate in the warmest part of the fridge (eg. cheese drawer).

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Nuts

Vacuum seal nuts in mason jars then store in the freezer to keep them fresh until needed.  This will prevent the nut oils from becoming rancid.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Herb-Infused Oil

Place about a tablespoon of chopped herbs in each ice cube tray well.  Top with extra virgin olive oil and freeze.  Pop one out anytime you need herb-infused oil when cooking.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Fresh Ginger

Store fresh in the freezer then grate as is when needed.  There is no need to peel it before grating.  Place the remainder in the freezer until needed.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Oily Herbs

Tie oily herbs (eg. thyme) into bunches around the base then hang upside down in the kitchen out of direct sunlight.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Tomatoes

Always store fresh tomatoes at room temperature away from direct sunlight to maintain peak flavour and texture.  Storing in the refrigerator will reduce the flavour while causing the flesh to turn mealy.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Cut Chives or Green Onions

Cut chives with scissors into small pieces or slice green onions into thin slices.  Place into a shaker bottle with lid.  Put in the freezer.  When you want to use them, simply sprinkle onto the dish and put the remainder back in the freezer until needed again.

A Bit of a Pantry Update

It is hard to believe we have only been in this house nineteen months!  It is amazing how much the house has changed in such a short time especially when a total of 4 of those months were spent at our vacation home.  For the past month, I was busy preparing for the arrival of our new bedroom furniture.  What this really meant was furniture and things being moved about affecting the master bedroom, guest room, and office.  However, since I had to do a bit of shopping for accessories that spilled into the kitchen, upper bathroom, laundry room and pantry.  It never fails, as soon as you change one thing in the house it snowballs!

My pantry is always evolving to meet the current needs.  When I first starting setting up the pantry, we knew mice were getting in.  I bought four large wheeled totes to store boxed and packaged foods to protect them from any rodents until we had the problem under control.  Thank goodness it took very little time for the exterminator to solve the rodent issue, still I want all food protected just in case.  It did not take long to realize the storage totes while protecting the food, created a couple more problems.

Two of the storage totes (pictured) were stacked beside the industrial shelf unit on the west wall.  One was on a shelf on the industrial shelf unit on the east wall and one was under a serving table in the games room.  I started dismantling the tote setup before remembering to take a picture.  The wire racks on top of the totes hung from hooks on the rack.  Five larger plastic shoe box containers sat along the back of the top tote with a few odds and ends in front and four medium sized plastic containers on top of the shoe boxes.  The immediate problem was having to move everything to get into the lower tote.  The second problem was food easily became hidden ergo the potential for spoilage.  I decided that a one storage locker of some sort would be an excellent solution.

Last Wednesday I went to Jysk which is a bed, bath, and home store similar to IKEA but on a very smaller scale.  They had a one door pantry on sale for $59.99.  I had a couple of specifications I was looking for aside of size.  There had to be a back on pantry and I wanted the door to close in such a manner that there were no gaps a mouse could get through.  I found that the pantry at Jysk would work nicely.

I brought the pantry home and my husband put it together that evening.  The pantry measures 15¾" W x 16" D x 70½ H.  It  has three adjustable shelves plus the bottom shelf.  The door fits inside the frame ensuring no gaps wherIe a mouse could get in.  I may put a snap strap on the door just to be sure there is no give.  The back is smooth so there shouldn't be any leverage for a mouse to chew through either. 

I immediately started organizing the new pantry cabinet that night, surprised at how much the unit held.  All three plastic storage totes were removed from the pantry freeing up a surprising amount of space both physically and visually.  What I really like is I can immediately see what is in the cabinet. 

The new pantry cabinet gives a nice sleek look to that small bit of wall space.  It takes up less floor space than the two totes did plus I gained that storge space on the east wall unit for more filled boxes of home canned foods.  There is now another pail on top of the two pails to the left of the cabinet. 

I spent a bit of time the next couple of days tidying and organizing but there is still more I would like to do.  The window well is about a foot deep so I could gain more storage space by hanging mini blinds in place of the curtains.  It would be a good spot for some items that aren't used a lot.  There is room over the small freezer (south wall from where picture was taken) where a small cabinet or open shelving could hang.  I also need to find a new storage location for the drying and cooling racks but that is minor.  

At this point, all food in the pantry is protected by glass, metal, plastic and now the cabinet.  The exception is one squash and a half bag of potatoes so I need to make a rodent proof storage locker for holding these types of foods.  If a rodent were to get in which is unlikely given the measures we have taken but with our location (farm field behind) still a possibility, I can rest assured it won't get fed!   The pantry is on the lower lever so partially below grade.  Our house is in a location where flooding is possible.  While we have a sump pump and back-up sump pump system (runs on municipal water), I took the extra precaution of storing in glass and plastic as much as possible.  Insects have not been a huge problem other than carpenter ants graciously left behind by the former owner's woodpile but the exterminator took care of that problem as well.  I am rather pleased with this as it is surprisingly more difficult to keep all the foods stored in a pantry protected.   Any food stored in mason jars that could be affected by moisture (humidity) is vacuum sealed.  I am rather pleased I have been able to get the pantry to this stage of preparedness. 

I'm gearing up for the heavy canning season just around the corner.  I've been testing out the 4ever Recap canning lids while getting enough things like stocks and dried beans canned to last until the end of the heavy canning.  I'm also working on emptying one of the freezers for our 2013 beef on the hoof purchase and prepping for our vacation home plans this year which is looking to be over two months total there.  I'm also trying to finish up a bit of the inside decor before turning my attention to outdoor landscaping and gardening.  It's busy times here but all in all very enjoyable!

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Delicate Herbs

Store delicate herbs (eg. parsley, chives) with the cut end in a glass of water to keep them fresh, ready to use.  They can be placed on the counter for short term use or if you want to keep them longer, put them in the refrigerator

President's Choice Green Reusable Produce Bags Review

One thing I love about being a food blogger is the excuse to try out new foods or food related products.  Sometimes I am compensated for this of which is always noted in the post but the vast majority of the time, I am not compensated in any way.  I like buying foods I haven't tried before but when it comes to food related products I like trying those products that are getting a bit of hype.  They may be just new out or borderline gimmicky or simply a gimmick but part of the fun is testing them.  Such is the case with the new President's Choice (Loblaw's store brand) Green reusable produce bags that absorb and remove ethylene gas that promise to extend the life and freshness of your fruits and vegetables.  

Ethylene is a gas that is produced by ripening fruits and vegetable.  The presence of ethylene from ripe produce will cause nearby ethylene sensitive produce to ripen faster.  In fact, ethylene is sprayed onto tomato fields so the tomatoes ripen at once for harvesting.  It is the reason why one bad apple can cause the entire bag to spoil and why you put bananas or other fruit into a closed paper bag to ripen faster.  The premise behind this bags is, by absorbing any ethylene gas produced ripening will be slowed retarding spoilage.

I purchased at package of 20 of the PC Green reusable produce bags at No Frills for $7.99 (1).  The package says that these reusable bags will extend the life and freshness of produce.  Each bag can be reused up to 12 times bringing the cost per use to 3¢.  Looking at the large bags (2) there is no markings to say that this is some kind of special bag.  To my frugal mind, that means there is a greater chance of the bag being discarded before being used 12 times.  There is a rather small white rectangle at the top corner where you could write the date if you print very small or you could use this tiny space to keep track of the number of uses, perhaps by using hash marks.

I packaged freshly purchased celery, radishes and tomatoes in the reusable bags.  Celery and radishes are usually stored as is from the grocery store in the crisper.  Some leave them in the plastic produce bags.  While the tops look nice on the radishes, they should be removed for refrigeration to prevent the radishes from spoiling.  Tomatoes are always stored at room temperature out of direct sunlight.  Note that I left the stem on the tomatoes as I always do for vine ripened tomatoes purchased at the grocery store.  This tends to keep them fresh longer.  I also leave home grown tomatoes on the vine when possible until I need them.  The celery and radishes went into the refrigerator while the tomatoes were left on the counter. 

Within a day and a half, I noticed condensation (3) in the the Green reusable bag with the tomatoes.  Upon closer inspection I noticed mold on the stems (4) of the tomatoes.  I cannot ever remember mold forming on the stems of tomatoes that I store on the counter!  Unless we are away for an extended period of time, I always have fresh tomatoes sitting on the counter ready to use.  In this case, the Green reusable bag was a fail and had I not noticed it as fast as I did, I would have lost the tomatoes as well.
   

I quickly removed the tomatoes from the bag, removed the stems and washed the tomatoes in a solution of water and vinegar to kill off any mold.  I returned one cleaned tomato to the bag, then left the remainder sit open on the counter.  After 2 days there was no difference between the tomatoes on the counter and the one in the bag. 

The celery and radishes fared nicely in the bags but had no advantage over those stored open in the crisper.  Neither produce ethylene gas so the results were as expected.  I tried the bags on both apples and bananas.  The look of the bag definitely took away from the look of my perpetual fruit bowl!

Ethylene absorbing bags are an expensive and unnecessary gimmick.  They give the impression that all fruits and vegetables produce ethylene gas or are adversely affected by ethylene gas when in fact that is not the case.  The PC Green reusable produce bags shows both basil and strawberries on the package, neither of which produce or are sensitive to ethylene nor should they ever be stored in plastic bags. 

Ripening does not necessarily cause food spoilage but excess moisture certainly will.  The ethylene absorbing bags are made of plastic.  Most produce should not be stored in plastic because the high humidity reduces the storage life while increasing spoilage.  Some have reported that storing bananas in the ethylene absorbing bags gives nice looking bananas that are actually rotted on the inside.  Finally, the ethylene absorbing bags are only good for certain produce.  Basically they may help protect ethylene sensitive foods from ethylene producing fruits and vegetables during storage.  However, a properly maintained crisper will do the exact same thing by allow air flow that disperses any ethylene produced by some fruits and vegetables.  In general, ethylene sensitive foods are refrigerated while ethylene producing fruits and vegetable really do not need refrigeration.  If in doubt as to how to store, just visit your local grocery store. Notice how ethylene producing fruits and vegetables are not in the cooler section nor in the higher humidity produce section?  That is the way they should be stored at home with the exception of parsley which should be place in cup of water, cut end down similar to flowers, on the counter.  Sun exposure will help the cut parsley retain its beautiful green colour until used.

Ethylene producing fruits and vegetables - apples, apricots, avocados, ripening bananas, cataloupe, figs, honeydew, kiwi, mangoes, nectarines, papayas, peaches, pears, persimmions, plantains, plums, prunes, quince, tomatoes

Ethylene sensitive foods - unripe bananas, green beans, Belgian endive, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, cucumbers, eggplant, leafy greens, lettuce, okra, parsley, peas, peppers, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, watercress, watermelon

The bottom line on the PC Green reusable produce bags - They are expensive and ineffective.  While the bags are reusable after washing the reality is most buyers will not do so.  Unlike the zipper style bags, these bags are thin so prone to being damaged in the fridge as well.  I honestly don't see where the average consumer will get 12 uses out of each of these bags.  If you are really concerned about ethylene sensitive foods, some can be stored in covered containers with paper towel on the bottom to absorb extra moisture.  Quite frankly, I don't find storing any of the mentioned fruits and vegetables to be much of a problem either on the counter or in the refrigerator.  The bags are of little help other than expensive storage for fruits and vegetables not affected by ethylene and they will definitely cause berries to spoil faster.  Even if per change you were to get 12 uses per bag, the bags will more than likely end up in the landfill as they cannot be recycled in many communities.  These bags get two thumbs down from me!

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Fresh Mushrooms

Trapped moisture will cause mushrooms to quickly spoil so do not store in plastic containers or cover with plastic wrap.  Store fresh mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator. 

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Salad Greens

Moisture will cause salad greens to wilt.  Place a paper towel in the bottom of a bowl then the salad greens and cover with plastic wrap to prevent excess drying to keep salad greens fresh longer in the refrigerator.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Potatoes

Store potatoes in a dark, cool location away from onions that will cause potatoes to spoil but near apples that will prevent the potatoes from sprouting.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - The Refrigerator and Food Waste

Refrigeration is one of the most common methods of food storage in North America.  In fact, like many families we have two refrigerators, one dedicated to beverages and extra space for refrigeration needed when entertaining larger gatherings.  Unlike most though, both of our refrigerators are fairly new, just barely over five years old and both are Energy Star certified.  I spent most of January and February sick.  March was up and down.  What this translated into was what many folk face on a fairly regular basis.  Food spoilage increase because I was not following my normal routine.  I have my refrigerator fairly organized, usually have a left-over shelf and always go through the refrigerator before shopping to make sure I buy only what I need.  The bottom line is foods put in the refrigerator require attention and monitoring combined with regular rotation to prevent food spoilage. 

The refrigerator in improperly named!  It should be called the food  morgue, the science lab, Sir Waste-a-Lot, and the I don't know if I will use it so will put it in here just in case box.  Refrigerators should come with a built-in waste disposal.  At any rate, without following some type of refrigerator routine and organization, there is going to be food spoilage.

Foods spoil under refrigeration for the following reasons but there are ways to prevent this from happening:

1. improper compartment temperature - The ideal refrigerator temperature zone is 32°F to 40°F, ideally within that zone not right at either end.  Too cold of a temperature will cause delicate foods (eg. eggs, celery, lettuces, some meats) to start freezing reducing their quality.  Too warm of refrigerator temperatures will cause foods to spoil quickly.  Do not rely on your refrigerator settings.  Use a refrigerator thermometer to monitor the inside compartment temperature and adjust your refrigerator settings accordingly to maintain the inside compartment withing the safe temperature zone.
2. open door syndrome -  Every time the refrigerator door is open, the refrigerator loses cold air costing you money and leading to food spoilage.   The refrigerator door should be opened only when necessary and then for the briefest time possible. 
3. improper food placement - Delicate foods that spoil quickly (eg. milk, eggs) should not be stored in the refrigerator door compartments as that is the warmest zone in the refrigerator.  Store these items on shelves in the interior of the refrigerator.  Cheeses should be stored in the cheese compartment or on shelves if you don't have a cheese compartment.  Meats should be stored in the meat keeper and produce in the vegetable keeper where humidity is controlled.
4. air exposure - The air in the refrigerator is dry so it will dry out foods that are improperly stored. 
5. trapped moisture - Some foods (eg. mushrooms, certain vegetables) are very susceptible to trapped moisture that will cause them to spoil quickly.  Always store these foods with paper towels to absorb excess moisture and in the case of mushrooms, store in a paper bag.  Place paper towels on the bottom of the crisper to absorb excess moisture
6. contamination - Foods that are placed in the refrigerator without a lid, unwashed fruits and vegetables, spoiled foods, leaking meat package and food packaging all can contaminate other foods stored in the refrigerator.  Any foods that can spill should be securely sealed in spill proof containers.  Place meats thawing on a plate to prevent any leakage.  Fresh bought meats should be place in containers to prevent leakage.  Molds produce spores which are very, very difficult to destroy and the presence of spores can contaminate other foods causing them to spoil as well.  If you want to see what spores look like, take a mushroom and place it gill side down on a piece of white paper.  Leave like that for 24 hours then lift the mushroom off the paper.  You will see the gill pattern from what looks like tan coloured dust.  This is the spores and each very tiny spore has the ability to contaminate other foods producing more mold which produces more spores.  Wash all fruits and vegetables with a vinegar and water solution to kill nasties on the surface.  Jars and other containers should be wiped down with a vinegar and water solution before putting into the refrigerator as well.  Of special note, all cans including soda cans should be washed as it is common for them to have been contaminated by rodents during warehouse storage prior to distribution.
7. food storage containers - Food storage containers should be transparent or semi-transparent so you can see what is in them at a quick glance.  While plastic dairy containers may seem like a frugal choice of refrigerator container, foods stored in them often get pushed to the back or forgotten because you can't see what is in them.  Sliced deli meats or cheeses, and meats package in plastic wrapped foam trays should be removed from that packaging and be re-packaged in see through containers for use within a few days or in the case of meats, re-packaged for the freezer if longer term storage is desired.
8. overcrowding - Refrigerators are notoriously overcrowded which reduces the air circulation necessary to keep foods from spoiling.  There are only two ways to deal with this problem.  First, clean out the refrigerator.  Remove everything past its expiry date, any spoiled food and any food aside of condiments and pickles that will not be used within a week.  Of the food not to be used within a week, freeze what you can then if at all possible use the remainder first.  Set it aside on a shelf by itself to serve as a reminder to use it up immediately.  Do not add any new food to the refrigerator during this purging phase.  Once the refrigerator has been purged, remove everything and give it a good cleaning.  Replace the food, organizing as you replace it.  Keep one shelf reserved for left-overs.  The food turnover on this shelf should be no more than two or three days so incorporate the left-overs into each meal.  Avoid overstocking the refrigerator when doing your groceries and buy only what you can use within a reasonable amount of time. 

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Fresh Asparagus

Store asparagus cut end down in a glass with a little water in the refrigerator to keep it fresh longer.