Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey
Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren vogle bam here. The refrigerator is an
Speaker 1: appliance so useful that it may seem like it can
Speaker 1: do no wrong. But although it is adept at keeping
Speaker 1: that macaroni, salad, picnic perfect, and uncooked ground beef from spoiling,
Speaker 1: it can actually cause other foods to lose texture and
Speaker 1: flavor faster than they would otherwise. For example, the fridge
Speaker 1: may be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but don't
Speaker 1: actually put your bread in there. So we spoke via
Speaker 1: email with Randy George, president and co owner of Vermont
Speaker 1: based Red Hand Baking Company. He explained that hearth baked
Speaker 1: breads are best kept at room temperature for a couple
Speaker 1: of days in a paper bag perforated bag, or even
Speaker 1: at no bag at all. Quote. Although refrigeration does delay
Speaker 1: the growth of mold, a refrigerated environment is very dry
Speaker 1: and will therefore hasten this sailing of bread back at
Speaker 1: room temperature, preserve or if the crisp crust. Although the
Speaker 1: humidity of your room will vary, it is rarely as
Speaker 1: dry as the inside of a refrigerator. However, if you
Speaker 1: need to keep the bread fresh for a longer period
Speaker 1: of time, opt to freeze it in a tightly sealed
Speaker 1: plastic bag. A pre slicing a loaf will let you
Speaker 1: take out only what you need when you need it. Also,
Speaker 1: although the fridge might not be the last place on
Speaker 1: Earth to store potatoes, it's pretty close. And this is
Speaker 1: because potatoes don't fare well at temperatures below forty five
Speaker 1: degrees fahrenheit that's seven degrees celsius. At that temperature, their
Speaker 1: inherent starches start to break down into sugars, which in
Speaker 1: turn can cause unfortunate changes to texture and taste, making
Speaker 1: the potatoes sweeter and tougher. Instead, look to store potatoes
Speaker 1: in a dark, humid environment between forty and fifty degrees
Speaker 1: fahrenheit that's about four point four to ten degrees celsius.
Speaker 1: If you live in a temperate climate, you could store
Speaker 1: potatoes in a pantry, basement or root seller if you
Speaker 1: have one. If you live in a warmer part of
Speaker 1: the world, though, you can still store them in a
Speaker 1: cellar or kitchen cupboard and just make sure you use
Speaker 1: up those potatoes in a week or two, because after
Speaker 1: that they'll start to sprout. Once you find a good
Speaker 1: storage spot, wrap the spuds up in a paper bag
Speaker 1: rather than a stifling plastic bag. For winter squash, there's
Speaker 1: no need to get too fancy. A countertop will do
Speaker 1: just fine if you're planning to eat them pretty soon.
Speaker 1: If you want them to last longer, select a cool,
Speaker 1: dark place, say next to your potatoes in a kitchen, pantry, drawer,
Speaker 1: or cabinet. Winter squash will last longer if they aren't
Speaker 1: touching each other or touching any hard surfaces, so it's
Speaker 1: advisable to wrap each one in paper or cloth. Some varieties,
Speaker 1: like a corner butternut squash, may last for months this way,
Speaker 1: assuming that your storage area is cool enough. However, be
Speaker 1: sure not to store squash next to fruits or vegetables
Speaker 1: that produce ethylene, which is a hydrocarbon gas put out
Speaker 1: by ripening fruits and veggies, as this may cause the
Speaker 1: squad to start rotting. Some producers of ethylene include tomatoes, onions,
Speaker 1: ripe bananas, and apples. And speaking of tomatoes, room temperature
Speaker 1: is best to keep tomatoes from spoiling while also maintaining
Speaker 1: their best possible flavor and texture. Ripe tomatoes usually stay
Speaker 1: good for about two to three days post purchase, if
Speaker 1: placed stemside down, away from direct sunlight and ideally in
Speaker 1: a paper bag. This is because exposure to warm sunlight
Speaker 1: will heat up the tomato and make it soften more quickly.
Speaker 1: Note that some tomade of varieties have been specially bred
Speaker 1: to extend their shelf life, and these may last as
Speaker 1: long as a week or two on the counter. If
Speaker 1: you absolutely must make that special tomato on your counter
Speaker 1: last a little bit longer, though, you can put it
Speaker 1: in the fridge, just be sure to take it out
Speaker 1: an hour or so before slicing and serving to bring
Speaker 1: some of the original flavor and texture back. Also, onions,
Speaker 1: much like potatoes and winter squash, do well stored in
Speaker 1: a kitchen, cabinet or pantry. The only difference is that
Speaker 1: while potatoes prefer a humid environment and squash don't mind
Speaker 1: much either way, onions are looking for as dry an
Speaker 1: environment as possible. Be sure to use breathable paper bags
Speaker 1: to store them, and opt for an area with good ventilation.
Speaker 1: And keep in mind that all of these storage tips
Speaker 1: apply to whole fruits and vegetables. If you buy any
Speaker 1: already peeled or cut up, keep those in the fridge
Speaker 1: to prevent spoiling. Today's episode was written by Ali A.
Speaker 1: Hoyt and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this
Speaker 1: and lots of other curious topics, visit House to works
Speaker 1: dot com. Brain Stuff is a production of iHeart Radio.
Speaker 1: For more podcasts of my heart Radio, visit the iHeart
Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
Speaker 1: favorite shows.