Freshness Made Simple

Tips on food storage. How do you keep veggies fresher longer? Here are a few ideas. Lettuce always seems to turn brown and slimy before you are able to use it up. Never cut lettuce. Tear off what you will use, then use a knife if you need to shred it. Cutting will destroy cells while tearing pulls most cells away from each other. Cut cells will decay and spread the decay quickly. The less damaged cells the longer and fresher the lettuce will be. To keep it fresher place it in a airtight bag with a piece of paper towel. Lettuce will give off moisture. This will dry out the leaves if stored in an open bag. In a closed bag the humidity will equalize and lessen the rate of dehydration. A piece of paper towel will absorb any accumulation in the bag so the lettuce does not sit in water. This keeps the lettuce from rotting.

Onions are a great way to keep other veggies fresher longer. Take peppers for instance. Put a piece of pepper in a closeable bag and within a few days it will be slimy along the cut edges. Put a piece of pepper in a bag with a piece of onion and it will be fresh for over a week. This is true for other delicate veggies. The onion will emit vapors that will retard decay.

If you find that your soda goes flat before you have finished the bottle it is because it has been opened too often. When you open carbonated beverages you will hear a "whoosh". This is from the build up of pressure in the bottle. When you reseal the bottle the pressure in the bottle is not high enough to keep the fizz in the beverage. Gas will escape to the air pocket in the bottle until there is enough pressure to hold the fizz in the liquid. Every time you open the bottle you relieve the pressure and the process begins again. There is a pressure cap made for soda bottles that have a pump built in to put pressure back into the bottle. Or just drink faster.

Today's recipe is quick home fries using leftover potatoes

3 cups Left-over baked or boiled Potatoes diced
1 small Onion chopped fine
1/4 Tsp Garlic powder
1/4 Tsp Celery Seed
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp Paprika
Olive Oil

Use a good, well seasoned fry pan. Add Oil, potatoes and onions on medium to medium high. Add garlic powder, celery seed and black pepper. Cook till browned, stirring occasionally. Add Paprika for color and stir in.

Stay warm

Bill