When it comes to buying food, most people want the cheapest option, that lasts the longest and will taste the best.
However, there is a lot of variety in how long it takes for food to spoil, based on the food type, where it comes from and how it is stored.
To keep yourself and your family safe from food poisoning, it is worth having an idea of which foods have a longer shelf life, or fridge life, in your home. In this article, you will be walked through 18 foods which need to be eaten quickly, to prevent anyone getting an upset tummy!
Berries
It is the taste of summer; a bowl of fresh, mixed berries like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. However, research by Live Simply has found that fresh berries carry mold spores, which will cause them to break down as soon as they are removed from the bush that they grew on. So, if you have ever had strawberries in your fridge, you may have noticed that they vanished quickly due to gray mold. This is not uncommon and berry type can be destroyed by either bacterial or fungal growth. If you want to have berries that last a long time for baking, it is best to get frozen or tinned if possible
Shellfish
Most people know the dangers of shellfish. Indeed, in the UK, shellfish are the one food that the Royal Family is not allowed to eat, as it has a higher chance of making them ill with food poisoning!
So, why does it go off in 24 hours? Seafood like clams, mollusks, oysters and scallops, as well as shrimp and crab are high in moisture, which makes it ideal for bacteria to grow. Ergo, if you intend to buy a dressed crab, be sure to eat it the same day you bought it!
Avocados
Avocados became a health food/super food a few years back and, it is true that they are tasty! However, they are not well known for their shelf life. An interesting fact about avocados is that they are supposed to ripen after being harvested and, much like bananas, during this process they produce more ethylene gas, which leads to them becoming spoiled and becoming soft. So, if you have recently bought an avocado from your supermarket, you should aim to consume it quickly as air exposure can cause bacteria to grow quickly on the flesh.
Cream
Cream has a high fat content but it is also high in water and protein. Tasty, yes, but not ideal for longevity. As soon as you open any kind of cream (except squirty cream), try to consume it as soon as you can. Even though all cream is pasteurized, it usually still contains bacteria, which can multiply quickly, causing a bit of an upset tummy!
Peaches
Much like berries, peaches are a symbol of summer and are great to eat with ice cream or regular cream.
As a fruit, they have a high water content, as well as thin skin and high sugar levels, meaning that they are likely to succumb to moisture loss, as well as wrinkling and mold. So, if you notice that the peaches you bought earlier in the day are bruising, they have already begun to spoil and need to be eaten. Also, according to Storables, you shouldn’t be overly rough when handling peaches, as this can bruise the skin and prematurely introduce bacteria.
Get the recipe: 15 Perfect Recipes with Fresh Peaches
Bananas
Almost every food bowl in the US and UK features bananas. However, as bananas ripen, they have been found to release ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening process. This is why they may go from that lovely, creamy yellow hue to looking brown in seemingly hours! However, if you are looking for bananas that will last a bit longer when you are shopping, opt for the green ones! If the worst comes to the worst, the brown bananas can be put into banana bread or banana pancakes!
Fresh Fish
The fish you see at the fish counter in your supermarket is what is deemed to be fresh fish and, if you love the smell you get when you approach the fish counter, there is a bit of bad news coming up! That odor is actually the overgrowth of bacteria on the fish, meaning it is the odor of a rotting fish. Don’t panic! As long as the fish is kept cold, and in a clean environment, it usually is safe to consume but, be sure to do it within 24 hours of buying it.
Fresh Fruit Juice
Have you recently attended a farmers market and purchased a raw cold pressed juice? Very tasty and good for you too! However, if you have bought this drink at home, you need to consume it soon, as these juices can quickly change color, lose their nutritional value and, of course, become a hotbed for bacteria. They contain a lot of moisture, sugars and do not have the preservatives of store bought fruit juice.They spoil quickly, usually within 24 hours, making them unsafe to consume.
Fresh Mushrooms
Most people buy mushrooms fresh, but if they are not stored correctly, they will turn brown and become wrinkled and even slimy. All of these are signs of excessive bacterial growth. Yikes! The delicate cell walls of the fungi as well as the high water content cause this, and prompt these tasty snack foods to break down. Another interesting thing to consider about mushrooms is that they exhibit an ongoing biological process even after they’re harvested, which have been noted by WikiFarmer to speed up the decomposition.
Soft Cheeses
The majority of soft cheeses like Camembert or Brie contain a lot more water than hard cheeses. So, if you are a fan of eating spreadable cheeses that are not crammed with preservatives, you can expect them to start breaking down and growing that weird black fluffy mold very quickly! The creamy texture of the cheeses increases the surface area, which then attracts mold and bacteria. Keep an eye out if you have cottage cheese, ricotta, feta or goat cheese in your fridge and, as soon as the mold appears, be sure to throw them away.
Asparagus
A single stalk of asparagus contains a lot of moisture and, like the other fruits and vegetables on this list, it also has relatively thin, delicate skin which contains sugar. This is a boon for microbes, which will use both of these factors to grow and multiply. Fast spoilage is more commonly noted in tender tipped asparagus. So, if you have bought asparagus home to have with dinner in the next few days, try to push that dinner forward to the same evening to prevent spoilage.
Roasted Vegetables
A lot of people love nothing more than roast vegetables such as potatoes, carrots or parsnips at the end of the week with roast chicken or a nice piece of pork. However, roasting vegetables usually destroys the protective waxy coatings and can also damage the skin, as well as the cell walls. So, even if you are keeping your roast vegetables in a box in the fridge after the meal is over, they are less likely to last than fresh vegetables and will spoil quickly. Therefore, it’s well worth throwing them into a stew or soup as a means of preserving them.
Raw Meats
If you have raw meat such as beef, other red meats or poultry, this is a protein rich source of nutrients that microbes and bacteria can easily feed on and will happily do so. Therefore, it is not worth keeping it outside of the fridge, as it can go bad within hours, especially if your kitchen is warm.
Kale
Fresh kale goes bad faster than bagged kale, which, even with a push, only lasts between one to two days.Kale has a high water content on its leaves and the vast surface area is a magnet for mold and bacteria. As well as this, rough handling of kale during the bagging or picking can also introduce bacteria under the leaf skin sooner.
Tomatoes
The average tomato has a lot of sugar and moisture, as well as a fragile skin, which can introduce bacteria. So, if you have bought some tomatoes recently, be sure to eat them soon or, to keep them in good condition, put them in a crisper drawer of the fridge.
Freshly Cut Herbs
Freshly cut herbs simply don’t have a long shelf-life. They are more susceptible to bacterial infiltration, causing them to wilt and become moldy. So, try to store them in a fridge, in a sealed bag, if you have a herb garden, to keep them fresh.
Live Yogurts
Live yogurts have live and active bacteria, which is known to help with gut health. However, it also speeds up spoilage time if the yogurt isn’t stored correctly. So, try to keep it at a low temperature and, if you can, try to avoid live yogurts that have added fruit or sugars. Bacteria love to feed on those!
Damaged or Cracked Eggs
The shell of an egg protects the inners from bacterial invasion. However, if you notice a cracked egg in your batch, it is now exposed to airborne contaminants. So, throw it away, or eat it quickly!
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