Food storage tips: bread, eggs, flour & cheese

If you’ve paid a visit to your local baker or acquired a loaf at the best market you know, it is a sad moment when you awake the next day to stale inners. The same applies to hard-edged cheese, garlic flavoured eggs and weevils. Weevils in anything? Not good.

Fresh bread

Putting bread in the fridge is equivalent to 3 days at room temperature, so it’s a definite no-no when storing a fresh loaf. To keep bread fresher for longer, it’s best to store it at room temperature in a tightly closed packet.

Most people believe that paper bags are best, but they don’t in fact do a very good job of keeping moisture in – plastic is better. You can also freeze your bread for up to 3 months – either defrost at room temperature and then store as you would a fresh loaf or take a slice out at a time and toast directly from frozen.

Eggs

Eggs should be stored in their original carton containers (this absorbs odors of surrounding foods), with the pointed side facing down in order to keep them fresher for longer.

It’s best not to store them in the fridge door, but on a shelf so as to maintain a constant temperature. Eggs can also be frozen by removing from the shell i.e. egg and yolk blended or egg and yolk separated and placed in a sealed, airtight container.

Pasta, rice and flour

Pasta, rice and flour must all be stored in absolutely airtight containers (glass or plastic) in a cool, dark and dry place. Add a few bay or curry leaves to the rice or pasta containers to keep unwanted bugs at bay (weevils and similar pests hate the leaves).

It is best to keep brown rice in the fridge, as the fatty acids found in this variety can cause it to go rancid. Flour can also be refrigerated or frozen for lasting freshness and keeping pests away.

Cheese

There are obviously a huge number of cheese varieties out there and each may have slightly different storage requirements, but a few general rules apply.

Air is cheese’s worst enemy so the first thing that you should do is wrap it very tightly in wax paper, foil or cling wrap. Cheese should be stored in the fridge and can also be frozen for up to 3 months (any longer will affect the flavour) – just make sure that you thaw it in the refrigerator and not at room temperature.

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