Many people's dinner table is not without the star of the potato, whether it is in the form of dense and delicate mashed potatoes, crispy baked potatoes, or the golden temptation of French fries, can always conquer our taste buds with its unique charm. But did you know? But did you know that this versatile ingredient also has its own temperament and unique needs when it comes to storage?
A food storage guru who knows a thing or two about preserving ingredients has revealed a little-known secret - if you want potatoes to stay fresh and pure, don't let them step into the cold world of the fridge. Putting potatoes in the freezer is like putting a heavy winter coat on a sun-loving traveller - they'll feel ‘suffocated’ and ‘uncomfortable’. In the cold temperatures of refrigeration, the starch inside the potato quietly transforms into a sugar sprite that dances around inside the potato. As a result, when you are ready to cook with anticipation, you find that the potatoes become unusually sweet and dark in colour, and the original freshness and natural flavour of the potatoes are covered with a thin layer of frosting, losing their original purity and flavour.
So, find a warm and secret nest for your potatoes. A place away from direct sunlight, cool enough to be dry, and preferably out of reach, is like creating an exclusive secret base for potatoes. There, they can slumber in peace, keeping their freshness at the ready, waiting for the moment when they will be cooked into a variety of delicious dishes.
This food storage guru seems to be a wise man who is well versed in the magic of preserving ingredients, and every piece of advice he gives is like a customised preservation recipe for ingredients, so you can't help but be impressed by his wisdom. He says that onions, garlic and green onions, the ‘Three Musketeers’ of flavouring, don't like the cold and humidity of the fridge. They are more interested in a dry and cool small world as if they have prepared an exclusive ‘seasoning hut’, where they can maintain the spicy and fresh, ready to add a touch of unique flavour to the dishes.
For lettuce, the delicate ‘green princess’, he suggests using foil to create a ‘freshness castle’ for her. Under the protection of this castle, lettuce can spend up to 30 days in the fridge, still retaining its crispness and freshness, as if it had just been picked from the field. However, cucumber, the ‘Prince of Refreshment’, is not a fan of the fridge. If you force it into the refrigerator's ‘cage’, in less than three days, it will become soft and mushy, losing that crisp and refreshing. Therefore, the best way is to put it into a plastic bag, and then gently poke a few small holes, as if to give it a breathable and shade ‘tent’, so that it can breathe freely in the shade of the kitchen, to maintain the freshness and vitality.
As for ginger and lemon, two of the flavouring world's ‘all-purpose weapons’, he gave a somewhat surprising suggestion - wrap them in foil along with the lettuce and put them in the fridge. It's like giving them a ‘flavour trio’ of their own, so they can keep each other company in the fridge and maintain their freshness and vitality together.
The preservation of herbs is more of an orchestrated ‘freshness adventure’. Firstly, you need to prepare a paper towel, and then gently dampen it with water, as if preparing a soft and moist ‘bed’ for the herbs. Next, the herbs are carefully wrapped in this paper towel and placed in a ziplock bag before being placed in the fridge. This series of steps is like a delicate ‘preservation ritual’ for the herbs so that they can maintain their unique aroma and flavour in the refrigerator.
The advice of this food storage guru is like finding a ‘home’ for ingredients, where they can live at ease, waiting for the moment to be cooked into a variety of delicious dishes. This way of storage not only extends the shelf life of different ingredients but also ensures that every time you cook, you can enjoy the most original and purest flavour as if every taste is a close contact with nature so that the taste buds meet the extraordinary in the ordinary.
