Grandma and grandpa know best - life hacks to make food last longer

Perhaps some of you are familiar with this. You've just put the freshly bought food in the fridge and as soon as you want to wash and cut it, the vegetables, for example, are limp again. Cucumbers are particularly affected by this. Even our grandparents knew tips and tricks on how to preserve food for longer - and they are more relevant than ever in the fight against food waste.

Preserve strawberries

This popular fruit can be preserved for up to a year by preserving it - to bridge the gap until the next season. You will need sufficiently large jam jars for this. Place the strawberries and 1 tbsp of sugar in the jar and then fill with water. Then place the jars upside down in a pan of water. Bring the water to the boil, turn off the heat and leave the jars in the hot water for two hours. The strawberries can then be kept unopened for approx. 1 year.

Freezing herbs

Fresh herbs are a perennial favorite in the kitchen. The only problem is that herbs don't usually stay fresh for very long, especially if you have bought large quantities. The solution: simply freeze the herbs with a little oil. This keeps them fresh and crunchy for longer. Chopped herbs can also be frozen in an ice cube tray (mixing ratio 2/3 herbs, 1/3 oil or water). In the Smantry app, it is also possible to assign the freezer and/or the freezer as a storage location.

The cucumber thing

Cucumbers are a real vegetable all-rounder. You can enjoy them as a snack between meals and they refine pretty much any salad. However, cucumbers should be used as fresh as possible, otherwise there is a risk that they will quickly become soggy and mushy. How can this be prevented? First of all, cucumbers don't really belong in the fridge. The ideal storage temperature for vegetables is between 10 and 13 degrees. If a cucumber is stored in the fridge, it will keep for a maximum of four days. The ideal place to store them is in the vegetable drawer. However, not in the vicinity of apples, tomatoes or the like. These produce ethylene gas, which causes the cucumber to ripen more quickly.

Dehydrate food

Another way to preserve food for longer is to dehydrate it. The best-known dried fruit is probably the raisin - the dried grape. Dehydrating removes moisture from the food, which means that the microorganisms and enzymes responsible for food spoilage have no breeding ground. You can either dry food in a dehydrator, in the oven or on the balcony. A detailed blog post will follow here.

Homemade pickles

Another method of preserving food for longer is to pickle it in alcohol, brine or oil. Here too, the microorganisms are deprived of oxygen. Pickled food can be kept for about a year. High-proof spirits such as rum, vodka, cognac, arrack or brandy are particularly suitable for pickling in alcohol. Fruit in particular is pickled in alcohol, with rum pot, Calvados apples and Williams-Christ pears probably being the best known. Vanilla, basil or parsley, for example, can also be added to achieve a special flavor.

Extending the shelf life of bananas

We all know that bananas don't really belong in the fridge. But there is a way to keep this popular fruit from turning brown for longer. You simply have to hang the bananas up. Bananas tend to get bruises from lying down, which later turn brown or black. The tropical fruit feels best in a dark, cool place, but it should be dry. To slow down the ripening process, you can also wrap cling film around the stem.

Onions and nylon socks - a match made in heaven

Onions can be stored for quite a long time by nature, but there is a trick to extend their shelf life: using nylon stockings. To do this, place the onions in a long nylon stocking (e.g. used tights or socks) and tie a knot after each onion. If you need a bulb, simply cut it off above the knot. Spring onions will keep longer if you cut them into rings and then put them in a clean plastic bottle and put it in the fridge.

Broccoli in a glass of water

If you like eating broccoli and want to preserve it for longer, you should cut the stalk of the vegetable and place it in a glass of water like a bouquet of flowers. The water needs to be changed every day. Broccoli likes to be kept cool, so the best place to store it is in the fridge. The vegetable does not ripen, but it does dry out if stored for a long time (whether in a glass of water or not). In addition, the older the broccoli is, the more its taste and aroma change. Frozen broccoli, on the other hand, will keep for several months.