Did you ever notice that your lettuce doesn?t stay fresh for a long time, even if it was stored in the fridge? Well, storing lettuce can be a pain sometimes, but there are some tips for storing lettuce the right way and make sure it will be fresh and crisp longer.
Very often we end up throwing out the lettuce, because it got spoilt due to improper storage. But, it is a waste of food and money. And if you store your lettuce, whether it is by the head or in a bag, the wrong way, it will go bad very quickly. And if you have a choice of which way to buy your lettuce, it is always better to buy them by heads. You should have noticed that cut and bagged lettuce goes bad and turns brown faster than when it is bought as a whole. That happens, because all the preparing, cutting and bagging of the vegetable takes some of its freshness. And very often, you can see a wilted lettuce that seemed to be perfectly fresh and just got from the grocery store shelves.
You might notice, when you do your grocery shopping, that the lettuce storage is often misted, which maintains the vegetable hydrated all the time. We cannot repeat the same technique at home. But, actually, when it comes to storing lettuce, it is better to dry it off that to store it wet. After purchasing your lettuce, wash off all the dirt and impurities from it, and before storing it, dry all the leaves with a paper towel. After drying the leaves, put them into a sealed and dry plastic bag, which will protect the lettuce from the outside moisture. You can also put some paper towels inside the lining of the plastic bag, because condensation will eventually occur. This procedure will add about a week to your lettuce being fresh.
Make sure you store your lettuce plastic bags in the fridge crisper. You can also set your refrigerator to middle temperature and keep the humidity level low. High humidity will help your lettuce leaves acquire moisture. And the low temperature may freeze the moisture in the leaves and cause them being mushy. If you have other vegetables for making salad in your fridge, keep them in separate plastic bags and never add to lettuce bag, because juices from them can make your salad wilted.
If you remember and use these quick tips about storing your lettuce, you will always have fresh salad. Lettuce is the most important ingredient for salad, so following these recommendations you will be able to keep your lettuce fresh much longer and enjoy tasty and healthy salads whenever you wish for it.
Do you know that food storage can save you from lots of problems during all sorts of emergency issues. Read more about food storage on this food storage blog.
