19 produce mistakes you didn’t know you were making

 

Here's the best way to store your fruit and veggies to keep them from spoiling too quickly, as well as how to use stems, leaves, and other ‘scraps’ to get the most out of your produce.

By Kristine Solomon

Produce mistakes to avoid

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Fresh fruit and vegetables are some of the most nutrient-rich foods you can buy. But sometimes it seems like they spoil way too quickly. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Storing produce properly can make it last longer, and cooking it or consuming it in certain ways can maximise the health benefits.

“Fresh fruit and vegetables are some of your most powerful tools for health and wellness and it’s worth learning how to buy and cook them,” says dietitian Shari Portnoy.

Ever wonder if it’s possible to make better use of ‘scraps’ like stems, leaves and peels? The answer is yes. “There are so many myths about food and that leads to a lot of common mistakes when shopping for groceries, including produce,” says dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix and author of Read It Before You Eat It.

Refrigerating all produce

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Though it’s tempting to dump everything in the fridge, some produce belongs on the kitchen counter. Refrigeration can compromise the texture and flavour of certain fruit and vegetables, Taub-Dix says. Tomatoes, for instance, don’t get a chance to ripen properly at low temperatures and can get mealy; melons can lose antioxidants and other nutrients in the fridge; and onions can get mushy and even develop mould when refrigerated.

Always buying under-ripe fruit

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Despite the common misconception, not all fruit continues to ripen once you get them home, Portnoy says. Though it’s true that bananas, figs and peaches come into their own a few days after harvest, strawberries, raspberries and pineapples do not. The ones that continue to ripen are called climacteric; they continue to emit ethylene gas which helps the fruit to reach maturity and taste better, according to Food & Nutrition Magazine, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The non-ripeners are non-climacteric, meaning they just age without maturing and don’t taste better after sitting on your counter. Reference this handy chart from The Produce Nerd to see which produce to pick ripe and which to pick a bit prematurely.

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Storing fruit in the same bowl

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It may look pretty to arrange your apples, bananas and grapes together, but a mixed fruit bowl will spoil faster, Portnoy says. Some fruit (the climacterics) can actually cause others in close proximity to spoil faster, thanks to their ethylene. The fruit to keep in isolation include apples, bananas, kiwis, mangoes and peaches.

Ignoring frozen produce

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Believe it or not, frozen produce has the same nutritional value as fresh produce. Some frozen vegetables and fruit can actually be more nutritious than their fresh counterparts. “Frozen produce is a means of extending the harvest, as it’s frozen within hours of being picked and therefore will retain its nutritional content,” says dietitian Melissa Owens. “Frozen vegetables can be a great alternative to fresh produce, especially if it’s out of season and travelled a long way to get to your store.”

Always peeling veggies

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Push that potato peeler to the back of the drawer, because fruit and vegetable skins and peels are packed with nutrients – often much more than the flesh alone, Taub-Dix says. For instance, zucchini skin is rich in antioxidants, and the peel (and seeds) are where cucumbers hide the majority of their nutrients. A potato’s potassium and folate are concentrated in the skin, and cooking potatoes with the skin on seems to retain their vitamin C.

Now check out our expert tips on how cut kitchen waste.

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Boiling vegetables

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“Vegetables with water-soluble vitamins are susceptible to nutrient losses when boiled,” says Owens, “as the vitamins can leach into cooking water.” That’s especially true for vitamin C, she explains. Owens suggests keeping cooking times as short as possible and trying to reuse the cooking water in a stock or soup or to make pasta or rice. Cooking methods like steaming and baking, which don’t require as much water, are more likely to keep more of the nutrients intact.

Making other kitchen sins? Professional chefs share their secrets so you can avoid these 7 cooking mistakes everybody makes.

Cutting before washing

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Considering pesticides and other chemicals that may be on produce – not to mention the dirt it grows from and the grime it accumulates en route to the market – it should be a no-brainer to wash fruit and veggies before cutting them, Portnoy says. But this even applies to items with thick outer layers, like melons. Bacteria from a rockmelon or honeydew rind can easily get picked up by your knife and transferred to the juicy flesh inside.

Storing washed fruit

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“A good rule of thumb is to not wash any of your produce until you’re ready to eat it,” says Owens. Yes, fresh fruit and vegetables are probably carrying germs galore, but fruit should be stored in the fridge or on the counter unwashed because excess moisture can encourage bacteria growth and decay ahead of its time – and this is especially true when it comes to berries. What’s worse than finding mould on those berries you purchased two days ago?

Now discover what will happen if you accidentally eat mould.

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Discarding stems, leaves and other ‘scraps’

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That head full of leaves on your bunch of carrots is a goldmine of nutrition – so don’t toss or even compost it, Taub-Dix says. Carrot tops have six times more vitamin C than the actual carrot, beet greens are packed with fibre and vitamins, celery leaves are a prime source of magnesium and calcium, and broccoli stems and leaves are just as nutritious as florets. Use these ‘throwaways’ to make soup stock and smoothies – or they can be sautéed and seasoned, then enjoyed on their own.

Now discover 14 reasons why you shouldn’t be throwing away egg shells.

Freezing raw veggies

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Before vegetables make it into the frozen food aisle, they’re actually blanched – meaning they’re scalded in boiling water or steamed for a few minutes, then submerged in ice water to halt the cooking process in its tracks, Owens says. If you want to prolong the life of your fresh vegetables by freezing them, it’s recommended that you blanch them first, she says.

Storing vegetables in plastic bags

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Although plastic bags are ubiquitous in the produce aisle, they’re actually the worst way to store your  fruit and veggies, Portnoy says. All produce needs room to breathe, so those little plastic bags are tantamount to suffocation. Instead, opt for reusable produce bags; at the very least, free your produce from plastic when you bring it home.

Buying produce out of season – or from out of town

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“Produce that is grown out of season in regions not local to your area require longer transportation times that can take up to a week or more to arrive at your local grocery store,” says Owens. She explains that extended travel times can result in greater nutrient losses, not to mention the negative impact the transportation has on the environment and your wallet.

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Skipping a shopping list

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Those juicy red peppers, enticing avocados and layers of luscious leafy greens may all be calling your name, but be honest – will you be able to eat them before they spoil? Food waste is a huge issue around the world. “A lot of the time people have good intentions to eat the produce they buy, but things come up and food gets thrown out,” says Owens. By writing a shopping list before you leave home, you’ll buy only what you need. If you do buy extra, blanch it and freeze it.

Chopping before storing

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Cutting up produce too far ahead of time is a no-no, says Owens. “The longer the chopped produce is exposed to light and air, the more susceptible it is to nutrient losses.”

Misusing your crisper drawer

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Owens advises against cramming all your produce in the fridge. But when you do put it in there, be sure to use the crisper. This drawer can control humidity and temperature, creating an optimal environment for prolonging the life of certain foods. Close the vents and the humidity goes up, which is ideal for leafy greens, asparagus, berries, broccoli and beans. Low humidity (open vents) is optimal for ethylene-producing produce like avocados, tree fruits (apples, peaches, plums, etc.), and melons.

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Buying all your produce at the supermarket

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Many fruit and veggies are simply riper and juicier at local farmers’ markets than at the supermarkets. Buying your tomatoes and summer squash in the same place you buy your cereal and meat may sound convenient, but opting for smaller markets can be worth the extra effort, Taub-Dix says.

Storing hot veggies in the fridge

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If you cooked an abundance of farmers’ market fare and want to store leftovers for lunch tomorrow, wait until the veggies cool before placing them in plastic containers in the refrigerator, Portnoy says. Hot food can actually become contaminated in the fridge, so wait for it to drop to room temperature first. That said, don’t let it sit at room temperature for more than two hours or contamination can kick in.

Cutting produce and meat on the same surface

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Raw meat can contain harmful bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, which can easily contaminate other, ready-to-eat foods. Chopping up fruit and veggies on the same cutting board as chicken and beef will most likely give you food poisoning, Portnoy says. Use separate cutting boards for meat and produce, wash all cutting boards thoroughly with soap and hot water, and toss a cutting board when it has too many cuts and crevices that could trap live bacteria, she says.

 

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Passing up fruit and veggies with spots

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Speckles or spots on produce doesn’t necessarily mean it’s rotten or even bruised, Taub-Dix says. These blemishes are usually just cosmetic, and the fruit and veggies are perfectly safe to eat. Imperfect and ‘ugly’ produce is just as nutritious as cosmetically perfect produce. Buying ugly produce can often be nabbed at a discount and helps reduce the amount of food going to landfill.

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Source: RD.com

 

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