kitchen tips Archives

How to Store Nuts and Seeds

March 1, 2018March 2, 2018 Rachel Sherwood

Simple is almost always better. Being a busy working mom I am on the go a lot. Can you relate? If it’s not running to meetings, it’s child pickups, daily errands or squeezing in a yoga class. One of my favorite go to snacks requires no cooking at all and gives me energy to get through the day. In my house we love nuts!

Did you know that by eating a handful of nuts and seeds each day can promote a healthy heart? Nuts contain unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and vitamin E. They make great simple on the go snacks, additions to salads, entrées and desserts. They are high in calories, so it’s important to limit portions but they are also high in protein helping you stay fuller longer so you don’t feel the need to eat as much or reach for other unhealthy options.

Did you know that eating more nuts and seeds has also been linked to lower levels of inflammation linked to heart disease. Nuts may also reduce your risk of developing blood clots that can cause a fatal heart attack. So this year, say, I love you with a handful of nuts, your heart will thank you. Want to know how to store nuts and seeds well or how to buy them for best long lasting flavor? Check out our simple guide How to Store Nuts and Seeds.

How to Store Nuts and Seeds

When Shopping:

Try to buy the freshest nuts and seeds possible. I love shopping the bulk section, as they tend to have a quick turnaround, are restocked often and are usually less expensive than the pre-packaged ones. You can also get as much or as little as you want. If possible, taste before you buy to ensure freshness or at least try to small them, this is easy to do in the bulk section. Nuts and seeds should have sweet and mellow flavors and smell, if there is a strong odor or off putting taste this is a key sign they are old and rancid. Do not buy rancid items there is not way to fix the strong off-putting flavors and it will destroy your dish.

Storage and Location:

Store nuts and seeds in airtight containers. Keeping air out keeps nuts fresher. Nut and seed easily absorb other flavors around them so airtight is the best for long lasting quality and flavor.

Store nuts and seeds in airtight containers for best results

If you are going to use your nuts or seeds within a few months, 1-3 they are fine in a cool, dark and dry place in the pantry. If you want to keep them fresher longer or like to keep a variety on hand you can store them in the refrigerator or freezer. Nuts freezer really well so if you find fresh ones on sale stock up and keep them cold.

Keep an eye on it:

In general, nuts and seeds will stay fresh for up to six months stored in the refrigerator and for up to one year stored in the freezer. The sturdier your container, the less likely they are to pick up smells from other foods stored near them.

Buy Nuts and Seeds whole and process them yourself

Take Extra Care:

Process your nuts yourself. Whole, raw nuts and seeds will stay fresh the longest. When pre-chopped, toasted, or ground into flour or meal, nuts release their oils; these oils are then exposed to more oxygen, remember air makes them go rancid more quickly. Learn knife skills and try toasting nuts and grinding your own flour or meal in a high-powered blender or food processor. Doing this not only guarantees freshness but also your toasted nuts and seeds will taste better.

Do you have a favorite way for ideal nuts and seed storage?

Do you have questions about how to best store a particular ingredient? Let me know, I am happy to help.

For more ways to save money you may also enjoy Grocery Shopping on a Budget, how to save money without cutting out the foods you love.

Want more like this? Check out How to store Apples, How to Store Bananas or How to Store Citrus.

Resources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/nuts/art-20046635

How to Store Citrus

February 8, 2018 Rachel Sherwood

I know the summertime lemonade stand is a classic but did you know that citrus season is actually in the winter. Citrus produce is inexpensive and tastes the best right now. So start dreaming of warmer days to come and stock up on some of the many delicious varieties of citrus today. You can even find unique varieties like sweet Meyer lemons, blood oranges and tangerines in abundance. Use this guide to save you time and money by learning how to store citrus best.

How to store Citrus

When Shopping:

Look for clean peels, no shriveling or signs of decay produce should be firm and plump. Pick fruit that feels heavy for it’s size. Fruit that feel hard and doesn’t yield to light pressure was usually stored improperly or past it’s prime and will be less juicy. Citrus do not continue to ripen once they have been picked. Ripe fruit will have very bright and vibrant colors. Don’t toss out Fruit that has slight discoloration, a small amount of brown around the seeds, is usually acceptable to eat and a little green is ok. Avoid Dull looking fruit can indicate over ripeness and an abundance of greenish skin can mean that the fruit is under ripe.

Storage and Location:

Room Temperature or Chill it: Citrus can keep for up to one week on the counter. Room-temperature fruit tends to yield more juice than cold fruit. To keep them longer store them in the refrigerator’s produce bin. Be sure to rotate the fruit regularly to maintain airflow. Citrus stored in a refrigerator should keep for approximately one month.

Keep an eye on it:

Warmer temperatures will make them citrus spoil faster. If the room tends to be on the warmer side place the fruit bowl into the fridge at night.

Take Extra Care:

* Note that lemons and limes in particular tend to dry out faster than other citrus like oranges. Keeping them is a mesh bag typically helps them stay juicier longer.

*If your citrus is starting to turn you can still save the juice and zest. The zest is the flavorful oil packed outer edge of the peel, the colored parts of the rind not the white pith. It can be used to add an extra punch of flavor to items like soups and sauces. Use a “zester” or vegetable peeler to pull strips of zest off the fruit, allow to dry individually (in non humid weather, this takes 1 to 2 days). Then store in a jar in the pantry. The strips can also be candied, pickled our used to make homemade cleaning supplies. You can also freeze the juice and zest in ice cube trays and store in zippered freezer bags.

What’s your favorite variety?

Here is a little more about some common citrus. In a general citrus guide.

Orange: A mandarin-pomelo hybrid categorized into navels, blood oranges and Valencias.

Navels: Season from November into May. These are mainly eaten as fresh fruit as they contain limonin, which creates a bitter taste after processing. They have a thick peel and lower juice connect making them good for eating and using in salads.

Cara Cara: Is a type of navel; that is slightly sweeter and has a brighter pink to red flesh.

Blood Oranges: Season January through March. They are dark crimson inside, they taste sweet, tart and sometimes bit berry-like.

Valencias: Season April to December. They are typically used for juice as they’re more tart, juicier and not very easy to peel. Some can regreen in the hot summer weather; so don’t toss them out for slightly less than perfect looks make homemade orange juice instead.

Mandarins: These cover a broad range of fruits that include Satsuma, clementine, tangelo and tangerine. They’re generally smaller, flatter and sweeter than oranges, they are easier to peel and section, and contain less seeds.

Satsuma Mandarins: Season November to January. They have a good balance of sweet and tart and are seedless.

Clementine: Season December- January. They are smaller, easy to peal and eat out of hand. They have a slight taste of apricot. They are only seedless if grown in isolation from other citrus.

Tangelos: Season December to March, are a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit. They’re tangy and juicy with a bump-like stem end.

Tangerines: Season December to May depending on variety. They are also easy to peel but so contain seeds. These are also great for juicing.

Grapefruit: Season September-to-June, a cross between an orange and a pomelo. Pink- and white-fleshed varieties have skin that ranges from pale yellow to faintly blush-colored. Some grapefruit tends to lose its bitterness and be sweetest in the spring, Grapefruit is also intolerant of freezing conditions, I learned this one by accident.

Pomelo or Pummelo: Season November to April. The largest of all citrus fruits, it looks like a grapefruit on steroids. The rind is thick and the flesh has a “meaty texture”. They have a refreshingly sweet taste with a mildly tart flavor with very little to no bitterness. The interior can be white or pink. They have a wonderful fragrance and make for delicious additions to breakfast, salads, desserts, or can be used to create exotic cocktail.

Lemon: Available year-round. The two most common types are the Eureka and Lisbon. The Meyer lemon: Season December to February is a lemon-orange hybrid with a thinner rind, rounder shape and a sweet, less sour flavor. They are great used in fresh applications, as the district flavor and aroma are usually lost when cooked.

Lime: Also widely available, though fall is its main season. Tahiti and Bearss are the most common supermarket varieties; they’re big and seedless. The Key lime, also known as Mexican or West Indian lime, has seeds and is smaller, thin-skinned and juicy with a more intense and slightly sweeter flavor.

Sour or Bitter Orange: Season January to March. Seville, the most common variety, has a pebbled rind; it’s bitter and tart, it is often too sour for most people to eat fresh but is best used for sauces and marmalade.

Citron: Season November to January, has little to no juice it is most used for its peel, it looks like a big, bumpy lemon. Buddha’s Hand is a citron variety that, true to its name, looks like a hand. It is often candied and used in desserts like fruit cake

Kumquat: Season, February to April, they are tiny egg-shaped fruit eaten peel and all. The peel of this fruit is sweet and the flesh is sour./ bitter. They can be eaten fresh and whole or often cooked and candied. They make beautiful garnishes.

Do you have a favorite way for ideal citrus storage?

Do you have questions about how to best store a particular ingredient? Let me know, I am happy to help.

References:

http://www.yara.us/agriculture/crops/citrus/key-facts/citrus-types/

https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/how-to-navigate-citrus

https://friendsranches.com/pages/growing-seasons-chart

How to store apples

January 25, 2018 Rachel Sherwood

Save money at the store. Grocery shopping on a budget.

One of the biggest concerns my clients have is saving money while still eating well. It is a common misconception that “good” food is expensive food. In realty eating well can cost significantly less if you know what to look for and are a smart shopper. This led to last weeks post on how to save money while grocery shopping. The post is filled loads of tips on cutting costs on groceries without having to cut coupons or cutting out your favorite foods. Check out the article Grocery Shopping on a Budget here. However, as I was writing I came to the tip of saving money by know how to store food well. Simply put the best way to save money is to not waste food. In general about 40% of all the food in the United States ends up in the garbage. American families throw out between 14 and 25 percent of the food and beverages they buy. This can cost the average family between $1,365 to $2,275 annually. That’s a lot of money to be simply tossing away.

I could not list all the ways to properly store food well in that article so I started compiling a list of the most commonly used items and key tips on how to store these foods well. Needless to say I am still working on it because there is so much useful information I want to share and I don’t want to overwhelm you or cheat you out of good practical tips to save you money in the kitchen. I will share some of the most common items one at a time in future newsletters under the new Save Money, Store it Well section. Look for in in future releases. For this week we start with an all American favorite the Apple.

How to Store Apples

Apples are one of the most common and loved fruits and for good reason, not only do they come an amazing verity of colors, flavors and textures they are perfectly delicious eaten out of hand or used in a variety of cooking and baking applications from sweet to savory breakfast to dinner and dessert. It seems there are almost endless possibilities for the humble apple. Just like so many other perishable items they are only harvested one time of year and are at their peak for just a few weeks. So how do you best store apples? Here are a few tips to save money and store apples well.

When Shopping:

Look for apples free from bruises, cuts, bug damage and soft spots for longer storage. Use imperfect apples quickly for eating or use them in cooking for applesauce, apple juice, apple butter, cakes, muffins, apple pie or canning for long term storage.

Storage Location and Temperature:

Place unblemished apples in boxes or baskets in a cool basement, garage, shed, fruit cellar or refrigerator. The ideal storage temperature is 30-32°F with high humidity. Apples will ripen quickly, if the temperature is above 40.

Take Extra Care:

To maximize their storage life, wrap each apple in craft or newspaper before you place it in the basket. If one apple goes bad, the paper will protect the other apples from coming into contact with it and will keep soft spots to a minimum.

Keep an eye on it:

Check regularly for signs of spoilage, and remove any rotten apples before they have a chance to spoil others.

*Note that Apples and many other fruit produce an ethylene gas that is harmless but causes other items around it to ripen faster.

Do you have a favorite way for ideal apple storage? Do you have questions about how to best store a particular ingredient? Let me know, I am happy to help.