When it comes to food storage, choosing the fridge vs cupboard is an age-old debate that continues to divide kitchens across the nation. Up until now, friends, siblings, partners, and colleagues have tussled over the topic in a debate dubbed ‘Store Wars’.
The UK’s #1 food saving app Too Good To Go is settling the debate, revealing the nation’s biggest mishaps alongside solutions for getting the most from our favourite food.
According to new research commissioned by Too Good To Go, eggs, chocolate, and ketchup take the top spot for most contentious items in our kitchens. Over half of Brits are wrongly storing ketchup in the kitchen cupboard and almost a third are incorrectly storing chocolate in the fridge. The egg debate sees over a third of Brits storing their eggs in the cupboard, impacting freshness and shelf life.
But it’s not just these three items causing kitchen calamities as one in 10 Brits admit to storing olive oil and bread (16%) in the fridge, a whopping one in 10 are storing cucumbers in the cupboard and almost one in five are storing potatoes in the fridge! Not only are we storing food wrong but worryingly, two in five Brits are defrosting meat at room temperature and 15% of people believe you can’t store raw meat in the fridge once opened – which could be disastrous on the digestion.
Storage habits are being passed through generations as people look to their families most(59%) for guidance, which is far more common than looking to government advice (13%) and even product packaging (46%).
These common misconceptions on how to store food at home mean that a staggering 65% of Brits are throwing away up to six edible food items per week (and surprisingly with those in a relationship throwing away more than those living on their own!).
As the weather finally gets warmer, the issue only gets worse. Half of Brits are finding that their food spoils more easily in the heat (47%) and as a result, a quarter of people admit to throwing away more food in the summer months. It’s clear an education is needed as half (49%) of Gen Z and millennials claim they do not know how to adapt food storage habits when the weather changes.
As people look for information on how to store their food correctly, Jamie Crummie – co-founder of the world’s largest surplus food app Too Good To Go – has put together his top tips…
“Let’s put an end to ‘Store Wars’ and bring harmony to our kitchens”, says Jamie. “Too Good To Go is here to empower everyone with food storage knowledge for fresher meals, less waste, and more savings. I’m excited to share my top tips for storing food correctly, helping you make the most of your favourite ingredients while also doing our part for the planet and our pockets by preventing food waste.”
- EGGS – FRIDGE: Eggs should be stored in a cool, dry place – ideally in the fridge. Keeping the eggs in the cold will make them last longer, but make sure you keep them near the back of your fridge as constant changes in temperature can make them go off more quickly.
- CHOCOLATE – CUPBOARD: The fridge tends to increase humidity which is not good for chocolate. So, the best place to keep your chocolate is in any cool, dark place – making a kitchen cupboard the ideal spot.
- KETCHUP – FRIDGE: Once opened, tomato ketchup should be kept in the fridge to maintain its freshness and make sure it tastes as great as possible! Don’t worry if you are on the go though, the acidity of the condiment preserves it whilst it’s out of the fridge.
- VEGGIES – FRIDGE: Certain vegetables like cucumber, celery or carrots can go soft and lose their crunch if left for a while. To avoid this, simply chop into sticks and place in a jar of cold water in your fridge (make sure it’s airtight!). Just remember to change the water every day or so to maintain the freshness. Top tip: this hack also works to revive vegetables that have already softened!
- BANANAS – FRIDGE / FRUIT BOWL – BUT APART: It may be convenient, but by storing your bananas all together in one bunch, each banana will ripen at the same time, meaning you’ve either got to eat all your bananas at once or risk throwing away the rotten ones. Here’s a solution: Break up the bunch. Keep some in the fruit bowl on the counter to ripen and store other bananas in the fridge to delay the ripening process.
- SLICED BREAD – FRIDGE: If you save sliced bread, remember to store it in the fridge when you get home. This way it will last much longer, extending its expiration date. Always remember to use your senses before consuming it – look, smell, taste!
- OLIVE OIL – CUPBOARD: Make sure olive oil is stored in a dark, dry, and cool cupboard out of direct sunlight and heat. Storing the oil in the fridge could mean that it takes on the flavours of surrounding foods – the last thing you want is a cheesy oil!
- POTATOES – CUPBOARD: Potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark place (often in a paper bag works well) to preserve freshness and prevent them turning green. Onions and potatoes often go hand in hand in recipes, but they’re also often mistakenly stored together. Onions can make root vegetables go bad quickly, so make sure to keep them separate.
- FRESH BREAD – CUPBOARD: Cloth bags are the best option for storing bread. In this way it will maintain its properties better. As bread loses its moisture, it becomes drier but , if you add a piece of unpeeled potato inside the bag, it will help your bread last longer.
