Never store milk in the fridge door and more food hacks that help the environment and save you money

The cost of living crisis is hitting us all so any tips to help save a few bob here there are most welcome.

With Irish families wasting on average €700 worth of food every year, Tessa Clarke from OLIO has some tips that will help you reduce the amount you waste as well as help the environment.

If you know you won’t get to eat something before it goes off, you could always give it away through the OLIO app.

Read more: I paid €4 for leftovers from a Dublin cafe and here’s what I got

Half of all the food added is requested in 30 minutes or less.

Following these food hacks will give you an extra few days of freshness helping you to reduce your food waste.

Tomatoes : It may seem smart to store tomatoes in the fridge but you’d be wrong. Keeping tomatoes in the fridge makes the flesh go soft. Instead, store them in a bowl on the countertop.

Bread : To make bread last longer, avoid buying sliced and instead buy whole loaves, wrap them in reusable cotton bags and store in an airtight container in your kitchen. You could also store it in a freezer and just take a slice or two when you want to eat some.

Banana : To keep bananas fresh for a few extra days, wrap them in tinfoil or a beeswax wrap.

Berries : Give them a quick wash in water and vinegar solution (10 parts water and 1 part vinegar), then pat them dry and store them in a fridge.

Honey : Honey is one of those rare foods that just doesn’t go off. However, if you leave it untouched too long it will crystalize. Pop the jar in some warm water to liquefy the honey.

Dairy Products: To give dairy products the maximum shelf life, store them at the back of the fridge where it’s the coldest. Milk can be frozen but make sure the bottle is only 3/4 full to allow for expansion in the freezer.

Celery : you should wrap celery in tinfoil and keep it in the fridge.

Lemons: Storing lemons at room temperature will see them last for about a week. However if you wrap them in sealed plastic bags and keep them in the fridge, they’ll last four times longer.

Avocado: Keeping an open avocado in a Tupperware container with an onion slice will stop the avocado from going brown.

Cake : Keeping cake moist is one of life’s great challenges. However if you store cake with a slice of bread on top, the bread will dry out but the cake beneath will remain moist.

Potatoes: Never store potatoes with onions as they accelerate sprouting. store in a cool, dark and dry place should see them stay fresh for weeks.

“Eat me” fridge shelf : Having a dedicated spot in your fridge for food that will go off will focus your mind on consuming the food that needs to be eaten first.

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