Nothing frustrates more than perfectly ripe fruit going to waste due to spoilage—especially with rising prices for organic produce.
As a professional chef and food preservation specialist with over a decade of experience minimizing waste in busy kitchens, I've tested countless methods to extend fruit shelf life, even in hot weather.
These simple, proven strategies will help you store fruits effectively, saving money and reducing food waste. Here's our complete guide to keeping fruits fresh up to twice as long. Watch:
Click here to easily print this guide in PDF.
Where to keep it: refrigerator crisper
How to store it: unpackaged
How long to keep it: 3 weeks
Where: in the open air and at room temperature (to ripen), in the refrigerator (already ripe)
How: unpackaged
How long: 4 days once ripe
Where: refrigerator
How: pour lemon juice on the cut surface and cover with cling film
How long: 1 day
Where: in the open air and at room temperature
How: unpackaged
How long: 4 days once ripe
Where: refrigerator
How: skinned and wrapped in aluminum foil
How long: 1 to 2 days
Where: refrigerator
How: tray with ventilation holes and without lid
How long: 3 to 5 days
Where: refrigerator
How: unpackaged
How long: 2 weeks
Where: refrigerator
How: wrapped in cling film
How long: 2 to 3 days
Where: refrigerator crisper
How: plastic bag or perforated kraft paper bag
How long: 1 to 2 weeks
Where: in the open air and at room temperature
How: unpackaged
How long: 5 days once ripe
Where: refrigerator
How: wrapped in cling film
How long: 7 to 10 days
Where: in the open air and at room temperature (to ripen), in the refrigerator (already ripe)
How: unpackaged
How long: 5 days once ripe
Where: in the open air and at room temperature
How: unpackaged
How long: 4 days once ripe
Where: in the open air and at room temperature
How: unpackaged or in a container with ventilation holes
How long: 5 days
1. Red fruits: Soak your berries in lukewarm water for 30 seconds, let dry on a paper towel and store in the fridge.
2. Bananas: Bananas keep much longer in the refrigerator! The cold will turn the skin black, but its flesh will remain intact.
3. Grapes: store grapes in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag or kraft paper bag. Rinse only before eating.
4. Peaches & Plums: let them ripen on the work surface, in the open air and at room temperature. Once ripe, store them in the refrigerator.
5. Pineapple: after dicing your pineapple, put it in the fridge in a container, with its juice.
6. Apples & Melons: to prevent them from ripening too quickly, keep them in the refrigerator.
