Keeping food fresh

[medjohnny03]

I am a college student and realized the importance of eating healthy and excercising. I am also planning on cooking at home so I eat healthy and save lots of money. I am a vegitarian so I plan on making fajitas, enchiladas, sandwiches, quissadias, etc with prepared, chopped green peppers, onions, and tomatoes. I plan on preparing them on Sunday and then using it throughout the week. Any suggestions on how to STORE them so I can keep them the FRESHEST? Also, I plan on doing the same with prepared fruits salads but cutting them ahead of time so I can just make it grab and go. Any suggestions on how to STORE for FRESHEST quality? Thank you.

[drestie]

I use those plastic discs that absorb ethylene. As plants ripen, they produce ethylene gas, which in turn causes all nearby fruits and veggies to ripen more quickly. This product absorbs excess ethylene gas from the fridge air, thus keeping things fresher longer.
I live in the States, so unfortunately I can't advise you where to find them in the UK.

[sunflower71]

~What are they called destie??

[sunflower71]

ops I ment <d> drestie

[drestie]

There are a few brands of them here, but one is called ExtraLife.

They look like this:
http://www.dennisgreenltd.com/ExtraLife.asp

This is from their website:

Inside the ExtraLife disk is a breathable pouch which contains natural zeolite pellets that have been coated with a 6% solution of potassium permanganate. This formula has been used commercially in the produce industry for more than forty years and is scientifically proven to oxidize 97% of the ethylene gas that is released by fruits and vegetables as they ripen in a refrigerator. The ethylene is chemically attracted to the potassium permanganate and is converted to harmless water vapor and carbon dioxide.

[BBWCHATT]

Johnny - if you leave the meat out of this it is still very good. I am an old lady and I make a huge pot of this and then freeze smaller portions - then all I have to do is pop them in the microwave to thaw them out and heat. It is one of my staples.
Taco Soup

1 Pound Hamburger (Mince)� Browned & Drained

1 Pack Taco Seasoning

1 Can Ro-tel Tomatoes (has jalapeno in it)
(can is the size of a Campbell�s soup can)

1 Can Dark Red Kidney Beans

1 Can Corn � Whole Kernel

1 Can of Water

(You can also add carrots, peas, white beans, potatoes - just any vegetable you like best.)
Mix together & cook until it looks/smells done - although everything is already cooked - so you COULD eat it as soon as it gets hot.
After you put it in your bowl � taste it, it is great that way and less fattening � then put a big blob of sour cream in it and mix it up � then taste it again.
Garnish with black olives, cheese, onions, chives � whatever makes you happy.

[Hammer Head]

I would suggest that you invest in a number of airtight storage containers. I have found that fruit and veg, once prepared, will keep for three or four days in the fridge.

[medjohnny03]

Thank you all for all the great ideas and suggestions. I look forward to taking them into consideration.

[Cali]

I'm not sure if they use the same technology as Drestie's disks but I would recommend Stayfresh Longer bags from Lakeland Limited - a UK company.

They are green bags that are impregnated with a Japanese stone powder to slow down the ripening/increase the storage.

I store all my veg in them in the fridge and they are frightenly effective! And they can be re-used, I only replace mine when they're looking a bit manky.