Tag: store

How to store oranges and 10 unmissable recipes – Italian Cuisine

Are you sure you are storing oranges the right way? Do not miss our tips and the best sweet and savory recipes to enjoy them in all their splendor

In winter the oranges they are among the most popular citrus fruits on Italian tables together with mandarins. In fact, it is precisely in the coldest months that they reach the peak of their taste and their preciousness beneficial properties.
Once purchased, oranges can last a long time, but to preserve their sweetness, aroma and organoleptic qualities it is important to store them in the right way.

How to choose oranges

The conservation of oranges depends above all on the choice of the fruit. First you prefer untreated oranges, the only ones whose peel can also be consumed. Always check its appearance and consistency: if there is an orange cuts or dents it could have suffered damage during transport and its goodness could be compromised; if, on the other hand, it is very soft to the touch, it means that the orange is now overripe. In both cases the shelf life of the fruit will be considerably reduced.

How to store oranges at home

Freshly picked oranges can also last up to 3 weeks (some varieties, such as Valencia, even last up to four months), but it is essential that in the meantime they do not suffer thermal changes and long exposure to sunlight.
To achieve this, the winter climate can be exploited by storing oranges On the terrace: remove them from the packaging and collect them in an airy basket, away from heat sources.

If you do not have an open space available, it is better to keep them in fridge, as the warm temperature of the house could shorten its life. In this case, place the oranges in the fruit and vegetable compartment, making sure not to pile or crush them.

Can oranges be frozen?

Oranges, like lemons, can also be frozen. The best method is to wash and dry the fruit thoroughly, cut it into slices or peel the wedges and finally store them in freezer bags. In this way they will be ready to garnish cakes and pies.

Looking for ideas for using oranges in the kitchen? Look at our gallery to discover 10 unmissable recipes, both sweet and savory.

How to store potatoes without sprouting them – Italian Cuisine

If stored properly, potatoes can stay intact for a long time. Follow our tips to avoid the formation of sprouts and not risk unnecessary waste in the kitchen

The potatoes they are among the most loved and used vegetables in everyday cooking. Surely you always have them available in the pantry, but are you sure you are storing them in the right way? It often happens that potatoes develop i sprouts, which blacken or rot quickly. To avoid having to throw them out due to these tasks, it is important to follow some very important rules. Let's go into detail.

How to properly store potatoes

First of all, if you choose potatoes at the supermarket, favor those that do not have lesions or cuts. At home, put them in a paper bag or in a container; if, on the other hand, you have bought them in the classic net, leave them inside. The most important thing is that they are aerated, in order to prevent the formation of mold.

Where to store the potatoes? It is essential that the chosen place has very specific characteristics: the ideal is a place dark, since exposure to light or sun would favor the development of spots and solanine, a natural toxin that in large quantities would make the tuber inedible. If there are small green spots, remove the affected part before cooking.

There temperature ideal conservation is between 4 and 8 degrees, for this reason the potatoes should absolutely not be stored in fridge. The cold, in fact, transforms starches into sugars, altering natural colors and flavors. And if you are wondering if it is possible to freeze raw potatoes, the answer is no: temperatures below 4 degrees would make them inedible. Do this only after you have cooked and cooled them properly.

Even the hot is the enemy of potatoes: potatoes sprout naturally with the beginning of spring, which is why temperatures that are too high (above 10 degrees) could stimulate this process prematurely.

To be able to keep potatoes longer you must also take into account humidity, which must be between 70 and 80%: if the chosen place is too dry, the potatoes risk dehydration and shriveling; if there is too much humidity, molds could form. This is why it is also forbidden to wash them before putting them in the pantry, but it is advisable to do it only when you are about to cook them.

For all these reasons, one of the best places to store potatoes is the cellar. If you do not have one available, a pantry that you rarely open, away from sources of light, heat or humidity, such as an oven, radiators or windows exposed to the sun, will also do well.

Can sprouted potatoes be eaten?

Everyone has wanted to bake potatoes in the oven, go to the pantry and find potatoes full of sprouts. What to do in this case? Can sprouted potatoes be cooked? It depends.

If the consistency is still compact and the sprouts are small, just remove them and consume them as quickly as possible. If, on the other hand, there are many large sprouts and the potatoes are wrinkled, then it is better not to eat them. To prevent this from happening, check the potatoes from time to time and remove the sprouts before they start growing.

You just have to choose your favorite potato recipe!

How to store ground coffee: yes or no in the fridge? – Italian Cuisine

What's the best way to store ground coffee at home? Is the refrigerator an option to consider? Here are some useful tips

Isn't it wonderful that moment when we open a new coffee package and an intense and inviting aroma is released immediately? Here, better enjoy it to the full, because avoiding the dispersion of the fragrance that until then was perfectly protected from vacuum packing it's a real challenge.

Let's start from an assumption: once it comes into contact with the air, the grinded coffee it is much more subject to deterioration than coffee beans, which instead guarantee maximum aroma thanks to the grinding carried out on the spot. But not everyone decides to have a coffee grinder at home, a precious tool that also needs proper maintenance.

To limit damage and store coffee correctly, it is necessary to better understand what damages it.

False myths and enemies of coffee

As pointed out by the Gaggia coffee experts, "the worst enemy of aroma is humidity. Coffee reacts immediately to cold, heat, changes in temperature, humidity and oxygen while losing some of its characteristic scent ".

When on the package we talk about storing coffee in a "cool and dry place", it certainly does not mean the fridge. Have you ever used the coffee trick to eliminate bad smells from the fridge? This is enough for you to understand that that type of environment does not help to keep the aromas alive, but rather favors the absorption of all other smells by the coffee.
Furthermore, it temperature gap to which it would be subjected every time you prepare an espresso would lead to the formation of condensation and therefore humidity inside the container.

Speaking of humidity, according to some urban legends, to keep it constant at the right point it would be enough to put a Cork or one apple peel in the coffee jar. Very wrong: any foreign element within the mixture contributes to altering its flavor and properties.

To ensure proper storage of the coffee, it is therefore necessary to keep it away from sources of humidity, heat, light and above all from the air. Let's see how.

How to store coffee

Coffee maintains its organoleptic qualities unaltered at a temperature between 15 ° C and 25 ° C, with a humidity of about 50%. How to get as close as possible to these conditions?

First, use a hermetically sealed container of non-transparent glass, but dark enough to limit contact with light. Even the size make the difference, both those of the packages to be purchased and those of the container. Better to prefer smaller packs, so as not to keep them open for too long, and avoid larger jars than the amount of coffee they will have to contain.

Where to store the coffee? The ideal is a closed cupboard, protected from light and sunlight, away from the hob, oven or radiators.