Sand Storage, the Best Storage

The best way you store ginger is to leave it in sand. I know it sounds weird, but ginger does best in a dry environment. And what's a dryer environment than sand? It can last indefinitely stored in sand.

Make Your Own Croutons

I was delightfully surprised when I discovered how easily croutons can be made yourself. They're delicious, pricey, and salty already made. When you make them yourself, you can personalize the taste to your preference. I was inspired by the flavors of garlic. But you can do whatever you'd like. I cube bread especially something like sourdough or something hard. I coat them in extra-virgin olive oil (which if kept in minced garlic overnight would give it an amazing flavor!), garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and a little paprika. I pan-fried it until it was thoroughly dried and appeared toasty and slightly darkened. A yummy nummy treat!

Pre-Made Pasta Sauce

I'm a great cook, but I hate to do it! So when I finally get around to doing it, I like to do as much of it as possible at one time. I cook up a huge batch of ground beef and heat up some pasta sauce. Sometimes I'll just blend a huge can of tomatoes and doctor it up myself with tomato paste, maybe some tomato sauce, and definitely some herbs like basil. I separate them into smaller batches and put them in ziplock baggies. I squeeze all of the air out and put them in the freezer. Whenever I have a hankering for pasta, I grab pre-made pasta.

Poultry's Shelf Life

Packaged poultry should be refrigerated and used within two days or stored in the freezer.

Freezer Safe Plastic Zip-ups

Freezer safe plastic zip-ups can be initially pricier than the basic variety, but they freeze food better and are made of better quality. You can also re-use them several times with thorough washings. Just don't reuse the ziplocks that have stored poultry or meat.

Diversify Your Pantry Items

Pantry items should be staples that can easily be incorporated into basic recipes. Buy pantry staples that come in cans and have to be frozen. This way if there's a blackout, you can access food from your cupboard, rather than your freezer. However, don't limit your pantry staples to canned products. Freezers work more efficiently when it's completely full, so you save money on your electric bill, too. Plus, if you over clutter your cupboards with canned products, it can create a safety hazard.

Storing Frozen Produce More Efficiently

You can transfer corn or peas into plastic water bottles before storing them in the freezer. They take up less space than the frozen bags they come packed in, an ideal solution for freezer storage efficiency. It's also a great way to re-use your bottles.

Freeze Berries

Wash fresh berries, thoroughly dry them, lay flat on a parchment paper over a cookie sheet, and freeze them until the berries are hard. It'll take about an hour. Make sure that the berries aren't clumped together. Once the berries have hardened, you can transfer them into an airtight container. Once they've frozen, putting them in the same bag isn't a problem. But do this before you freeze them, and you have a beautiful chunk of fruited ice that won't be very usable. Frozen berries will last up to nine months. One more thing worth noting, don't sugar berries before freezing them. Leave that to the last minute. The sugar breaks down the fruit and can make them mushy.

Flip the Berries

When you store the berries in your refrigerator, turn the basket upside or on its side to relieve pressure from the bottom of the berries. They're soft and lie on the same bottom for a prolonged period. This can significantly reduce mushed berries.