How to keep fruit

Are you wasting food because it ripens-then rots-faster than you can eat it? (We're sheepishly raising our hands along with you.) Storing food the right way can make all the difference. Ethylene, a natural gas that's released from some fruits and vegetables, speeds up the ripening process. That can be an advantage-to ripen an avocado quickly, seal it in a paper bag-but too much ethylene can cause produce to spoil. And it's not all about ethylene; temperature plays a role, as does how and when you wash a fruit or vegetable, and how and where it's stored. Use this handy chart and read on to help you learn about fruit and vegetable storage.

• Bananas
• Basil
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Grapefruit
• Green beans
• Lemons
• Limes
• Onions
• Oranges
• Potatoes
• Summer squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Watermelon
• Winter squash
• Zucchini

• Apricots
• Avocados
• Kiwifruit
• Mangoes
• Melons
• Nectarines
• Papayas
• Peaches
• Pears
• Pineapple
• Plums

• Apples
• Asparagus
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Cherries
• Cilantro
• Corn (whole ears in the husk)
• Dark leafy greens
• Grapes
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Parsley
• Peas
• Pomegranate
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Determining whether to store your fruits and veggies in or out of the fridge is really only half the battle. Some fruits and veggies should be stored separately no matter where they land. Ethylene gas, a natural gas that some fruits emit, can speed the ripening process of some (but not other) fruits and vegetables. This can sometimes be a good thing. Want to ripen your avocado faster? Store it next to a ripe banana in a paper bag and let the ethylene from the banana do its magic.

But you don't always want your fruits and veggies ripening on fast-forward, because they may end up rotting before you can eat them. A good rule of thumb is to keep high-ethylene gas-emitting fruits apart from other produce. Apples, avocados, stone fruits, pears, bananas and tomatoes are a few of the top offenders, with delicate leafy greens being some of the most susceptible to ethylene gas.

Also, keep onions to themselves. Onions love to share their fragrance with their neighbors (especially after they've been cut), so they should be stored separately and especially away from potatoes, which will wilt and sprout more quickly when onions are present.

Sliced fruits and vegetables are great to have on hand for snacking and to save space in the fridge. Most fruits will last about 5 days after being sliced (some vegetables a few days longer) as long as you follow a few rules: store them in an airtight container and always refrigerate cut produce. Fruits like apples, pears, bananas and avocado are not the best candidates for slicing ahead of time since they brown quickly. Instead, store these ripe fruits (with the exception of the bananas) whole in your crisper drawer. The crisper keeps the moisture in check which, in turn, adds longevity to your produce.

It's always a good idea to wash all of your fruits and vegetables before you eat them, even the ones you peel. Why? Bacteria that cause foodborne illness can cling to the surface of the fruit or vegetable. (Cantaloupes, in particular, have had problems with Salmonella.) Even if you're not eating the skin or peel, bacteria may contaminate your cutting board and work their way into the flesh. The chances are pretty remote, but it's better to be safe than sorry. On a less scary note, washing simply whisks away dirt, which is never fun to bite into. Most fruits and veggies benefit from a quick shower under cold running water, but there are a few tricks to washing that can keep some of the more delicate produce intact:

We've found the best way to wash leafy greens is to separate the leaves from the head and soak them in a bath of cold water for about 5 minutes. Swirl the leaves gently with your hand to loosen the debris and then lift them out of the water and into a salad spinner and spin to dry. If you don't have a good salad spinner, it's time to invest. Storing wet leaves can turn your greens into a mushy mess almost overnight.

Related: How to Store Lettuce So It Stays Crisp and Fresh

Berries are delicate and they hate to be wet, so washing them can be tricky. We've found the best way is to rinse them in a strainer, then spread them out on a paper towel-lined plate to dry before you stick them in the fridge. A microwave steamer (or any storage vessel that has a breathable rack at the bottom) is a great place to store rinsed berries. It keeps them from swimming in any water that may settle.

Related: What Is the Best Way to Store Fresh Berries?

Wash fresh herbs like you would salad greens in cool water and then spin them dry. With the exception of basil, fresh herbs like to be stored in the fridge with a damp (but not soaking wet) paper towel to keep them fresh. You can also store them like a little mini bouquet of flowers in your fridge by trimming off an inch or so of the stem and sticking them in a jar of water with a plastic bag loosely covering the bunch. You can use the same trick for asparagus too; it helps keep the flower ends fresh. Ditto for basil, but keep your basil bouquet on your counter instead of in the fridge.

Related: Guide to Cooking with Fresh Herbs

Well, if you're super-efficient and very good at drying, you can wash your produce as soon as you get it home, but that's not practical for most people. Just before you plan to use it is the best time. If you're planning for a party and don't want to be stuck washing while your guests mingle, it's fine to wash ahead of time. Just remember, excess moisture is the enemy of fresh fruits and vegetables. Make sure your produce is dry before you store it.

Related: 9 Foods You're Probably Cleaning Wrong

This story is part of Home Tips, CNET's collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

Summer is a great time to take advantage of the many fruits and vegetables that are in season (and relatively cheap). The problem is when too much time passes by and the strawberries and spinach you intended on eating go bad. There have been plenty of times when I've had berries sitting in the fridge and found them spoiled within the week. The good news is there are ways to combat this issue by taking a few steps before storing produce in the fridge.

With the help of some chefs, educators and other experts, we've come up with tips to keep your favorite fruits and vegetables fresh for as long as possible. You can also check out our tips on whether or not it's cheaper to buy a meal kit compared to grocery shopping, and how to get that organized TikTok fridge look.

Read more: Best Refrigerator for 2022

How to keep herbs fresh

If you like making your dishes with fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro, you know that a bunch can go bad if you don't use it all at once. Experts recommend a couple of different methods to keep herbs fresh as long as possible. You can trim the bottom stems, and place them in water in the fridge, according to Kelsey Riley, founder of vegan recipe site Planted in the Kitchen -- so long as you remember to change the water daily. 

Another option is to wrap herbs in a damp paper towel and seal them in an airtight bag, says Christina Bailey, a private chef and culinary instructor for cooking class provider Cozymeal. Olivia Roszkowski, chef instructor of Health-Supportive Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education, advises wrapping a damp towel around fresh herbs to preserve them longer. "This helps prevent wilting while soaking up excess moisture that can cause rot," she says. 

How to keep leafy greens and root vegetables fresh

Keeping leafy greens such as spinach, kale and lettuce fresh require making the refrigerator environment as dry as possible. Extra lettuce will last longer if you place layers of paper towels between the lettuce leaves and seal it with plastic wrap. "The paper towels will retain the moisture as it comes out, and this can prevent lettuce from wilting as fast, but make sure to swap out the paper towels when they get damp," says Jen Stark, founder of gardening and home improvement blog Happy DIY Home. You should also remove any spoiled leaves in salad mixes to prevent bacteria from spreading across the rest of the produce, Roszkowski says.

Bailey also swears by wrapping dark leafy greens like kale in damp paper towels to help them last longer. She takes the same approach with root vegetables such as celery, carrots and parsnips. "If you have celery that has become floppy and lost its crunch, make a fresh cut at the very bottom of the stalks, and soak them in a bowl of cold water for a little while," she explains. "The stalks may not regain all of their original freshness, but the fibers can absorb some of the water and get a bit of texture back." 

To prevent carrots from drying out, Stark recommends chopping off the leafy green parts before you store them, and putting the carrots in a sealed container full of water before storing them in the fridge. "Carrot leaves pull nutrients from the roots, but once you cut them off and follow this process, fresh carrots can last between three and four weeks," she says.

How to keep fruit fresh in the fridge

To keep those precious summer berries from going bad, you should store them in a container with small holes, on top of a paper towel. This prevents them from getting mushy and molding, according to Brittany Kline, a food preservation expert. 

To increase freshness, you'll want to keep fruits with skins or peels (like bananas and peaches) separate from each other, says Natalia Thompson, CEO and Recipe Creator at Flavorful Home. The reason is ethylene gas, a natural gas produced by most fruits and veggies as they ripen. "If you're keeping them in a fruit basket or a crisper drawer all together, chances are they contribute to the faster ripening of each other, making them spoil faster in the process," Thompson said. Additionally, she advises against keeping apples, bananas and tomatoes in particular close to each other because they are all heavy producers of ethylene gas.

Likewise, these fruits should not be placed with other produce like artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower or lettuce. "These are sensitive to ethylene gas too, even when they don't produce the gas themselves," says Thompson. However, if your fruits ripen sooner than anticipated, you can freeze certain ones, such as avocado, bananas, berries, pineapple or mango for later use. 

One last tip: Check your fridge temperature

While all of these tips and tricks will help keep your produce fresh for longer, they ultimately rely on one thing: your refrigerator. That means you want to make sure your temperature is set correctly and is accurate. The best way to check your fridge's temperature is by using a candy or bulb-style thermometer and then adjusting the dial in your fridge accordingly (learn more about how to test your fridge's temperature here). If the temperature isn't cooperating after a few times of troubleshooting, it may be time to replace your fridge (check out CNET's top refrigerator picks). 

Once you verify that your fridge is in good working order, you want to make sure you're storing your produce in the right place. Most fridges have drawers that are specified for fruits or veggies, based on the needs of that produce -- don't ignore them. 

As always, it's best to buy your fruits and vegetables in season, and to use them sooner rather than later. But if you want to prolong their life, these tips and techniques can help you do so, ultimately saving you money. For more, check out the cooking tip that will save you money on your utility bill, and how to save $100 a year by unplugging your appliances.