How to Properly Store Vegetables

Keeping produce as fresh as possible for as long as possible is of the utmost importance in the restaurant industry. While it certainly helps put less of a strain on your kitchen’s budget, proper storage and preservation can also allow you to bring the flavors of the previous season into the next. You can expand your new fall menu by adding ingredients from the summer.

Short-Term Storage Solutions

Keep in mind that not all produce can be stored or preserved in the same way. The key to proper storage is knowing the unique properties of the fruits and vegetables you use and being aware of which ones can be stored together. This is mostly determined by whether the fruit or vegetable produces ethylene gas in high quantities or if it’s ethylene-sensitive. Produce that is more porous is often the most sensitive to ethylene gas, though this can vary. It’s also important to know what should be stored in the refrigerator at all times as well as what works best when kept in a sealed container versus out in the open or ventilated.

Short-term storage solutions are perfect for produce that will be used immediately or within a few days. The next step is often to cook the ingredients. If an ingredient is on the cusp of spoiling, cooking it can slow the process. Make pasta sauces with tomatoes, fry up onions, or revive slightly wilted lettuce in ice water. 

Long-term Storage Solutions

Did you order a surplus of produce? Was a new dish not as popular as expected? Long-term preservation is a great way to save produce that would otherwise go unused and give it new life. It can be as simple as pre-cutting onions, pre-mincing garlic, or pre-making sauces and putting them in the freezer. Depending on what’s being frozen, produce can be thawed within a month or longer.

If you want to take a different approach to preserving your produce, there are a few tried and true methods. The most popular are pickling, fermentation, making simple syrups for cocktails, making jams and jellies, and making flavored butter. Each of these methods can take some time but significantly extend the shelf life of your produce. You can experiment with what you have and end up with new ingredients to add to your seasonal menus.

We always keep a stock of fresh produce available for chefs at our facilities. We are available day or night to answer questions, fulfill orders, schedule special orders for specialty ingredients, provide fresh-cut produce service, or complete second runs. Contact us today to see what has joined our inventory this summer season!