How to prolong the life of hard-to-get grocery items like eggs, yeast, milk, and vegetables
- Many people are having trouble finding popular grocery items like eggs, milk, and baking yeast.
- When you can find some, it may be wise to stock up, and some simple kitchen hacks from proper storage can make your purchases longer.
- And smart storage can make staples like fruits and vegetables last longer, too, reducing the number of grocery trips you'll need to make. Here's what to experts recommend.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Whether you're trying to reduce trips to the grocery store or stockpile some hard-to-find treasures like eggs, yeast, or milk, proper storage is key to making your food last. Here's what experts recommend for getting the most out of your groceries with your freezer and other kitchen tools.
Eggs are selling out, but you can keep them longer in a freezer or the back of your fridge
There have been shortages of eggs as people panic-stockpile them (and other items) and producers struggle to keep up with demand.
If you're really keen on stocking up, eggs can be kept for up to a year in the freezer — to do so, crack the eggs in a bowl and either scramble them or separate the white and the yolk. Then pour into an ice cube tray, Ziploc bag or similar container.
Thaw them gradually before use, ideally by setting them in the refrigerator overnight, or by putting the container in a bowl of warm water until thawed.
However, you don't necessarily need to freeze eggs to keep them for a while. The refrigerator does a surprisingly good job of keeping eggs for a long period of time — up to 5 weeks, particularly if you store them in the back where there's less warm air from opening the door.
As time passes, the texture of your eggs will decline even in the fridge, so you may not have perfectly runny yolks with your over-easy breakfast, they'll still be safe to eat.
If the egg is cracked, looks slimy, powdery, or discolored, or smells bad, throw it out.
In a pinch, plenty of other substitutes can take the place of eggs in common recipes, too, including yogurt, banana, applesauce, and even flax seed.
Herbs, fruit, and vegetables have just as many nutrients frozen as fresh
Freezing can extend the shelf-life of a huge variety of foods. You can stock up on frozen items right from the store, but if supplies are running low, it's just as good to pop your own perishables in the freezer.
"If you think about all the things you'd find in the frozen food aisle, you can buy all those things fresh and freeze them yourself," registered dietitian Kajsa Ernestam, who works with the digital health app Lifesum, told Insider.
Berries, mango, peaches, cherries freeze well, as do bananas. They can all make for a convenient smoothie or, slightly thawed, a sweet treat. For veggies: corn, peas, and green beans, spinach, peppers, and onions are all good options. Avocados can also be frozen in chunks when they're ready to eat.
The key, Ernestam said, is to freeze things before they start to get overly ripe.
The same is true of fresh herbs: you can pre-chop a mix of herbs that you'd use in a recipe, or leave them mostly intact and unmixed. Fill each ice cube tray segment with about 2/3 fresh herbs and cover the rest with olive oil and freeze overnight. After it's completely frozen, remove the cubes and store in a Ziploc bag in the freezer.
You can do a similar trick with citrus fruits, minus the olive oil. Pour the juice of lemons, limes, or even oranges or grapefruits into an ice cube tray and freeze for an easy way to add a burst of flavor to tap water, smoothies, sauces, or anything else.
For all of these items, the frozen variety has just as much nutritional value as fresh. In some cases, if you buy frozen at the store, it may be even better, since those items are frozen at peak freshness before they're transported.
"When it comes to nutritional value, freezer has a bad reputation, but it usually doesn't harm things," Ernestam said.
Milk, cream, and some cheeses can go in the freezer, too
Many people don't think to freeze items like milk, cream, or yogurt, according to Ernestam — that's because the consistency of these items can change dramatically when frozen. However, they'll keep longer, and can be used in sauces, soups and other recipes where the texture won't matter.
"I see a lot of people throwing away dairy products but can have a life of up to 3 months if you freeze them before they expire," Ernestam said.
Milk and cream can be frozen in an ice cube tray or small container, and either thawed or added directly to smoothies, sauces, and soups.
Cheese can be successfully frozen if it's well-wrapped to prevent freezer burn, and you can thaw it in the fridge overnight and use it normally, according to Cooks Illustrated. Just make sure it's tightly sealed with as little air as possible in the container, and it will keep that way for up to two months.
Yeast can be hard to find — keep it fresher by sealing it in a cool, dark place
With all the stress baking happening in quarantine, yeast has become a hot commodity.
If you manage to get some, you can ensure it stays active (since yeast is a living organism) with the right storage. Keep it in a cool, dry place — that can include the fridge or freezer, where it can keep for 6 months, according to the website for Red Star Yeast, a popular brand. Just be sure to warm it to room temperature before use.
If you're using a resealable container, make sure you push out as much air as possible before sealing it back up to keep your yeast fresher (this is true of most frozen goods, too).
That old packet of yeast in the back of your fridge or cupboard could also still be good, especially if it's been unopened. To check, mix it with a teaspoon of sugar and a half cup of warm water in a measuring cup to see if it foams, advises Red Star. If it rises to the 1 cup mark of your container, it's good to go. If not, you'll have to find another yeast, since that one is no longer active.
Fortunately, there's always yeast to be had even if the store runs out — check out our previous guide to making your own yeast at home for your baking needs.
Read more:
If you can't find eggs, yeast, butter, or milk, here's what experts recommend you use instead
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