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Store Coffee Properly at Home

Storing coffee at home is sometimes a difficult undertaking. We give you a few tips on how to store it appropriately.

5 tips on how to optimally store your coffee in your own four walls

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world and is consumed in large numbers every day. However, if you have discovered your personal favorite coffee over time and want to keep a larger quantity of it at home, you should take a few storage tips to heart. External influences can quickly deprive the coffee of its aromatic ingredients and spoil the taste after a short time. We’ve looked at how to store coffee properly, and here’s some advice.

Tip 1: The coffee aromas usually survive much longer in a whole bean than in already ground coffee powder.

Tip 2: Make sure to always keep your coffee in an airtight and dark place.

Tip 3: Storing your favorite coffee in the refrigerator can have a major impact on the coffee aroma and thus the taste.

Tip 4: The best place to store coffee is in an opaque ceramic jar.

Tip 5: As an “extra protection”, you can also wrap your coffee can in a bag.

Proper storage for ideal coffee taste

As already mentioned, the coffee should be stored as a whole bean. Of course, it always depends on whether you can grind your coffee yourself with a coffee grinder or otherwise. During the grinding process, many of the aromas develop, which can escape more easily during subsequent storage. Coffee powder is therefore simply more vulnerable than whole beans. Therefore, avoid unpleasant surprises when enjoying your coffee and rely on an airtight ceramic coffee canister. So you can look forward to a great taste experience even weeks later.

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Cooking Tips

Christmas Cookies: Store Them Properly, Keep Them Fresh and Use Leftovers Sensibly

Storing Christmas cookies correctly is important so that you can enjoy your cookies for a long time. We’ll show you how to keep Christmas cookies fresh and how to use leftovers sensibly.

Storing Christmas cookies: This is how you succeed

Whether cinnamon stars, vanilla crescents or gingerbread – cookies are part of the Advent season. So that you can enjoy your homemade biscuits throughout Advent, you should make sure that they last as long as possible. Therefore, we have put together the best tips for you on how to store Christmas cookies properly:

Store by type: After baking, all types of cookies should be allowed to cool completely before tinning. The glaze or other decorations must first dry completely. Otherwise the biscuits may stick together. Then store the Christmas cookies according to type in different airtight cookie jars. You should also wrap homemade stollen in a kitchen towel.
Shelf life is related to the type of cookie: The use-by date is closely related to the type of cookie. Dry cookies can last up to eight weeks. However, if your cookies have a cream filling, you should use them up within a week if possible.
Freezing Christmas cookies: If you can foresee that you will not use up your cookies in time, you can simply freeze them. You will need an airtight container to put your cookies in after they have cooled. However, be careful not to freeze cookies decorated with chocolate. Chocolate turns gray in the freezer. If you want to thaw the frozen pastry again, take it out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for several hours.

Tips for making good use of leftover pastries

Storing Christmas cookies properly can avoid food waste. But what to do if there are leftovers? With our ideas you will be able to use what is left over. So nothing has to end up in the garbage, but can be used elsewhere.

Second chance for leftover cookies: You can crumble many types of Christmas cookies and use them instead of biscuits for various recipes. In this way you can refine (vegan) tiramisu or other layered desserts, for example. You can also use them to make sprinkles for apple crumbles. You can melt leftover chocolate and use it as a glaze for cakes or fresh pastries.
Utilize expired ingredients: Each food item is given a sell-by date before it is sold. However, this date is not to be taken so strictly for all foods. Because ingredients such as baking powder, flour or spices can keep much longer. Therefore, you can use these basic foods for baking for a long time without hesitation. Read more: Forget the best before date – many foods last longer than you think
Cookies as a gift idea for friends and relatives: What Christmas cookies you don’t want to store with you may be missing from others. How about giving your homemade treats to friends, acquaintances and relatives? Not only do you give your loved ones a little treat, you also don’t have to throw away your leftover cookies.

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health

Storing Lemons: How to Store Them Properly

If you want to store lemons, you have to consider a few things. With the right storage conditions, lemons stay fresh for several weeks – we’ll show you what’s important.

To store lemons properly, you should know their properties. Lemons are the fruit of the lemon tree and belong to the citrus fruits. They require an evenly warm and humid climate and are sensitive to drought and cold. Due to the cold winters, lemon trees do not thrive in Central Europe.

Lemons from conventional cultivation are usually treated with preservatives and wax so that they can be kept for as long as possible. It is therefore better to use organic lemons. Chemical-synthetic pesticides and artificial fertilizers are prohibited in organic farming. Organic lemons are only superficially cleaned and the natural wax layer of the fruit is preserved. If you buy organic lemons, you can also use the lemon zest. You also support sustainable agriculture.

Unfortunately, lemons are not native to Germany. To avoid long transport routes, you can use European lemons. Organic lemons from northern Italy are in season between November and July. You can buy Spanish organic lemons all year round.

Storing lemons: You should pay attention to this

With these tips you can store lemons properly:

Lemons should be stored in a cool, dark place.
The best temperature to store lemons is between ten and fifteen degrees Celsius.
A cool, windowless pantry or the dark basement is best suited for this.
Avoid storing lemons in the fridge as the fridge temperature is too low.
To avoid mold, you should keep a distance between the individual lemons. Therefore, be sure to remove the shopping bag if you want to store lemons longer. This makes it harder for mold to spread.
Spread an old newspaper under the lemons. The newspaper absorbs excess moisture, which reduces mold growth.
Avoid storing lemons near apples or tomatoes. The escaping ethylene greatly accelerates the ripening process of the lemons.
By the way: Organic lemons go moldy faster because no chemical-synthetic pesticides are used during cultivation. When buying, make sure that the lemons do not have bruises.

There are also a few tips for cut lemons. If you only need half a lemon when cooking or baking, you can store the other half in the fridge for a day or two:

Place the lemons cut-side down on a small plate.
Place the plate with the lemon half on the top shelf or in the refrigerator door. This is where the highest temperatures prevail.
Consume the lemon within a day or two.

Reserve the lemon juice

Store fresh lemon juice in a sealed container in the fridge. Fresh lemon juice will keep for a day or two.

If you want to extend the shelf life of lemon juice, you can freeze it. Even if you only need lemon juice very rarely and in small amounts, freezing is a good solution. Use small jars to freeze lemon juice. Alternatively, you can freeze it in ice cube trays. This way you always have a small amount of lemon juice available.

Lemon ice cubes are a great way to quickly prepare a cool, refreshing drink, especially in summer. Frozen lemon juice has a shelf life of at least six months.

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Food

Cooking Chinese Cabbage: How to Cut, Cook and Store It Properly

Chinese cabbage can be prepared in many ways – but how? Asian cabbage varieties are popular, but the preparation of Chinese cabbage is unknown to many. A little product information.

Preparing Chinese cabbage is also something for cabbage skeptics

Chinese cabbage is different from its native relatives – it is more subtle and easier to digest. If you are put off by digestive problems, the smell and taste of cabbage from the local varieties, then prepare Chinese cabbage instead.

Because it also has the vital substances typical of cabbage: Above all, it provides a lot of vitamin C, vitamins from the B group, folic acid, mustard oil glycosides and minerals such as potassium and iron. With around twelve calories per 100 grams and a water content of 94 percent, it is the ideal vegetable for losing weight.

Caution: Chinese cabbage has a high nitrate content. Adults can take it without hesitation. Babies and toddlers, on the other hand, should only consume small amounts occasionally – or they should avoid it altogether.

Before preparing: Buy good Chinese cabbage

When shopping, test to see if the cabbage is tightly closed and feels firm. The leaves should be crisp with no dark spots. Chinese cabbage from the supermarket often has small black spots. They are not harmful to health, but occur when storage is too warm. Damage to the outer layer of leaves isn’t a big deal, since you remove this layer anyway when you prepare the Chinese cabbage. The cabbage should not have mushy spots.

Now it’s time to prepare: Cut the Chinese cabbage

In contrast to the local types of headed cabbage, Chinese cabbage does not have a hard stalk and the leaf veins are so tender that you can use them. How to cut Chinese cabbage before cooking:

Remove the outer leaves. Also withered or damaged areas.
Then, at the bottom of the cabbage, cut a slice about an inch thick with a straight cut.
Now the leaves can be easily separated and you can cut them into the desired shape.
Wash the Chinese cabbage pieces in cold salted water.

Cooking Chinese cabbage is quick and easy

If you want to prepare a larger portion of Chinese cabbage, choose a wide pan or pot, because raw Chinese cabbage takes up a lot of space at first. Cooking time depends on how crispy you want it. Basically, the crunchier, the tastier. If you haven’t prepared Chinese cabbage often, try the al dente every now and then. These are the cooking times:

Roast and Cook: Five to seven minutes
Steam and simmer: Five to ten minutes
How to prepare Chinese cabbage:

as a raw food snack or salad
fried in a pan with oil
cooked in salted boiling water
as steamed vegetables in their own juice: first add the thick ribs and later the fine leaves to the pot.
steamed in a saucepan with a steamer insert or a suitable kitchen sieve with the lid closed. The cooking water should not come into contact with the Chinese cabbage.
fermented

Store Chinese cabbage properly

Chinese cabbage is tender, so you should get it as fresh as possible and use it immediately. Stored in the fridge, it keeps its crunchiness for up to four days. If you wrap it, you can still cook Chinese cabbage after a week.

Be sure to wrap the Chinese cabbage loosely, otherwise it will get bruises that can rot. It is better not to use cling film for this: a beeswax cloth is the plastic-free solution. Once added, you can use it over and over again.

The productive head of cabbage can be kept in the freezer for up to four months: Clean the Chinese cabbage, cut into small pieces and blanch briefly in boiling, lightly salted water. The professional would then quench the Chinese cabbage in ice water.

Our tip: If you freeze the Chinese cabbage in portions, it will be easier to prepare the amount intended for your recipe.

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Food

10 Foods You Shouldn’t Store in the Fridge

Tomatoes, lemons etc.: These foods do not belong in the refrigerator

Storing food properly is almost an art – and the refrigerator is not always the best solution. Not everything stays fresh longer in it. Many foods are harmed by the cold, some simply do not need it cool.

Store tomatoes in the fridge? Please do not!

Tomatoes lose their aroma in the refrigerator and can mold more quickly. It is best to keep them in the cellar or in the pantry – a temperature of around 15 degrees is ideal.

If a cool room is not available, tomatoes are still better off at room temperature than in the fridge. This also applies to other types of vegetables that contain a lot of water, such as cucumbers, peppers, aubergines and zucchini.

Food that doesn’t belong in the fridge: Bread

Bread is best stored at room temperature in air-permeable containers. Without air, moisture builds up and the bread starts to go moldy.

Clay pots are ideal for storage. Wooden bread boxes are also recommended, as bread dries out less quickly in them.

Olive oil does not belong in the fridge!

Olive oil can become flaky in the refrigerator. This is reflected in the warmth, but it doesn’t have to be.

Protected from light at room temperature (e.g. in a cupboard), olive oil keeps for many weeks – by then a bottle is usually gone anyway.

Lemons better not in the cold

Lemons and other citrus fruits don’t tolerate cold – after all, they come from warm regions. Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, etc. do well at moderate room temperatures, but they prefer it a little cooler.

You should store citrus fruits openly so that they have contact with air.

Garlic and onions

Garlic and onions are best kept in a cool, dark and dry place, such as the basement. It’s too cold for them in the fridge.

If you don’t have a cool room available, it’s best to store garlic and onions in a clay pot that gives them enough room to “breathe”.

Avocados shouldn’t be in the fridge

Like bananas, avocados are usually bought unripe. “Hard” avocados should be left to ripen and soften at room temperature. It is best to eat up ripe specimens as soon as possible.

Store bananas in the fridge?

Bananas quickly get brown spots in the fridge because the cold damages their cell tissue. They will keep for about three to four days at room temperature if you protect them from direct sunlight.

This also applies to other exotic fruits such as mango, melon or pineapple – better not in the fridge.

Booze

Anyone who has spirits such as vodka, whiskey or other spirits with more than 35 percent at home does not need to store them in the refrigerator. Sealed bottles last practically forever.

Even when the bottles are open, it takes time for the alcohol and aroma to evaporate. Storage in the basement or at room temperature without direct sunlight (e.g. in a cupboard) is sufficient.

Tabasco etc

In addition to chilies, hot sauces usually only contain vinegar and salt – these are excellent preservatives. That’s why Tabasco & Co. don’t have to be in the fridge even when they’re open.

In a light-protected place (in the cupboard) they last for many months.

Store honey in the fridge? Unnecessary!

Honey hardens in the fridge and is difficult to spread. When stored tightly closed, dry, and protected from light (e.g. in a cupboard), honey usually keeps for years without losing quality.

Also, if you keep honey free of foreign bodies, you can eat it practically forever.

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Cooking Tips

Can Butter Go Bad? Here’s How to Store Them Properly

Butter can go bad – if you store it wrong. We explain how to recognize this and give you tips for the right storage.

Can butter go bad?

If you store it incorrectly, butter can go bad quickly. According to the consumer advice center, butter only lasts a few days at room temperature, for example, while it can be kept for several weeks in the refrigerator and even months in the freezer. If you are unsure whether you can still eat butter, trust your senses.

Signs such as a sour odor, dark yellow discoloration, and rancid taste can indicate the butter has gone bad. If you can identify the characteristics mentioned in your butter, you must throw it away. According to the consumer advice center, harmful decomposition products can arise during the decomposition process.

Note: An expired best-before date alone says nothing about whether the butter is still good. After all, this is not a use-by date like meat, but merely an orientation for you as a consumer.

Storing butter correctly: This is how it works

So that your butter does not go bad, you should store it properly:

Keep the butter as cool as possible, preferably in a sealable container in the butter compartment of the refrigerator.
Alternatively, you can freeze them in small portions.
If you want to spread the butter on your bread, for example, make sure you use a clean knife.
Incidentally, these storage tips can also be applied to margarine.
If you buy butter, you should pay attention to organic quality. This is how you support species-appropriate animal husbandry. The Naturland, Demeter and Bioland seals have particularly strict requirements. You can also make your own butter.

The same applies to margarine, which is even more environmentally and animal-friendly in production because it is mainly derived from plants (and vegan margarine is entirely plant-based). Margarine is particularly sustainable if it contains no palm oil.

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Food

Storing Asparagus: Store Them Properly for More Freshness

Storing asparagus properly will help the vegetables stay fresher for longer. We give you tips for white and green asparagus and also show you how to store asparagus dishes.

How long you can store asparagus depends on its condition: peeled, unpeeled, or already cooked. In this article, you will find out how best to store white and green asparagus and what you should pay attention to when storing prepared asparagus dishes.

Vegetable asparagus is one of around 200 species from the genus asparagus. You can find the young shoots of the plant in stores. Germany is the largest asparagus producer in Europe and one of the five largest asparagus producers in the world.

The asparagus season in Europe runs from April to the end of June. In order to avoid long transport routes and to protect the environment and climate, you should only buy asparagus regionally and seasonally. Buy organic asparagus to be sure they are free of synthetic chemical pesticides.

Store white asparagus correctly

In the trade, you usually get white asparagus packed in bundles that are fixed with a rubber band. To keep the white asparagus fresh for a long time, proceed as follows:

  • Remove the rubber band from the asparagus. The rubber cuts into the asparagus spear and prevents fluid exchange between the cells. This will dry out the asparagus faster. Tip: Don’t throw away the ribbons, but keep using them, for example to make Easter eggs.
  • Check all asparagus spears for rotten or moldy spots and cut them off if necessary. Pay particular attention to the sensitive asparagus tips and the cut.
  • Remove spoiled asparagus spears.
  • Wrap the asparagus in a damp, clean kitchen towel to keep it fresher longer.
  • It is best to keep white asparagus unpeeled and lying flat in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator.

Stored in a damp cloth in the refrigerator, white asparagus stays crisp for up to 4 days.

Tip: You can freshen up slightly dried-out spears by cutting off the dry ends and briefly placing the asparagus spears in cold water.

Store green asparagus correctly

Green asparagus stays fresh best when stored upright.

As already described for the white asparagus, remove the rubber band from the asparagus.
Check all asparagus spears for rotten or moldy spots and cut them off if necessary. Pay particular attention to the sensitive asparagus tips and the cut.
Remove spoiled asparagus spears.
Place the asparagus spears in a vase or jug of cold water.
You can also wrap the tips in a beeswax wrap to protect them from wilting. Tip: You can also make oilcloths yourself.
Place the “bunch of asparagus” in a cool place out of direct sunlight. The refrigerator, the cellar, or the pantry are also suitable for this.
Green asparagus will keep in a cool vase for 3 to 4 days.

Store peeled asparagus correctly

You should prepare peeled asparagus within a few hours.

Store peeled asparagus in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Process the peeled asparagus within 3 to 4 hours.
If you have already peeled the asparagus and then prefer not to cook it, you should freeze the asparagus to prevent spoilage. Fill the cut asparagus in portions into freezer cans or into a glass dish with a lid. Tip: Freeze food in a jar: this is how it works

Frozen asparagus will keep for up to 6 months. Use frozen asparagus for your meal without defrosting it first.

Recipe ideas for the preparation of asparagus

Asparagus can be prepared in many different ways as a starter, soup, salad or main meal. You can find recipes for it here:

  • Shelled asparagus soup
  • Asparagus Cream Soup
  • Recipe ideas for asparagus salad
  • Asparagus risotto
  • asparagus bake
  • Asparagus quiche
  • Springlike asparagus tarte flambée
  • Asparagus strawberry salad
  • Fried noodles with asparagus
  • Asparagus casserole: classic from the oven
  • and more asparagus recipes

You can eat asparagus raw, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Or get creative with the following cooking methods:

  • Grilled asparagus
  • Roasted asparagus
  • Cooked asparagus
  • Asparagus from the oven

Store asparagus dishes correctly

Asparagus dishes should be eaten as fresh as possible. Even cooked asparagus only stays fresh to a very limited extent. If you store cooked asparagus for too long, bitter substances will develop.

If something is left over, do the following:

  • Pack the asparagus dish in a well-sealable tin. Alternatively, you can store asparagus sauce or asparagus soup in a small saucepan with a lid.
  • Store the asparagus dish at refrigerator temperature.
  • You should eat the asparagus dish within a day.
  • Reheat the dish fully before eating.
  • An exception is the asparagus soup, which stays fresh for up to two days.

Tip: If you know that you won’t finish your asparagus dish within a day, simply freeze the meal in portions.

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Food

How to Properly Store Apples

Fall is here – time to pay a visit to the apple growers and stock up on apples for fall and winter. These tips will keep your apples juicy and crisp for several months.

1. The apple likes it cool

Stored at room temperature, apples ripen faster and become shriveled. Always store the fruit as cool as possible, 2 to 5 °C is ideal. This temperature prevails, for example, in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.

If you don’t want to dedicate the entire lower level of your refrigerator to apple storage, cool basement rooms and/or the balcony are also suitable. On the balcony, however, the apples need a place in the shade, because being illuminated by the sun accelerates the ripening process. It is important that you do not expose the apples to frost.

2. Nice and airy, please

Apples feel happiest when they are loosely packed in boxes on newspaper. If space allows, use multiple crates rather than stacking the fruit. Also, make sure the apples aren’t touching; This is how you prevent rotten spots and mold.

3. Protection from evaporation

In order for the apple skin to stay plump, protection against evaporation is also important. Many apple farmers offer their fruit in plastic bags. These are good for storage. Ventilation holes are important to prevent condensation from forming. Alternatively, you can place a plastic bag or foil, also with ventilation holes, over your apple crates.

4. It depends on the right apple

Not all apple varieties store well. For example, the following are well suited:

  • boskoop
  • Braeburn
  • Elstar
  • Gala
  • Golden Delicious
  • Jonagold
  • Idared
  • Welland
  • rubies
  • topaz

It is best to ask the farmer or retailer you trust which varieties he particularly recommends.

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Lifestyle

Store Leftovers Properly: You Should Never Use These Plastic Containers

After enjoying the ice cream, what remains is the empty packaging. Margarine containers and the like are also still popular to store, freeze or reheat leftovers from food. But why shouldn’t you continue to use such containers?

Ice cream and margarine containers: why can continued use be harmful to health?

But what exactly makes such containers harmful to health if they are reused? Many of these packages are made of thermoplastics. This is especially true for ice cream packaging. These are designed for cold, frozen food and are completely harmless for this single use. However, if you put warm food in it, the container heats up and the plastics come loose. This allows them to transfer directly to the food. In the long run, you absorb various residues from the packaging through the food. Repeated rinsing and prolonged use can also cause chemical transfer as the containers are not designed for such a purpose.

But not only margarine packaging or ice cream containers have been designed for single use. Other retail packaging should not be misused either. These include: cream cheese jars, yoghurt pots and containers for ready-made salads.

Conclusion: If you want to continue using the containers, you should use them to store pens, screws or other small parts. However, if you want to store food, freeze it or heat it up in the microwave, use products that have been specially made for this purpose*. Glass containers and stainless steel jars are the better and healthier choice for storage jars.

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Cooking Tips

Preserve Eggs and Store Eggs Properly

Simply store eggs and preserve eggs. Tips and tricks for eggs and information on how long eggs can be kept. This is how you store eggs properly so that they can be kept for a long time.

Many people like to eat eggs. Be it on bread or in a salad or just in between. But mostly eggs are left over and you don’t want them to spoil. After all, spoiled eggs can cause unsightly diseases. In order to enjoy fresh and tasty eggs, one must store the eggs properly and preserve the eggs.

Things to know about eggs

The color of the eggs has nothing to do with the color of the feathers, as is often assumed. However, there is another feature on the hen’s head that can be used to determine what color the eggs will be. On the hen’s head, a flap of skin sticks out between the eye and the beak, which is either brown or light-colored. The egg you laid will be the same color.

Shelf life of eggs

You should never wash raw eggs because it destroys the protective layer of the egg and the eggs don’t last as long. In addition, without a protective layer, salmonella can spread on the egg. Eggs have to mature to really taste good. The egg tastes best from the fourth day after laying. Very young eggs are called “greasy”. Nevertheless, you should note the best-before date. The best before date (BBD) of eggs is stated on the label of the packaging. Here are 5 tips to keep food fresher for longer.

If the eggs are still good shortly after the expiry date, you can still eat them when they are heated to at least 70 degrees. Eggs cannot be sold after 21 days, but they can be kept for about 28 days after laying. If you plan on storing boiled eggs, don’t put them off. Although quenching with cold water stops the cooking process, the eggshell becomes porous and germs can penetrate more easily. Therefore, you should not put off eggs that you want to store longer. Doesn’t it always have to be eggs? There are also foods and recipes as egg substitutes.

Preserve eggs in the fridge

Eggs are protected by a yolk membrane that prevents germs from entering. The protection of the membrane depends on the temperature. The fewest germs develop at a temperature of 4-6 degrees, which is why storing eggs at 4-6 degrees is recommended. From 20 degrees, the membrane lets bacteria through, which means that eggs definitely need to be refrigerated if they have been exposed to such temperatures. They should be cooled to a maximum of 7 degrees. They can then be stored in the refrigerator for four weeks. Eggs don’t belong in the fridge near smelly foods like cheese. Here’s how to get rid of musty odors in the smelly fridge.

In the refrigerator, they do not belong in the refrigerator door. With eggs, it is very important that the temperature remains consistently cool and that the cold chain is not broken. The constant opening and closing of the refrigerator door damage the eggs as it causes temperature fluctuations. Eggs are best stored in their carton inside the refrigerator. Take a look at our instructions for defrosting and cleaning the refrigerator.

Egg dishes and their shelf life

Extreme temperature fluctuations impair the self-protection of the egg. This reduces the quality and the egg ages faster. You should eat egg dishes such as mayonnaise, pudding, or sauces on the same day or store them tightly closed in the refrigerator at a maximum of 7 degrees for a maximum of one day. If the best-before date has passed, then you should no longer eat the eggs raw. You should heat them to at least 70 degrees and then only use them for baking and cooking. Also, note our tips and instructions on how to cook eggs properly.

There are dishes in which raw eggs must be used. For this, you should only use very fresh eggs and consume these dishes on the same day. You may no longer consume egg dishes once the cold chain has been broken. You should also be careful when blowing out Easter eggs. Sensitive people whose immune system is not very good, such as the elderly and small children, should only eat well-cooked eggs and egg dishes. Here you will find tips for blowing out eggs and dyeing Easter eggs.

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