Food storage tips from the Hello Chef Kitchen
Our recipe developers go through a lot of produce in creating delicious, innovative recipes for our customers. Because of this, they have picked up some handy food storage tips along the way to ensure that ingredients stay looking and tasting their best. And perhaps, most importantly, to keep food waste to a minimum.
In support of this, we recently introduced individual expiry dates for almost all of the ingredients that we send to customers – you’ll spot them on ingredient labels moving forward. This is to ensure complete transparency on the freshness of each ingredient – many of which are sourced locally.
Correct food storage practises are sometimes tricky to master in the UAE, particularly when we consider the country’s blistering summer climates. For this reason, we encourage customers to unpack and refrigerate ingredients where necessary as soon as their box arrives. It’s also important to check your fridge temperature on a regular basis. Fridges in the UAE should be kept at 5 degrees or lower to ensure that food is stored correctly. Air circulation is also critical for ensuring proper functionality of your fridge. If it’s too snug, you could be stuck with a fridge that’s not doing its job correctly.
Our recipe boxes are designed to be lifted from your delivery box and placed directly into your fridge. However, if you do not plan to cook your meals in the days following your delivery, we’d recommend following the below best practises on food storage to ensure you get the most out of your ingredients:
Fresh herbs
Maintaining a consistent, chilled temperature is the best way to prolong the shelf life of herbs. But, for a quick at-home hack, try wrapping damp kitchen paper around the bunch before placing it in the fridge. This will keep them hydrated and fresh for much longer!
Proteins
Unless otherwise specified, all our meat, fish and poultry that we deliver to you is fresh. Proteins arrive at our warehouse from our suppliers the day before you receive your delivery. All of our proteins are labelled with use-by dates, and those that you choose to freeze should be placed in the fridge on the morning of the day you wish to cook them to thaw slowly, or left at room temperature for no longer than 2 hours. Please be mindful of the expiry dates listed on all proteins when planning your cooking schedule.
Fruit & vegetables
Nobody wants a rotten tomato, so be sure to store your veggies in the correct way for maximum freshness. We’d recommend storing the likes of potatoes, butternut squash and onions at room temperature – preferably in a dry, cool and dark area. For the more sensitive veggies, such as eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, radishes, lettuce, cucumber and mushrooms, we’d recommend keeping these refrigerated at all times until needed. Remember to check avocados and mangoes for their ripeness once they arrive in your Hello Chef box. If they are unripe (i.e. they feel hard to touch) then leave them to ripen at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. If they feel slightly soft, this means that they are ripe and ready to eat, and should be stored in the fridge.
Dairy
All dairy products – such as milk, cheese and cream – should be stored in the fridge. If you decide to omit any cream from your recipe or you have some leftovers in the fridge, why not add it to your scrambled eggs for an indulgent weekend treat? Trust us, it’s worth it – and an opened carton will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Pantry items
Not all ingredients are best suited to colder temperatures. In fact, many of the ingredients that we send to customers can be stored in a pantry at room temperature. Suitable ingredients include the likes of dry products such as lentils, pasta and rice, spice pots or sachets, tinned items such as coconut milk, chopped tomatoes and beans, as well as ginger and garlic cloves.
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