Excessive and low—two phrases that’ll prevent from having to toss the rotten produce you saved within the crisper drawer.

<p>Simply Recipes / Getty Images</p>

Merely Recipes / Getty Pictures

I’m responsible of tossing greens and fruits into these deep, ambiguous drawers in my fridge with out a lot thought. I comply with the “get in the place you slot in” method—I cram my produce into no matter accessible crevice.

That is high quality till I discover mushy rotten produce and certain, I am going to should deep clear the drawer. Nonetheless, I lately realized that this implies that I won’t have been using the crisper drawers correctly. Understanding how these drawers—often two or three—operate is essential to giving your recent fruits and veggies the longest shelf life potential.

<p>Simply Recipes / Myo Quinn</p>

Merely Recipes / Myo Quinn

Excessive or Low: What the Settings Imply

The crisper drawers assist lengthen the freshness of your produce by controlling the extent of humidity and airflow. Someplace on or round every crisper drawer, you will discover a dial starting from low to excessive. This low-tech operate opens and closes a small window within the drawer that controls the airflow. The low setting opens the window and permits air to move by, making a low-humidity ambiance. The excessive setting closes the window decreasing airflow to create a high-humidity ambiance.

In fridges that don’t have a toggle to regulate the humidity setting, the default is usually high-humidity. Alternatively, in some fridges, the drawers are preset and labeled as “fruits” and “greens,” respectively, primarily based on the perfect humidity stage for every.

Every drawer works independently of the opposite and one setting is best fitted to greens and the opposite for fruits.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Produce Greatest Saved within the Low-Humidity Drawer

Sure vegetables and fruit naturally launch ethylene, a fuel that promotes ripening. For the reason that aim of storing produce within the fridge is to maintain it recent for longer, this ethylene wants a approach to escape the drawer to forestall untimely ripening. A low-humidity setting permits air to move out and in of the drawer, pulling out the ethylene.

(Psst! One hack for shortly ripening bananas or avocados is to position them in a closed container, trapping the ethylene fuel inside.)

Moreover bananas and avocados, examples of different ethylene-releasing produce that it is best to retailer in a low-humidity drawer embody:

  • Apples

  • Apricots

  • Blueberries

  • Cantaloupes

  • Cranberries

  • Figs

  • Grapes

  • Honeydew

  • Kiwi

  • Mangoes

  • Peaches

  • Pears

  • Plantains

  • Plums

If for some purpose you’re storing potatoes and tomatoes within the fridge—which we wouldn’t advise—they match on this class as properly. As a result of this checklist is comprised largely of fruits, in case your drawers are labeled, they intuitively belong within the “fruits” drawer.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Produce Greatest Saved within the Excessive-Humidity Drawer

Vegatables and fruits which can be significantly delicate to ethylene must be saved within the “high-humidity” drawer to maintain them away from the produce that releases the fuel. Ethylene-sensitive produce, be it a fruit or vegetable, must be saved within the drawer labeled “greens.”

  • Asparagus

  • Blackberries

  • Broccoli

  • Brussels sprouts

  • Cabbage

  • Cauliflower

  • Cucumbers

  • Eggplants

  • Onions

  • Peppers

  • Raspberries

  • Squash

  • Candy potatoes

  • Strawberries

  • Watermelon

This closed setting can also be nice for produce that wilts simply or dries out shortly, like spinach, kale, lettuces, and Swiss chard. Since herbs (like thyme, rosemary, parsley, and dill) are likely to dry out shortly with out moisture, they need to even be saved on this drawer. (Wrapping your herbs in a moist paper towel and storing them in a zip-top bag is one other approach to protect their freshness.)

A model of this text initially appeared on MyRecipes.com.