In every Vietnamese kitchen, essential spices like onions, garlic, ginger, and potatoes are indispensable. These spices and ingredients, if not properly preserved, are susceptible to sprouting, mold, and loss of freshness and quality. Here are some methods of preserving them:
1. Preserving Onions
The storage tools for onions must ensure air circulation to keep the onions dry. Therefore, plastic bags or airtight containers are the number one enemy of onions as they can cause quick rotting and mold growth.
The best way to store onions is in mesh bags or plastic baskets in a well-ventilated area in the kitchen. You should not keep onions in places with very low temperatures (below 10 degrees) or too high temperatures. Additionally, they should not be stored in the refrigerator or in humid areas as this can cause sprouting.
During the storage process, it is important to check them regularly. If you notice any signs of rotting, softness, or changes in color in any bulb, you should discard it immediately to prevent it from spreading to the other onions. You should take it out, expose it to fresh air or sunlight if the weather permits. Then, clean the storage tools before putting the onions back for storage.
2. Preserving Garlic
– Preserving garlic with baking soda
Put the garlic in a plastic bag and add some baking soda on a small piece of paper. Secure them with a rubber band, tying them together with 2 pieces of ginger. Place the paper with ginger in the bag of garlic to prevent sprouting. Finally, make sure to tie the garlic bag tightly to prevent air from entering.
– Preserving garlic in darkness
The best friend of garlic is darkness. If there is no dark place in your house, you can put them in a paper bag with multiple small holes for air ventilation. With this trick, you can store garlic anywhere that meets its need for darkness.
3. Preserving Ginger
– Preserving ginger with salt
To prevent ginger from sprouting, you can use table salt.
Procedure: Put ginger in a plastic bag and sprinkle a small amount of salt on its surface. Then, tightly tie the plastic bag and press out all the air.
– Preserving ginger in aluminum foil
This method is quite simple. Just wrap fresh ginger tightly with aluminum foil and store it in a cool, well-ventilated place.
– Preserving ginger with sand
Fill a bucket with dry sand, then bury the ginger in the sand and place the bucket in a cool, well-ventilated place. Note that the sand must be dry; otherwise, it will have the opposite effect and cause the ginger to sprout.
4. Preserving Potatoes
– Preserving potatoes with apples
To prolong the shelf life of potatoes, you can put an apple in a plastic bag with the potatoes and tie it tightly. When Ethylene is released from the apple, it will help prevent sprouting in the potatoes. Additionally, apples stay fresh longer. Note that you should not store potatoes and onions together as they promote the sprouting process of potatoes.
– Preserving potatoes in a cool, dark place, avoiding sunlight
Potatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator but in a cool, well-ventilated place in mesh bags or wooden crates with air holes. You can also place newspaper underneath to absorb moisture, which will help potatoes sprout less.
Source: Sài Gòn Thể Thao
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