Skip to main content

21OAK may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Reddit swears by these 4 hacks to keep food fresh longer

How many times have you rummaged through your fridge only to discover that a handful of the groceries you just bought have already gone bad? It’s not fun, and it’s a waste of both food and money. The problem is that many people don’t know how to effectively keep their food fresh for longer than a few days.

Thankfully, Redditors are discussing all the best tips and tricks for keeping food fresh longer so you actually get a chance to eat everything you’ve bought. We scoured the Reddit threads to find the best of the best hacks for preventing your food from spoiling prematurely.

Woman looking at cherry tomatoes
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Store food in order of safety from the top down

This method is all about organizing your refrigerator based on how quickly you should eat something.

All the food that is ready to eat now, such as takeout, leftovers, or anything else you plan to eat within the next few days, should remain on the top shelf of your fridge. That way, when you go to the refrigerator, these items hit your eye level, reminding you to eat them before it’s too late.

Next, place raw foods that tend to spoil within a week or two, like fruits and vegetables, on the next row down. Below that, store meat and other foods that you have to cook before consuming. Putting these on the bottom prevents any raw juices from dripping onto the clean produce.

Keep your greens dry

Redditor beanieb recommends washing and drying all your leafy produce, like kale, spinach, or lettuce, as soon as you get home to prevent it from wilting and spoiling. Place the leaves in a colander, rinse them with cool water, dry them out as thoroughly as possible by shaking the leaves out, then lay them on paper towels. Leaves wilt easily when they come into contact with moisture, so take your time to make sure there aren’t any wet spots.

To save a little bit of time, just put paper towels in between layers of your greens, roll them all up, and place them in a plastic grocery bag. Stick that in your fridge, and voila! The paper towels will continue to soak up moisture, so be sure to replace them if they get too waterlogged.

This method even works on greens that are on the verge of going bad, extending their fridge life for a day or two longer.

Plan your cooking based on expiration dates

While this may sound obvious, this simple reminder will save you from a lot of wasted food: cook your food before it expires. Plan your meals around what’s expiring the soonest. Even if you don’t want to eat it that day, you can always put leftovers in containers and freeze them to make ready-to-go meals. Soups and stews are also a great meal to cook with a hodgepodge of leftover meat and vegetables. All you need is your protein of choice, broth, and some vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions.

Cook and cool meat as quickly as possible

On the thread r/Cooking, user Rob_C shares another great meal prep tip, advising people to cook meat when it’s as fresh as possible, then refrigerate or freeze any leftovers. This way, whether you eat it within the day or the week, your meat will taste fresh and tender.

To ensure it will taste as fresh and tender as possible cook the meat as soon as you get it home, allow it to cool in a Tupperware container, then refrigerate any leftovers. Remember not to put the lid on the container or put it in the refrigerator until it’s cooled down. Keeping the lid on traps heat and keeps the meat in a temperature zone where harmful bacteria can grow quickly.

If you don’t expect to eat all the meat within the week, feel free to freeze it while raw. However, make sure you plan your meals ahead of time as it can take quite a few hours to thaw. When you’re ready to cook, just move the container from the freezer to the fridge to thaw over the course of a day or two, depending on the size of the cut.

Using containers to keep food fresh
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Wrapping up

Many of these hacks, like checking expiration dates, freezing leftovers, and drying leafy greens, are so easy that we simply forget to do them. Beyond these obvious tactics, other methods like meal prepping and organizing your fridge take a little more effort, but it goes a long way toward minimizing food and money waste.

To discover other food hacks Redditors swear by, check out the r/cooking, r/mealprepsunday, or r/food_storage subreddits.

Editors' Recommendations

Will Blesch
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Blesch is a copywriter, content writer, and someone passionate about anything that lets him discover more about this…
6 easy Halloween party food ideas to spook and delight guests
Try these Halloween recipes and ideas for a successful spooky party
Halloween burger

As "Halloweekend" draws near, and you might be planning to throw a Halloween party for family and friends. Your guests will be expecting a festive evening, so ordinary party appetizers and entrees won’t suffice. Get more creative this season and come up with Halloween party food ideas that fit the theme of the event.

Halloween is the one holiday when you can have fun making the food look creepy, unappealing, and maybe even downright gross. If you have guests that aren't too squeamish, this plays well with the spookiness of the season. To inspire your menu, here are some Halloween party food recipes that can make your celebration a success.
Monster wraps
For finger foods with a Halloween theme, these monster wraps are perfect. Load sandwich wraps with meat, cheese, and other fillings, then use sliced cheese, olives, and pickles to decorate them like Frankenstein. They only take 10 minutes to make and can be completely customized according to your taste.

Read more
Stock your fridge and pantry: The only Mediterranean diet food list you need
mediterranean diet recipes foods veggies

Of all the eating plans around the world, the one that always lands on top of the list of healthiest is the Mediterranean diet. Rich with whole grains, lean proteins, and fresh fruits and veggies, it’s more than a diet: It’s a way of life. It's easy to follow with lots of fabulous recipes you can incorporate into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.

It’s not only about dropping a few pounds, it’s about getting healthier, so forget fad diets and discover an eating plan you can embrace for a lifetime. The Mediterranean diet is about real foods, and tasty recipes your whole family will love. The trick is to make sure you have the right foods on hand to get you started.

Read more
5 things you should always buy at Costco (and 4 you really shouldn’t)
Person grocery shopping with a Costco membership

We all love shopping at Costco. From the food court to the extra benefits — like the tire center, vision center, and pharmacy — there are plenty of hidden perks of shopping at Costco. But this doesn’t mean you should buy everything there. Here are five things you should definitely put on your Costco shopping list — and four you really shouldn’t.

What you should buy at Costco
Rotisserie chicken
Do we even have to say this one? It’s a ready-to-go meal for the whole family. It costs $5. This isn’t something we should have to talk you into. (You should, however, check out Costco’s other prepared foods and pre-made meals. They’re tasty too, and you can find some good deals.)
Maple syrup
Is there anything better than fluffy, warm pancakes with real maple syrup? Too many syrup options out there today are made with the artificial stuff — highly processed corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup. And when you do manage to find the real deal, it’s pretty expensive. Kirkland’s brand is made with real maple syrup, the kind that comes from the sap of maple trees — and it’s got that signature Costco price. And, according to Epicurious, it holds its own in the flavor department.
Gift cards
Gift cards theoretically should be the same price everywhere — after all, you’re essentially just buying money to spend at another store, right? But at Costco, you can often get them at discounted prices. So be sure to stock up for those last-minute gifts for friends and family. (Or for yourself. We don’t judge.)
Vodka
There’s been a persistent rumor for years that Kirkland-branded vodka is actually produced by Grey Goose. And while those claims have been denied, it kind of doesn’t matter: If you can get a bottle that tastes like it could be high-end vodka to alcohol enthusiasts and taste testers all over, then that’s definitely a brand worth spending $20 on.
Over-the-counter medications
If you and members of your household have to take acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or allergy pills regularly, buying in bulk makes a lot of sense. You’ll likely go through the bottle before it expires, will spend a fraction of the price, and will never be caught without a little relief again. Keep a smaller bottle in your bag (or wherever’s convenient for you) that you refill from the Costco bottle and you’re good to go.

Read more