Great way to preserve dry foods

To avoid having to go shopping often, buy and store dry spices carefully for convenience.

1. Shiitake mushrooms

When buying, you should choose good, delicious shiitake mushrooms, choose "button" mushrooms, that is, small shiitake mushrooms, small stems, thick bodies. The mushrooms are slightly brown in color, evenly thick, have the characteristic aroma of shiitake mushrooms and feel dry to the touch. Do not choose mushrooms that are damp, moldy, or have a strange smell.

To keep the dried mushrooms fragrant for a long time and prevent them from getting moldy or wormy, put them in a plastic box, nylon bag, cellophane bag, ziplock bag, and store them in the refrigerator door (cool compartment). If you have paper bags available, you can put the mushrooms in paper bags and just store them in dry places, avoiding places that are too hot or humid, and they will keep for quite a long time.

2. Pepper

To get a delicious pepper flavor, use whole peppercorns and grind them as you eat. Peppercorns contain a very small amount of oil to retain their aroma. Pre-ground peppercorns will lose their aroma if left for a long time. If peppercorns are kept in a tightly sealed plastic bag, or in a plastic box or glass jar with a lid, the aroma will quickly evaporate.

3. Onions, dried garlic

For fresh garlic, do not store garlic in plastic bags. You can wrap garlic in cabbage leaves, then leave it in a cool place, the garlic will stay fresh for a few days. The best way to store onions and garlic is to put them in mesh bags, paper bags or baskets to have a certain ventilation, if stored in sealed bags or plastic boxes, onions and garlic will easily become moldy.

The storage area for onions and garlic must be dry and cool. Avoid storing them in humid places as this will cause the onions and garlic to sprout. Do not store onions in places with temperatures that are too low or too high. Average temperatures are best.

Be sure to check your onion and garlic bags and baskets regularly to remove any that show signs of rotting, softening, or discoloration to prevent mold from spreading to other bulbs in the bag.

4. Onion

Store and preserve onions in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. Humid places can easily cause onions to mold quickly. You can also preserve onions in the refrigerator for a long time by wrapping each onion in tin foil (the type of paper often used to line baking trays for meat and fish). This paper will help the onions stay dry and away from light.

In addition, storing onions in stockings can last up to 8 months. Note, do not store onions with potatoes - even in the refrigerator. The moisture released from the potatoes will cause the onions to spoil and mold very quickly.

5. Ginger

There are many ways to keep this spice fresh:

- Store at room temperature: ginger can be stored at room temperature, especially in winter, ginger stays fresh for quite a long time.

- Preserving ginger in the refrigerator: you must grind fresh ginger with a little salt, lemon juice and a little sugar. Then, put this crushed ginger mixture in a clean, tightly sealed jar, without air. After sealing the lid, put the ginger jar in the refrigerator. The crushed ginger will remain fresh for 6 months to a year.

- Store in foil: you can also wrap the ginger tightly in foil and store in a cool place.

- Bury ginger in sand: this is a traditional method, very simple, is to bury ginger in a layer of moist sand. This method keeps ginger longer and prevents it from drying out.

According to giadinh.net