Make a Lettuce Drawer in Your Fridge

For fresh, crisp lettuce that lasts longer and is easily accessible, try this clever trick. It’s the perfect no-excuses method that will make sure you get through your leafy produce before it goes bad. Get the full guide here.



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Store Leftover Tomato Paste in the Freezer

Most recipes don’t call for using an entire can of tomato paste, which can be problematic if you don’t plan on using any more of it for a while. An easy way to preserve what’s leftover is to freeze it in small portions. Get the full method here.



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Make Caramelized Onions in the Crockpot and Freeze Leftovers

Making big batches of caramelized onions is a great way to use up this vegetable when you’ve got too much of it, and it is a delicious condiment to have on hand for countless dishes. Try this crockpot recipe, and freeze whatever you don’t use right away in portioned containers. 



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Store Cut Avocados with Onion

Avocados are a pesky fruit to store once you’ve cut into them. They turn brown quickly from being exposed to oxygen, which consequently speeds up their deterioration. In order to keep your cut avocados fresh and green, leave the pit on and place them in airtight containers with a piece of onion. This helps prevents oxidation from occurring. Get more genius avocado hacks here.



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Wrap Celery in Foil

Celery is one of those enduring veggies that can last a whole month, but only if you store it properly. There are many tips out there, including ones that suggest putting it in a plastic bag or storing it in a closed plastic container in water. But probably the most effective strategy for keeping your celery crisp and fresh for as long as possible is to wrap it in aluminum foil. Get more details here.



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Soak Berries in Water and Vinegar Before Storing

Sometimes you pick up berries thinking you’ll get through them in a few days, but you end up forgetting about them or don’t have the time. In order to avoid the dreaded 2-day mold spots, try giving your berries a water and vinegar bath before storing in the fridge. This trick will extend the fruit’s shelf life up to about a week. Get the full tutorial here.



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Store Onions in Spare Pantyhose

Did you ever think there’d be a day when you discovered your pantyhose actually have two functions? The first is protecting your legs in cold weather (or covering up your legs in general), and the other…keeping onions fresh! Keep them at room temperature, and store in a cool, dark, dry place with proper air circulation. Hanging wire mesh nets are handy for this, but if you don’t have any, you can resort to unworn pantyhose. Check out the trick here.



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Keep Fresh Herbs Fresh for Longer with Water and Plastic Bags

Herbs are an excellent way to add that extra something to your recipes, whether it be in flavor or presentation. But they tend to go bad fast when not stored properly. Here’s an effective way to keep them fresh longer with water, jars and plastic bags. Then you can store them in the fridge or at room temperature, depending on the type of herb. Get the full walk-through here.



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Store Asparagus in Water

Asparagus can last at least a week, using this simple hack, and sometimes even longer! Don’t throw out the rubber band that comes with your bunch of asparagus, and keep it in the fridge. You don’t even have to change the water…talk about convenient!



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Cover Banana Tops with Plastic Wrap

Bananas are one of those fruits you buy with all the good intentions of eating them throughout the week but are sometimes forgotten. Then you’re left with mushy, overripe, overly sweet bananas. Not cool. Try this trick to keeping them fresh for longer, and if you really want to stretch them, separate each banana beforehand. If all else fails, make banana bread.



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Get Fresh Foods Every Few Days

Don’t go shopping for produce once every two weeks. If you can’t get through it all, you’re going to end up throwing away whatever doesn’t last and wasting precious pennies. Instead, shop or fresh food every couple of days. In doing this, you’ll take more of what you need and have better quality ingredients for all your cooking needs.



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Freeze Leftover Green Onions in Ziploc Bags

Green onions are more than just a simple garnish. They add wonderful crunchy texture and flavor to a variety of recipes. The only downside is if you don’t use them up all in one week, they’re likely to wilt and go bad. To get more out of your bundles, try this handy hack.



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Freeze Leftover Chicken Broth in Ice Cube Trays

If you just made a wonderful pot of homemade chicken broth, you’re probably racking your brain for ways to cook with it in the next few days. But if you want to make your life a little bit easier, simply freeze the leftover broth in ice cube trays. Once the broth cubes are frozen, you can pop them in a freezer bag for later use in soups, stews, sauces, etc. Here’s the method + a crockpot chicken broth recipe to try.



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Make Homemade Tomato Sauce and Freeze it for Months

Tomato sauce is an excellent cooking ingredient to have on hand for pasta sauce, pizzas and many more Italian-style recipes. It can be used in various other cuisines as well. The problem with store-bought versions is that they usually have a high sugar content, and you go through them pretty fast. Instead, try making your own sauce at home and freezing any leftovers in BPA-free plastic containers or freezer bags. Get the recipe and storage hack here.



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Slow Roast Roma Tomatoes and Freeze Them for Later

Slow roasting tomatoes transforms them into shriveled little bites of savory flavor and unique texture that goes wonderfully in pastas, salads or even just as a quick snack. Once they’re done cooking, you can freeze them in jars or freezer bags for all your cooking needs. No more buying the super oily sun-dried tomatoes (that are often more expensive, too!). Here’s the full how-to.



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Store Tomatoes at Room Temperature Stem-Side Down

Contrary to what the photo shows, you should store fresh tomatoes stem-side down, which will prevent them from spoiling too quickly. This is because the little indentation where the stem once was is more vulnerable to air exposure and moisture. Also, avoid storing your tomatoes in the fridge, as this changes the texture and taste completely. Or, you can opt to freeze your tomatoes, with this easy method.



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Make Beans in Bulk and Freeze for Later

You might think you’re being thrifty by buying cheap canned beans, but cooking up dried beans is even more economical and also allows you to prepare huge batches at once. If you don’t plan on eating beans all week, however, you can use this easy hack to store them for later use (instructions on how to cook the beans included!).



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Turn Leftover Soups into Easy Freezer Meals

Most soups are very freezer-friendly because you just have to pour them into plastic freezer bags and store them flat so they don’t take up much space. They also thaw easily and require nothing more than a quick reheat to serve. Here’s a recipe for Noodle-free chicken soup with just five ingredients!



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Make Your Homemade Muffins Last with Paper Towels

Nothing’s worse than whipping up a batch of delicious homemade muffins, only to have them become stale and soggy after just one day. The remedy to this problem is simple and will keep your muffins fresh for 2-4 days. You can also opt to freeze them for longer storage. Get all the details here.



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Freeze Egg Whites & Yolks in Bulk

Here’s what to do the next time you’ve got too many eggs on hand and not enough time to eat them all. This money-saving hack is totally easy and a genius way to make sure you always have eggs on hand for all your future cooking needs. Just make sure you separate the yolks and whites before freezing.



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Store Grains, Rice and Flour in Sealed Containers to Keep Bugs Out

Unfortunately, many pantry staples that seem impervious to expiration dates are not as resilient as you might think. Little pests called weevils thrive on such foods as rice and grains, and the females lay eggs in them. Disgusting right? You can keep them out by storing such foods in airtight containers and adding basil leaves, which help to repel the bugs.



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Make a Double Batch of Cookie Dough and Freeze for Later



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