Fresh berries are one of summer's great pleasures, but they don't come cheap — which makes it even more disappointing when a basket of strawberries or raspberries turns to moldy mush within days of purchase. Washing them before storage usually accelerates the deterioration, but Cook's Illustrated has a washing method that actually keeps the berries fresh longer in storage. Here's what they recommend:
Wash the berries in a diluted vinegar bath (1 cup vinegar plus 3 cups water) and spin them dry in a salad spinner lined with paper towels until they are completely dry. Store the cleaned berries in a sealable container lined with paper towels, leaving the lid open a little to allow moisture to escape.
The vinegar destroys bacteria and mold spores on the berries, helping them stay fresh longer. According to Lifehacker, this method extends the shelf life of berries by days, sometimes even weeks.
Read more: Caring for Berries at Cook's Illustrated
Have you ever tried this technique? Do you have any tips for helping fragile berries last longer?
Related: Bigger and Blander: What's Up With Strawberries?
(Image: Tim UR/Shutterstock)
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Wouldn't this make your berries taste like ... vinegar?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14540742
I do a quick wash in scalding water to accomplish the same end. I find it works fabulously. I don't like to use vinegar because of the taste. (I know people say its tasteless but I swear I can taste it)
A couple of years ago I bought some storage containers that promised their technology would help prevent spoilage and they work. I can buy berries and keep them fresh much longer. Strawberries for two weeks and raspberries almost as long. I would worry as others have about vinegar leaving a taste?
I have done this with strawberries with pretty good success. I like being able to just pull them out of the fridge and eat them without having to wash. After I let them soak in the vinegar solution for a while I give them a good rinse and that seems to take care of any leftover vinegar taste.
@Creative Culinary - Can you please tell us more about these storage containers?
And as far as the vinegar taste, maybe a champagne vinegar or something better tasting than white vinegar would work as well but not leave as strong an aftertaste (if there is any).
Wouldn't spinning raspberries smush them to bits?
Sounds like it's worth a try for strawbs.
I usually do a quick rinse after the soak, and I find the vinegar taste goes away when the berries dry. Then again, I use a lot of white vinegar for cleaning and such and don't really mind the smell or taste.
I've tried this with raspberries and spinning just squished them. I think it would be fine with heartier berries though.
Are these the storage containers?
http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-7J93-Produce-Storage-Containers/dp/B0012DS4GG
I just hear the thing about the vinegar yesterday, except the recommendation was for a dilution of 1:10.
What a terrific idea to clean and keep the berries longer. I've always heard of vinegar's many uses. But this one is great. Thanks for sharing how to keep berries fresh longer!
Harold McGee recommends very hot water, though I don't recall which temperature he recommended (it's in my class notes somewhere so I'll find it again one day), he said it doesn't even have to be scalding to kill mold.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/harold_mcgee/index.html
This is WONDERFUL! I hate spending so much time picking berries to only have them rot! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
I soak the berries in a small bowl with a few drops of grapefruit seed extract and let them sit on the counter for a while. After rinsing and draining them on a cooling rack to dry, I put them into any storage container. This method keeps my raspberries (which seem to be the most delicate) for a good week and they don't get partially cooked as in the NPR method. It seems like a lot of steps but those berries are pricey!
I have blackberries growing nearly wild in my garden and you have to pick them when they're ripe otherwise they'll rot on the vines. I wash and drain them well, then I freeze them on a baking sheet individually so I can pop them into a freezer bag and pull out as many as I need. They're great this way even to put on cereal, they defrost quickly and aren't mushy. Make sure you only freeze near perfect berries and use ones that might be a little past ripe. I always keep a small amount in the refrigerator for snacking but only wash them as they will be eaten. I think rinsing them with vinegar would definitely leave a lingering taste.
I wonder if white balsamic vinegar could be used for this? The taste would not be as strong as regular vinegar.
I do this but I don't spin them dry. I lay them out on a clean tea towel to dry and then put them in the fridge. Works great.
Who can resist eating raspberries long enough for them to spoil?
Ive been doing this for years, and have never once experienced a vinegary aftertaste.
@coneeleven1
The first thing I ever used to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables was the patented "Debbie Meyer Green Bag." Worked fine but wore out pretty quickly. Now you can get containers infused with the same mineral that counteracts the off-gas ethylene rotting the food. They're available at superstores, tv shopping, and department stores like Kohls and Penny's. They're expensive, but we're also wasting a lot of money if we throw food away. They work for things like bread and mushrooms, too. You can get cheaper knock-offs online, but I can't testify to their effectiveness.
i'm not a fan of vinegars smell or taste. i do use a solution of vinegar and warm water to clean my kleen canteen every few weeks when it gets a little smelly. works great and after a cold water rinse theres no vinegar smell! this might work on my togo coffee mugs too...hmmm... as for the fruit the vinegar smell will go away when its dry or you could rinse it but you might lose some of the benefits.
as for using a champagne or other vinegar i would not recommend. those typically have lower acidity (the acid is whats killing the bad molds/microbes) and those also have stronger flavors that may not disappear when dried...
All these expensive berries will not become better in taste or nutrients if stored. The best out of them you'll only get, if you eat them asap. Isn't that the fun with fresh, expensive fruit?
I remove berries from their plastic containers immediately, clean them, give them a very quick soak in cold water, pat them carefully dry with paper towels and store them in the fridge in a wide colander uncovered to let the air flow. That keeps them perfect for up to two days. Then they're eaten anyway :)
The Perfect Berry Recipe
1. Go to a pick-your-own field, and...well, pick your own. A year's supply, more or less.
2. Go home, swish in cold water, layout on paper towels with a fan on low to dry them.
3. Save enough for a few days eating, fresh.
4. Freeze the rest.
5. To eat: remove a serving for each person, thaw, and serve with goat's milk yogurt, cinnamon, minced crystallized ginger, and toasted nuts of your choice. (Or mix-n-match your favorite ingredients.
The secret is to get them completely dry.
Berries are very porous, and even a little bit of moisture will turn them to mush.
Haven't tried the vinegar method, but I have used those green containers, and they do extend the life of fruit a little.
I give mine a quick rinse and let dry on a paper towel. Then I store them in a mason jar with the lid on in the frig. They seem to last longer than when I leave them in the plastic container they come in.
I store strawberries for a week the same way I keep mushrooms - In a brown paper bag in the fridge. sometimes I wash them beforehand in a bowl of cool water. I let them dry completely on a clean kitchen towel.