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How to store and keep oranges in the right way?
Orange can easily lift your mood with its aroma and taste in cold autumn weather. It is very juicy and fragrant. The fruits are rich in beneficial vitamins and trace elements. Their benefit is indisputable for maintaining the immune system during seasonal vitamin deficiency. Vitamin C is very important for our body. 100 grams of oranges contain less than 30 kcal.
Orange will help those on a diet lose weight without creating a vitamin deficiency in the body. But in order to preserve both the benefits and the taste qualities, you need to choose them properly and then provide the right storing conditions. Let?s review the best way to store oranges.
How Long Are Oranges Good for?
When choosing a place to store oranges, it is vital to know how long you are going to store them since under different thermal conditions the orange shelf life can be increased from one week to several months:
- Store oranges in usual environment in a dark place. If you bought oranges not for long storage, but to eat immediately, then you can safely put them on the table in the room. They will remain tasty for no more than one week.
- Keep oranges in the fridge. To prolong orange durability, you can use a special compartment for fruits and vegetables in the fridge. It is important to take them out at least once a day for several hours to stay at room temperature. The average shelf life of ripe oranges is 10 days when kept in the fridge.
- Store oranges in a cool cellar. If you have a cellar in your house or garage where the average humidity is 80?90% and the temperature is up to 10 degrees, then oranges can last there for about 2 weeks.
How to Choose Oranges?
There are several important factors to keep in mind when buying oranges:
- fruits should have a bright orange smell. And the strong aroma speaks of the freshness and ripeness of the fruit;
- estimate the weight of the orange in your hand. If it is heavy enough, then it is well ripe. This orange is sweet, juicy, and delicious.
- choose small ones. As a rule, smaller fruits taste better than larger ones.
- specify the time when oranges were collected. The fruits, which were harvested in November and December, are not only the sweetest but also last longer.
- pay attention to the surface of the fruit. The ripe delicious orange has a slightly flaky skin that is easy to peel. But the dense non-porous surface indicates that the orange is still very unripe.
- the color of the orange should not be misleading you. Oranges can be of a greenish tinge, but quite ripe and delicious. And a beautiful bright orange color can be made so, unfortunately, artificially.
How Long Do Oranges Last in the Fridge?
The minimum orange shelf life in the cold place is 12?14 days. It refers to ripe oranges. But this term can be up to a month. Unripe yellowish fruits last 2?3 months, and greenish can remain good for up to six months. The most suitable place is a fruit box (3?8 C).
Too low temperature is not suggested as it will destroy the vitamins. If there are many oranges, you should periodically inspect them. Dispose of all soft fruits that have dark spots, white patches, dents, so as not to spoil others.
The orange zest keeps all the benefits and taste and takes much less space in the fridge. Dip the fruits in boiling water for 3?5 minutes, cut, remove the seeds and grind on a meat grinder or process with the blender. Add sugar to the mass, stir well, put in a jar and remove it in the refrigerator.
How to Prolong Orange Shelf Life?
To sustain oranges for 1.5 months, wipe each fruit dry, wrap it in parchment paper or a napkin and place it in an enamel pan. Put the pan in the fridge. Inspect the fruits once a week. It will allow you to identify bad oranges in time and remove them before they spoil other fruits.
You can also cut the orange into thin slices and place it in a jar, pouring each layer with sugar. In this state, oranges can be kept in the fridge for 2?3 weeks.
How to Tell if Oranges Are Bad?
High humidity can provoke the process of decay. However, spotting and greenness is not an indicator of bad oranges. Citrus fruits should be fresh, clean, without mechanical damage, spoilage by pests and diseases, with a stalk evenly cut off at the base of the fruit. Fruits with a dropped, but not torn stalk are allowed.
If the peel of the citrus is friable, soft, with signs of dehydration and wrinkling, most likely, inside the fruit is dried or spoiled. Saturation and expressiveness of aroma is the main indicator of freshness.
Can You Freeze Oranges?
These fruits are easy to store. They can be kept in a dry, dark place or in the fridge, in the lower compartment for vegetables and fruits for two weeks. The main rule of storage is not to freeze them.
Tips for Storing Oranges
If the fruits are to be stored for a while, then the fruits must be prepared in advance. There are several rules and nuances that will help the fruits not lose their appearance and taste.
- it is better to use cardboard boxes to store oranges, or wrap each fruit in the paper;
- in no case can oranges be kept in polyethylene (from lack of air and creation of humid conditions, citrus spoils and rot quickly);
- storing citrus with a sharp decrease in temperature can deprive them of taste;
- oranges wrapped in regular napkins can last longer;
- if the fruits are to be refrigerated for some time, then periodically they should be kept at normal temperatures;
- it is not advisable to place oranges close to other fruits or food (products can acquire the orange odor, and the citrus itself can deteriorate under the influence of components, accelerating the process of decay);
- if you keep a lot of oranges in one place, then you should periodically inspect the fruits (if dark spots appear on the surface of the citrus fruits, remove bad oranges);
- if you are going to store oranges for a long period, then it is better to buy not too ripe citrus fruits. In this case, they will have to be stored in a dark place at average temperature. Such fruits will not ripen in the refrigerator;
- vegetable oil can prolong the orange shelf life if you rub the peel slightly with it.
The full guide with updates ? read here
Source:Beezzly
