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All our lives we have heard that pears should not be mixed with apples.

What we did not imagine is that

there was a scientific explanation behind it and that the key is in one word: climacteric

.

Climacteric fruits are those that continue to ripen even though they are no longer on the tree and, therefore, last less time in our kitchens.

We are talking about fruits such as bananas, apples or pears.

On the other hand, there are

non-climacteric fruits

that do not continue to ripen once harvested and are the ones that last longer.

For example, oranges or tangerines.

When these fruits spoil, it is not due to ripening but to other types of external agents, such as fungi.

Depending on these characteristics, it is advisable to keep food inside or outside the refrigerator.

Apple

Apples are climacteric fruits that ripen after being picked and therefore can be stored outside the fridge for up to a week.

As

they oxidize due to the heat

and this shortens their life time,

if we want them to last longer we can store them in the fridge

where they maintain their properties for up to a month.

But beware!

they must be kept

separate from the rest of the fruit

or the remedy may be worse than the disease.

Something common to all apples is that they are producers of ethylene gas and must be stored away from other products to prevent neighboring fruit from turning poached.

It is as if they breathed the

breath of death

into other fruits.

It is recommended to store them in previously perforated plastic bags to allow breathing.

Why?

In closed bags, carbon dioxide, CO2, could accumulate.

bananas

Bananas are climacteric and

can continue to ripen off the tree

so if they are still green they should be kept out of the fridge and allowed to ripen.

If there are already more pods, they can be stored inside.

Grapes

Specifically, grapes

are well preserved in the refrigerator

, since the cold inhibits the fermentation of sugars within the fruit.

If the sugars ferment, it can cause a certain loss of their characteristic sweetness.

Citrus

–

oranges, tangerines, lemons, and limes

They are fruits where it is very well observed that they are not climacteric: if an orange is picked green, it will die green because it does not continue to ripen.

They should be kept in the

fridge, either in the vegetable drawer or in a mesh bag

.

Tomatoes

Its optimum maturation temperature is

above 15º C. If we put them in the fridge, below

10º C, the maturation process is slowed down and the texture can be altered.

avocados

Few things are more difficult than buying a ripe avocado.

In this case there are two possible scenarios.

If the avocado is hard, still very green, the way to store it is first outside and then inside the fridge.

In the event that the avocado is ripe, it should go directly to the fridge to try to stop the ripening process.

Is the old trick of removing the stem to see if an avocado is ripe any good?

We have always heard that if when we remove it we see that it is still green it is too early to eat it, that if it is yellow it is ready and that if the color we see is brown, the avocado has gone too far.

However, this trick is a poisoned trick.

By

popping

we open a door for bacteria to enter the flesh of the avocado that cause illness when eaten

.

Instead of removing the stalk, to choose a good avocado, it is best to see if it gives way

when you press it lightly

.

If they are too soft, it is best to discard them.

oh!

And if we take an avocado and put it in a paper bag next to an apple or a banana at room temperature, we get the effect that we normally want to avoid.

Thanks to the ethylene that these fruits give off, the ripening process will be accelerated.

Mango, papaya and other tropical fruits

Tropical

and subtropical fruits

that have been

grown at high temperatures are

very susceptible to cold

and storing them at

room temperature

is always the best option.

watermelon and melon

We can keep these fruits out of the fridge when they are unopened and inside once opened.

The optimum temperature is

7ºC

for

melon

and

10ºC

for

watermelon

.

If we go too far with the cold, it is most likely that they will acquire a bitter taste, not pleasant for the palate.

Ideally, if we split the melon and watermelon, we put them in the fridge, conveniently covering them so that no dangerous agent "can touch them. A good practice is to cut them into smaller pieces so that they are more available and store them in a

tupperware

if we go to eat on the day or the next day.

Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries

They should be kept

in the

fridge in dry containers and always covered

.

Berries are very delicate and should not be washed until they are ready to eat because they could spoil.

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  • Apothecary Garcia