The Produce That Should Be Stored In The Low-Humidity Crisper Drawer

Every refrigerator has them, and most everyone knows that they're intended to store fruits and vegetables, but not everyone understands exactly how or why the crisper drawers are the best spot in the fridge for these items. For the best shelf life, you really should be using the crisper drawers — and picking the right setting for the food within. But what exactly does that mean? Well, some produce lasts best in a low-humidity environment, while other items stay fresh longer in a more damp atmosphere. For produce with a significant potential for rot, such as apples, pears, melons, and peaches, you want to use the low humidity drawer (or the low humidity setting on your fridge drawer).

The way that these drawers work is that they have coverable holes that allow them to exchange air with the rest of the fridge. In the low-humidity setting, these holes are open, and the drawer freely exchanges gases. When the holes are closed, it is considered a high-humidity setting, which is better for fruits and vegetables that may be at risk of drying out.

As a rule of thumb, when deciding how to store fruits and vegetables, think of how they are presented at the grocery store. Produce like citrus fruits, berries, and tomatoes are typically stored out in the open and thus should go in the low-humidity drawer. Other items like lettuce, broccoli, and cucumbers, on the other hand, are regularly misted to keep them fresh, so those will do better in the high-humidity drawer. You can also think of it as a fruit versus veggies divide.

The other big thing you need to think about in terms of how to divvy up produce throughout the fridge is ethylene gas. Ethylene gas is a naturally occurring substance that is released by certain fruits — such as apples, bananas, avocados, and tomatoes — as they ripen. If stored in a confined area with poor gas exchange, such as a crisper drawer with the vents closed, this gas build-up increases the speed at which the fruits ripen and, in turn, rot.

Ethylene gas is a significant factor in why many of these fruits and vegetables belong in the low-humidity drawer. Having those vents open allows the gas to escape to the rest of the refrigerator, preventing it from ripening the contents of the drawer too quickly. Unfortunately, this also means that grocery store plastic bags won't necessarily keep produce fresh. In fact, they should be avoided for ethylene-emitting produce.

While ethylene mostly seems like a headache, it can also come in handy. If, for example, all of the avocados in the store are hard as rocks during your weekly grocery shop, but you want to whip up a batch of creamy, crave-worthy guacamole, ethylene can be a useful tool. All you have to do is toss the avocados in an airtight container alongside other ethylene-producing fruits like apples — on their own will also work, just not as quickly — and they will ripen significantly faster than they would have on the counter or in the low-humidity drawer.

Getting the maximum lifespan out of your groceries is a constant struggle, and with food prices on the rise, it's one worth studying. Not only do you need to worry about maintaining proper humidity and controlling ethylene gas, but there are plenty of other produce storage mistakes to avoid. Another important tip when trying to maximize the life of your produce is to give it some room. Storing produce too closely in the refrigerator will shorten its shelf life. This occurs primarily because the bunched-up fruits and vegetables restrict proper airflow, leading to moisture buildup and an increased chance of rot. A good rule to follow is only filling your crisper drawers to around two-thirds capacity.

Knowing what produce belongs in the refrigerator and what doesn't is another tip for keeping your vegetables fresher longer. Hardy produce like winter squash, onions, and potatoes can last a long time in the pantry. Simply storing these items in a cool, dark, and dry environment can be enough to preserve them for several months. It is good to research the best storage practices for all of your favorite fruits and vegetables individually, both so that you get the maximum lifespan out of them and to ensure that you aren't wasting electricity on something that would be happier on a shelf.

With as many different fruits and vegetables as we have access to these days, proper storage can be a lot to manage. But a little bit of knowledge can go a long way in terms of maximizing the freshness of your produce and the quality of your meals.