How To Keep Broccoli Staying Fresh For Up To 5 Days With A Simple Household Item

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Finding anything from the week's supermarket haul rotting before you get to cook it is beyond frustrating. That's why Tasting Table is always gathering tips on keeping produce as fresh as possible, as long as possible. While there are general rules, some specific fruits and veggies fare best with their own storage methods. With its myriad uses — from salads to stir fries to soups — it's important to know how the best ways to store and keep broccoli fresh, because they might be a little different than what you do for other produce. 

When it comes to storing broccoli, there is one household item that will be your hero: plastic wrap. While some produce likes an airtight container and some like to be completely uncovered, broccoli is like a Goldilocks vegetable — it wants to be covered, but loosely and with room to breathe. Essentially, it needs some kind of shield from the air in your refrigerator, but it shouldn't be covered to the point it gets no circulation or moisture — a sheet of plastic wrap is the perfect solution, and it's a cinch to use since you likely already have it in your kitchen. 

Just like how storing broccoli is different than other produce, the way you implement the plastic wrap hack will be different depending on the broccoli itself. If you're storing a whole head of broccoli, place it in a container with a little water and loosely drape the plastic wrap over the flowers. On the other hand, if you're storing chopped florets, toss them in a container loosely wrapped with plastic wrap. Stored this way, your broccoli will last three to five days, and in some cases up to a week.

In order to stay fresh for as long as possible, broccoli requires three things: moisture, cold temperatures, and protection from ethylene gas. You don't want to wash it before you're ready to use it, which could saturate it and invite bacteria in while in storage — one of the biggest mistakes to avoid with produce. But you do want your broccoli to naturally get a bit of moisture from the air and be able to breathe in the fridge so it stays crisp without drying out. A loose plastic wrap covering allows just the right balance of circulation and protection. 

Ethylene gas is what fruits and vegetables give off as they're ripening — some items, mainly fruits, are higher ethylene producers than others. If those ethylene producers are stored next to other types of produce, the gas will quickly ripen them to the point of rotting. It's important to know how to organize your refrigerator to keep produce fresh for this reason. While plastic wrap provides a loose shield against ethylene, broccoli should ideally be stored separately from ethylene producers such as apples, tomatoes, strawberries, and melons. 

If you don't have plastic wrap on hand, you could buy some Leisbag micro perforated plastic bags or use a big plastic bag and leave it open or poke holes in it for some circulation. A damp paper towel is another method for covering but retaining moisture and breathability. When in doubt, though, a sheet of plastic wrap is easy, accessible, and reliable.