Avoid The Fruit Bowl, This Is The Best Place To Store Apples To Keep Them Fresh

When fall hits, there is nothing like apple season. There are so many different types of apples and so many ways to use them, but a single rotten fruit will spoil the whole bunch, and no one wants that. There are too many five-ingredient crisps and classic apple pies to be made. To keep apples fresh, skip storing them in the fruit bowl at room temperature and instead opt for the refrigerator. 

The fruit bowl on the countertop is fine if you plan on eating those Red Delicious or Braeburn from your apple picking excursion within a few days. However, storing your apples in the fridge will slow down the ripening process. If you keep apples in the crisp drawer, they can last for anywhere between six and eight weeks, giving you ample time to eat and bake them up without fear of food waste. Store them in the plastic produce bag or a brown paper bag in this drawer, and you will certainly hit that six-week mark. But the length of time these babies will last depends on their level of freshness and quality when you bring them home from the supermarket, farmers market, or backyard orchard. 

Apples stored at room temperature are going to lose their crisp texture and juiciness within a couple of days, thanks to the production of ethylene gas. Apples — like bananas, pears, and peaches — produce this gas, which is why you are not supposed to store them with other fruits, or it will speed up the ripening process for those as well. If apples are bruised, they will also ripen quickly. This is a common occurrence when a fruit is ready or forced to ripen. The cool temperature of the refrigerator slows this process by inhibiting this gas from forming. 

Of course, there are other precautions you should consider. Wondering whether or not you should remove that wax coating from your apples before you take a bite? The answer is yes, but not before you are ready to eat it. If you buy apples that are waxed, that layer protects the fruit from shriveling up and decaying prematurely. If you find your apples have ripened past the point of wanting to munch on one, don't toss them. Remove any brown spots and puree them into homemade applesauce. The kids will love it.