How To Store Fruits Properly

Which fruits belong in the fridge, which must stay out, and how to stop one over-ripe fruit from spoiling the whole bowl. Everything below comes from daily experience running a produce counter at T-187, Block B, near Lal Mandir Sabji Market in West Patel Nagar, New Delhi — not from theory.

Know which fruits keep ripening after picking

Bananas, mangoes, papaya, guava and pineapple continue to ripen after they leave the plant. Grapes, oranges and watermelon do not — they only age. This one distinction decides how you should store everything in your fruit bowl.

Fruit that still ripens should stay at room temperature until it reaches the stage you want, then move to the fridge to hold it there. Fruit that does not ripen further should go into cool storage straight away, because time only works against it.

Ethylene: why one fruit ruins another

Ripening fruit gives off ethylene gas, and bananas and mangoes are among the strongest producers. Keep them next to apples or grapes and you will find the whole bowl over-ripe in two days. Keep them separate and each item lasts noticeably longer.

You can also use this deliberately. To ripen a hard mango or an unripe papaya faster, put it in a paper bag with a banana overnight. To slow a bowl down, spread the fruit out and give it air.

The fridge is not one temperature

The door is the warmest part of a refrigerator and the crisper drawer the most humid. Apples, grapes and citrus do well in the crisper. Cut fruit belongs on a shelf in a closed box, away from strong-smelling foods, because melon and papaya absorb odours quickly.

Some fruits are actively harmed by cold. Bananas turn black in the fridge, and unripe mangoes stop ripening and develop off flavours. Chill those only once they are ripe, and only for a day or two.

Air, not plastic bags

Sealed plastic traps the moisture fruit releases, and trapped moisture is what turns a good bunch of grapes into a mouldy one. Perforated bags, open bowls and ventilated boxes all outperform a knotted polythene bag by a wide margin.

If you carry fruit home in plastic, take it out as soon as you arrive. Ten minutes of sitting in a warm sealed bag on a Delhi afternoon does real damage.

Wash later, not sooner

Water on the skin creates entry points for mould, especially on grapes, berries and guava. Store fruit unwashed and wash only the portion you are about to eat. This single habit extends the life of most fruit by two to three days.

The exception is fruit that will be eaten immediately after shopping — wash that properly, as covered in our guide to washing fruits and vegetables.

Check the bowl every day

A fruit bowl needs thirty seconds of attention daily. Remove anything that has gone soft, rotate the fruit so the pieces at the bottom get air, and eat the ripest item first. Most household fruit waste comes from a bowl nobody has looked into since Sunday.

If something is about to turn, use it rather than lose it: over-ripe bananas and mangoes make excellent shakes, and soft apples cook down into halwa or a simple stew.

Where to buy in West Patel Nagar

All of this is easier when the shop you buy from is turning stock over quickly. Our counter is sorted by hand every morning, we buy in small lots several times a week, and we tell customers plainly when something is not at its best. Browse our fresh vegetables and fresh fruits ranges, or see the full product list.

We serve West Patel Nagar, Patel Nagar, Shadipur, Rajendra Place, Kirti Nagar, Naraina and other nearby areas. To check today's fresh produce availability, call 8757534184 or contact the shop.

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• How To Choose Fresh Vegetables
• How To Store Vegetables Properly
• Seasonal Fruits Guide For Delhi
• Seasonal Vegetables Guide For Delhi
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