The burning question is: can apples be kept in the refrigerator?

Apples are not perishable. With the right approach, they can stay fresh for up to six months or more, but the right conditions must be created for this.

Read about whether it is possible to store apples in the refrigerator (baked, chopped, frozen, etc.) and how to correctly organize this process, read the article.

Is it possible to store at what temperature?

Apples keep better in the refrigerator than at room temperature. There, ideal conditions will be created for them. The optimum storage temperature for apples is 0… + 1 degrees.

Inside the cool food, all processes slow down. In the refrigerator, winter varieties of apples will ripen slowly, while summer varieties will not rot quickly. The average storage time in a vegetable drawer is 3-4 months.

What matters is the degree of ripeness of the fruit. If they were picked on time, then such fruits will stay in the refrigerator for a long time. Overripe specimens will continue to deteriorate and will begin to rot very soon.

In general, the refrigerator has excellent conditions for storing apples. However, this method has a significant disadvantage - it is a lack of space.... Fruit shelves may be useful for storing other foods.

Important and useful information about apple storage is presented here.

How to properly preserve the fruit for the winter?

There are several ways to store apples in the refrigerator: whole, chopped or grated. Sometimes the fruit is frozen and even baked. Each of these methods has its own characteristics.

No freezing

In the refrigerator, apples are stored in the vegetable drawer. It is there that they stay fresh the longest and do not interfere with other foods.

To prevent the fruit from spoiling, adhere to the following recommendations:

1. After harvesting, there is no need to hesitate. It is advisable to refrigerate the fruit for the first 12 hours. This will significantly increase their shelf life.
2. Apples brought from the store are not kept at room temperature. They must be immediately removed to the cool.
3. You cannot wash the fruit in advance. Their processing is carried out before eating.
4. You can store apples in a sealed bag by punching a few small holes in it with a toothpick.

If you plan to keep fruits in the refrigerator for a long time, then each fruit is wrapped in parchment or ordinary napkins. As such, they are stored in a storage box.

Apples are stored separately from other fruits and vegetables (with the exception of pears). They act destructively on plant products, accelerating their deterioration.... This is due to the special ethylene gas they give off.

Freezing

Frozen apples retain all the beneficial properties of ripe fruits. Under the influence of low temperatures, only a small amount of vitamins and microelements is destroyed. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 9 months.

To properly prepare the fruits and freeze them, proceed as follows:

1. They are sorted, washed under running water and laid out on a paper towel.
2. When they are completely dry, they are put into a container or bag.
3. The container must be filled tightly to save space and prevent moisture loss.
4. In this form, the food is put into the freezer.

The storage temperature of apples in the freezer is an important an indicator that directly affects their shelf life:

• fruits are stored up to 2 months at temperatures from -10 to -12 degrees;
• fruits can remain fresh up to 10 months at a temperature of -23 degrees.

The shock freezing method involves a sharp chilling of the product. For this, the toggle switch in the freezer is set to the appropriate mode.

Fruit bags are placed on the top shelf. After 2 hours, the freezer can be switched to normal mode, and the apples can be removed to the lower compartment.

Slightly spoiled fruits can also be sent to the freezer, but first you need to cut off all rotten areas from them., remove seeds and stalks. These fruits should be kept in a separate bag and used first.

How long are the chopped ones kept?

Cut fruits are stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 12 hours. To double this period, cover the plate with slices with cling film or a plastic bag.

Fruits cut into slices can be frozen.

1. Wash and core the fruit.
2. Cut them into slices of the desired thickness: slices or quarters.
3. Decrease the freezer compartment temperature to the lowest setting.
4. Divide the prepared fruits into packages in small portions.
5. Leave them on the top shelf for 2-3 hours.

Grated

Grated fruits are stored in several ways:

1. In the refrigerator under a closed lid in a clean state. The shelf life of the product is 24 hours.
2. In the refrigerator in a sealed container with lemon juice and sugar. Such fruits will last from 3 to 5 days. For 0.5 kg of apples, 1 tsp is required. lemon juice and 2 tbsp. l. Sahara.
3. In the freezer without adding any ingredients. The fruit stays fresh for about 7-9 months. Most often, the fruits harvested in this way are used for further heat treatment.

It is necessary to ensure that the product does not darken in advance. To do this, sprinkle it with lemon juice while rubbing.

Baked

Oven apples can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. After cooking, they need to be cooled, placed in a plastic container and covered with a lid.

Which varieties are better to choose?

In the refrigerator you can store both summer and winter varieties.

The following fruits have the longest shelf life:

• Idared;
• Antonovka;
• Golden Delicious;
• Jonathan;
• Mac;
• Red Delicious;
• Moscow winter.

Such varieties as are not stored longer than 2-3 months:

• Grushovka Moscow,
• Summer striped
• Chinese woman,
• Melba,
• White filling and other early maturing fruits.

Helpful information

Tips to help extend shelf life apples:

1. Different varieties are kept separately. It is not recommended to put them in one bag or in one box.
2. You cannot tear off the stalks from apples. Without them, they deteriorate faster.
3. Before putting the fruits in the refrigerator, you need to sort them out. Fruits with the first signs of spoilage are stored separately and eaten first.
4. If apples are in the refrigerator for a long time, they need to be sorted periodically.
5. Fruits should be packed with a small weight, 1-2 kg in each bag or container.

Conclusion

Store apples in the refrigerator can be long, up to six months or more... Fruits are frozen whole, cut into slices, baked and grated. Even in the vegetable drawer, they feel great.

The only drawback of storing apples in the refrigerator is that you cannot fit a large amount of the crop in it.