You're trying to eat healthy. You're buying vegetables, using what you need for a meal here or there — and the next time you reach for your remaining cucumber or eggplant, it's gone all brown and nasty.
If that sounds like you, this trick to keep your veggies fresh and edible for as long as possible will leave you asking, "Why didn't I think of that?"
The scoop
The hack from TikToker PALAU APP (@palauproject) is really, really simple.
@palauproject Reduce your food waste and keep your cucumbers fresh!! #foodhacks#foodwasteactionweek#fy#fyp#climatechange#foodemissions#foodapp#palauapp#cucumber ♬ STAR WARS - FLIXTERR
When preparing any vegetable (the video highlights cucumbers), hold onto the end pieces after you've chopped up what you need.
Then, using either a toothpick or a corn holder utensil, secure the end piece of the cucumber (or other vegetable) back onto the unused portion.
And that's it!
How it's helping
This simple little trick can help extend the edible life of your veggies by reducing the amount of air exposure the inner fleshy part receives inside your fridge, which is one of the main drivers behind how quickly it will degrade.
And it not only saves you the trouble of using plastic wrap (which will usually end up in the trash anyhow), but it also gets some use out of any corn holders that tend to collect dust for most parts of the year.
While not all vegetables can be preserved for longer using this method, as long as you're aware that air exposure is what causes vegetables to degrade more quickly, then you can use that knowledge to protect your other fridge foods, too.
For example, if you don't want to eat an entire orange, cut it in half before peeling it. That will allow you to store the uneaten side back in the fridge, fleshy-side down on a plate. There's less air exposure to the good stuff, and plastic isn't wasted to keep it fresh.
What everyone's saying
The top comment really sums it up.
"Smart!" one person posted.
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