Handy food storage hack for preserving bread – ‘lasts 6 times longer’

Bread is a household staple, yet many of us are storing it incorrectly. Jason Webb, Managing Director of Electronic Temperature Instruments, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about how best to store bread for perfect preservation.

He stated: “There remains a lot of misconceptions surrounding the storage of food products, not least with bread.”

Bread is a household staple and an item on pretty much everyone’s supermarket shopping list.

However, according to Jason it is “one of the top five items most commonly wasted”.

Because we buy it so often and many of us consume it daily, it is crucial that we are storing it in its optimal condition.

This will prevent us from wasting money on replacing bread that we wouldn’t need to had we stored it correctly in the first place.

So how can we keep our bread delectably soft and fresh, and avoid it going stale – or worse, the green-blue hue it develops when it starts to go bad?

Jason settled an age-old debate of whether bread belongs in the fridge or the cupboard.

He said: “Bread should be stored in a cupboard – if you put it in a fridge, it will stale about six times more quickly.

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“This is because at cooler temperatures, starch tends to crystallise and this process occurs roughly six times faster at refrigerator temperatures than at room temperature.”

He advised that “education is key to help people better understand what produce is safe to eat and when”.

According to the expert, storing food correctly has benefits even greater than allowing shoppers to save their pennies.

“Wasted food has an impact on the environment in all phases of its lifecycle leaving a deep environmental footprint in terms of water, soil and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Freezing bread is another option when it comes to preserving this popular food product.

Taste of Home shared the best way to freeze bread – be it homemade or bought – and keep it fresh for months.

The bread must be left to cool completely, preventing it from becoming soggy or mouldy, before slicing.

Slicing ahead of time will make your life easier in the future, as you won’t have to waste time thawing the whole loaf.

Next, the website advised wrapping the loaf tightly in plastic wrap, then again in foil or freezer paper.

Taste of Home revealed that “the double-wrap is your secret weapon for freshness”.

Before popping the bread in the freezer, it is important to write the date on the wrapping somewhere, as it’s best to use within six months to avoid any risk of freezer burn.

You can use a toaster to thaw the bread that you have frozen – on a slightly higher setting than if it was unfrozen bread – or thaw it overnight on the counter.

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