Spinach is a delicious vegetable filled with plenty of nutrients and beneficial for a person’s health, and with a vegetable such as this one you want to know it will last.
If stored incorrectly, however, you may find your spinach not lasting as long as you would have hoped. So, what is the best way to store your spinach? And how long does it last in the fridge?
Storing Spinach
The life of spinach varies depending on where it is stored, how it is stored, and the current condition of the vegetable itself. There are right and wrong ways of storage and the way this is done can affect the overall quality of your spinach.
What NOT To Do
Leaving Your Spinach Out At Room Temperature
Leaving your spinach out can be harmful to the quality of the spinach. Once left out, the spinach will last a maximum of 2 hours before deteriorating.
As spinach is made out of 91% water, it is important to reserve its freshness. Leaving your spinach at room temperature also allows a higher risk of travelling bacteria.
Leaving Your Spinach Next To Fruit
It is important to avoid leaving your spinach out by fruit. This is because fruit such as bananas and apples produce ethylene and this exposure will only lead to your spinach going bad at a faster rate.
What You SHOULD Do
Store Your Spinach In A Cool Environment
When storing your spinach, it is important to store it in a cool environment – this will be in your fridge or freezer. By doing this, you will find that you spinach will last much longer and maintain its freshness.
Storing Spinach In The Fridge
It is recommended that a person stores their spinach in the fridge. This is because your spinach will stay fresh and last long.
The downside to spinach is that if it is not looked after properly than you are at risk of wasting it. it is important to know of the correct ways of storing your spinach in the fridge.
How To Store
To store your spinach you will need to line a sealed container with dry paper towels before layering the dry spinach onto that paper surface. Remove any bad leaves (these will appear small and shriveled) then seal the container up and place it in the fridge.
How Long Does It Last?
The life of spinach varies depending on what kind of spinach you are referring to.
Fresh Spinach/Raw
With fresh spinach, you will find it will last in the fridge for 5-7 days. Make sure that your refrigerator is at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bagged Prewashed Spinach
The common bagged spinach sold in grocery stores will last between 7 and 10 days when stored correctly in the refrigerator. This, too, should be at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cooked Spinach
If your spinach is cooked and you are wanting to put it away in the refrigerator, your spinach will last you 3-5 days. When storing, make sure to keep your spinach in an airtight container or in a plastic zipper bag.
Alternatively, if you are wanting eat it sooner rather than later, you can choose to leave it out in room temperature however this will only last up to 2 hours. This is because bacteria will begin to form.
How To Tell Your Spinach Has Gone Bad
It is very easy to tell when your spinach has seen its final days for it has a very distinct appearance. Once you notice, it is time to immediately throw it out.
This is not only for the benefit of your health but for the befit of your other vegetables (you do not want any potential contamination).
Texture
Your once leafy spinach will turn to mush. As well as this you will notice that it is now soggy and wilted.
Color
The color of the spinach will change also. You will find that the spinach will have turned a darker shade of its usual vibrant green and you will also notice some dark spots.
Smell
Smell is an obvious tell-all sign for most out of date foods. With spinach, you will be able to smell an unusual scent. Some compare this smell to Sulphur.
However, if you are not sure what smell you should be looking out for, just know that good spinach should smell fresh and clean without any strong obvious smells at all.
Freezing Your Spinach
For maximum life, you can choose to freeze your spinach. Not only does the freezing method save you time and space but it is also a way to save money.
Freezing spinach is an easy task. All you need is your spinach and a sealed Ziplock bag. Simply take your dry spinach and place into a Ziplock bag. Make sure that when sealing you remove all of the air before placing into the freezer.
With a Ziplock bag you will be able to stack plenty of bags of spinach, supplying more added room for your refrigerator.
Alternatively, you can use this other freezing method (only use this method if you have plans to make a spinach smoothie in the future). All you need to do is get a blender, throw your spinach in and blend until the spinach is pureed (add some water to get the blender going!).
Once it has blended to satisfaction, pour the mixture into a Ziplock bag, making sure to remove the air, and seal up before placing into the freezer. You may also choose to place the mixture into an airtight container or ice cube tray.
Final Thoughts
Overall, spinach will last as much as 5-7 days after being stored in the refrigerator. It is important to keep your spinach out of room temperature and in a cool environment such as the fridge.
By doing so you are lengthening the life of the spinach and preventing any bacteria. If you wish to save some money, try freezing your spinach in batches!
Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.
I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!
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