Your effort to fix a delicious lunch goes to waste if the perishable food loses its freshness before being eaten. So, we have found two easy hacks.
On her TikTok channel, food scientist Jessica Gavin has shown several useful hacks – how to make small bags from a big zip-lock, a couple of simple tests to pick the sweetest watermelon, and the proper way to store cookies to keep them fresh and chewy for long.
One way to keep your lunch cool for long
Summer weather demands special packing for perishable food, which Jessica demonstrates using basic items already present in your kitchen.
It’s a bonus to have insulated lunch bags to maintain low temperatures. If not, all you need are a couple of paper towels that can be folded to fit in the lunchbox.
Fold the paper towel to the desired shape and size, soak it in water, and place it at the bottom of the container of the lunchbox that goes into the refrigerator.
The paper hardens overnight or in a few hours and becomes an “ice pack”, which keeps the food cool when in contact with it.
Don’t forget to pack the food in plastic before placing it on the frozen paper towel as the ice melts when it’s out of the fridge.
You can freeze your sandwiches
In a different TikTok video Jessica demonstrates another easy trick to keep your sandwiches cooler for longer. Ensure not to use any vegetables in the sandwiches you want to freeze.
The food scientists suggest using this method to store peanut butter and jelly or sandwiches with just cheese and meat.
Grab a paper towel to cover the sandwiches after they are assembled. Place this in a container or a zip-lock pouch, and remove any excess air.
Jessica says you can freeze the sandwiches for up to a week using this hack. You can freeze it overnight if you plan to eat it for lunch,. It takes a few hours to defrost, and the paper towel absorbs the moisture to keep the sandwich fresh.
Jessica is a Certified Food Scientist and Certified Culinary Scientist. She identifies herself as a “teacher at heart”.She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Food Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California. Jessica also has an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts.
