How to Keep Fruit Salad Fresh

How to Keep Fruit Salad Fresh

Nothing can be healthier and more energetic than a simple dish of fruit salad. All the vibrant colors that a fruit salad comes with are a treat to your eyes, as well as to your guts. Most people who are on a weight loss diet prefer to have fruits in breakfast and lunch. Children who shy away from eating raw fruits also find it appetizing to eat fruit salads prepared mindfully. But you may not want to cut those fruit salads every time you plan to eat it. This may even lead you to skip the idea overall. Most of the times, you have to consume the fruit salad within an hour of cutting the fruits, otherwise they turn brown and tasteless. You will be amazed to know that fruit salads can be kept fresh for much longer than a few hours. This oneHOWTO article is going to tell you how to keep fruit salad fresh.

Add some citric acid

One of the simplest ways to keep fruit salad fresh for longer is to toss them with some acidic substance, like lime juice or lemon. Oxygen in the air reacts with the enzymes in the fruits, and turns them brown and meshy. Adding citric acid in the fruits will stop this chemical reaction, and will not allow the fruits to change color or loose texture. An added benefit is the delicious citrus flavor the fruit salad gets after getting mixed with citric acid. Most suitable fruits that can be preserved with this method include apples, bananas, pears and avocados.

Submerge fruits in water

Although this may not be a suitable process for every fruit, submerging peeled and sliced fruits in cold water can be another effective way of stopping the chemical reaction between oxygen and fruit enzymes. Not only this, the fruits will remain fresh and crisp with this process. Follow these steps:

  1. Fill a bowl with as cold the water as you can get without adding any ice in it
  2. Add cut fruit pieces in it while making sure that all the fruits are submerged completely in the water and no parts are coming in contact with oxygen in the air
  3. Store this bowl in the refrigerator for a maximum of 3 to 5 days
  4. When you want to consume the salad, drain the water with the help of a strainer, and serve immediately

Firmer types of fruits like apples and pears can even be preserved by plunging them in boiling water for a few minutes.

Salt and sugar

Coat the sliced fruits in sugar syrup, which will protect their exposed cells from the oxygen in air, and prevent them from turning brown. If you don’t want to add sugar content in your fruit salad, you can instead coat the fruits in salt which will also stop the fruits from getting discolored. However, you need to keep a watch if you want to enjoy the fruits without any added calories or salt content.

Vacuum sealing

Vacuum sealing is the method of packing anything by removing air from the packet before sealing. Discoloration occurs when cut fruits come in contact with the oxygen in air. If you remove air completely from the package before sealing it, they can remain fresh for longer. Place fruits in a package of plastic film, remove air completely from the inside, and seal the package. Sometimes, a shrink film can also be used to fit tightly with the fruits.

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