The OP mentioned food safety as the prime concern. To me, this is another case of food safety fears run amok. I don't know how humanity survived without refrigeration, and grocery stores where you could buy fresh food from all over the world fifteen minutes before you eat it.
I've been prepping my veg in advance for decades, and the only thing I've noticed is that some veggies either wilt/get mushy, and others taste bad if you let them sit in the fridge too long. And, like Andy said, chopped onions in the fridge for long will make everything taste like onion.
But, I don't give one minute of worry over the safety of my pre-diced onions, celery, peppers and the like if they sit in the fridge for a few hours, or even until the next day. Beyond that amount of time, it is the texture and flavor I worry about, not the safety.
Also, keep in mind that if you are going to cook with the veggies, that will kill harmful bacteria (that is probably not even there). If I dump day old chopped onion, celery and bell pepper (the Trinity) into a pot of gumbo a day after I prep it, and let the gumbo simmer for hours, there ain't no bacteria that's going to survive that. It's not going to be crisp anymore, either.
If I am making a fresh green salad, I'm going to want to slice and dice my veggies right before I mix my salad. Not because of safety, so much, but because it is going to taste the best that it can taste.
CD
I've been prepping my veg in advance for decades, and the only thing I've noticed is that some veggies either wilt/get mushy, and others taste bad if you let them sit in the fridge too long. And, like Andy said, chopped onions in the fridge for long will make everything taste like onion.
But, I don't give one minute of worry over the safety of my pre-diced onions, celery, peppers and the like if they sit in the fridge for a few hours, or even until the next day. Beyond that amount of time, it is the texture and flavor I worry about, not the safety.
Also, keep in mind that if you are going to cook with the veggies, that will kill harmful bacteria (that is probably not even there). If I dump day old chopped onion, celery and bell pepper (the Trinity) into a pot of gumbo a day after I prep it, and let the gumbo simmer for hours, there ain't no bacteria that's going to survive that. It's not going to be crisp anymore, either.
If I am making a fresh green salad, I'm going to want to slice and dice my veggies right before I mix my salad. Not because of safety, so much, but because it is going to taste the best that it can taste.
CD
