Longest lasting vegetables in the fridge?

[Greg Who Cooks]

I've been meaning to try kale chips for quite some time...

 

[Souvlaki]

beetroot and celery for me

if you want to keep parsley, fresh dill, celery and other herbs longer just wrap them in kitchen paper towels, it absorbs the moisture and they stay green longer

 

[Zhizara]

How do you do it when you have it with bacon?

I fry the bacon up and sweat the kale in the bacon fat.

The way I cook kale is to wash it (clean it) in a sink full of water. The wet kale goes into the pot, preferably with something smoked...ham hock, bacon.

It takes awhile to cook down, but is so tender and delicious when done.

The remaining liquid in the pot is called pot liquor. Along with cornbread it's heavenly,

 

[taxlady]

I fry the bacon up and sweat the kale in the bacon fat.

The way I cook kale is to wash it (clean it) in a sink full of water. The wet kale goes into the pot, preferably with something smoked...ham hock, bacon.

It takes awhile to cook down, but is so tender and delicious when done.

The remaining liquid in the pot is called pot liquor. Along with cornbread it's heavenly,

Thanks, I'll give that a try. I always have bacon, but seldom have ham or ham hocks.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I fry the bacon up and sweat the kale in the bacon fat.

The way I cook kale is to wash it (clean it) in a sink full of water. The wet kale goes into the pot, preferably with something smoked...ham hock, bacon.

It takes awhile to cook down, but is so tender and delicious when done.

The remaining liquid in the pot is called pot liquor. Along with cornbread it's heavenly,

Ha! That's what my step-father used to call someone when he was mad at them, a pot-licker, oh, you said pot liquor. We otta have a thread on old colloquialisms. Of course they would have to be family friendly.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Zhizara]

Ha! That's what my step-father used to call someone when he was mad at them, a pot-licker, oh, you said pot liquor. We otta have a thread on old colloquialisms. Of course they would have to be family friendly.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

I like your idea about colloquialisms. I really want to emphasize the deliciousness of the real deal. I can understand why someone would be called that. The first one to grab the pot of flavor wins! Much better than sex!

 

[Merlot]

Ha! That's what my step-father used to call someone when he was mad at them, a pot-licker, oh, you said pot liquor. We otta have a thread on old colloquialisms. Of course they would have to be family friendly.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

I havent heard that in a long time!

 

[CWS4322]

I pick the kale when I'm going to cook it, so it never makes it in the fridge. I find carrots, cabbage, and celery hang around the longest, but I generally don't have veggies that hang around more than a couple of days. I prefer kale stir fried instead of boiled.

 

[GLC]

I've been meaning to try kale chips for quite some time...

I made them. It works fine. Just be careful if you salt them after you oil them. Go lighter than you tend to, because it all sticks. They were good. But I was more impressed with the no-oil microwave potato chips. They took considerably longer than the original post in my smallish microwave, but they were very good. I found that potatoes like Yukon Gold produced a much better chip than russets.

 

[CWS4322]

I made them. It works fine. Just be careful if you salt them after you oil them. Go lighter than you tend to, because it all sticks. They were good. But I was more impressed with the no-oil microwave potato chips. They took considerably longer than the original post in my smallish microwave, but they were very good. I found that potatoes like Yukon Gold produced a much better chip than russets.

Have you tried beet chips? They are also very tasty.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I made them. It works fine. Just be careful if you salt them after you oil them. Go lighter than you tend to, because it all sticks. They were good. But I was more impressed with the no-oil microwave potato chips. They took considerably longer than the original post in my smallish microwave, but they were very good. I found that potatoes like Yukon Gold produced a much better chip than russets.

I missed the post about "no-oil microwave potato chips." In this topic or another?

Potato chips are one bad food I just can't resist. I mostly handle that problem by not buying any. For some odd reason I've had an open bag of potato chips for 3-4 days and haven't even touched them the last two days. I think maybe I was too busy or preoccupied or something. I'm lucky I'm not hungry now this late (~10 pm local) or I'd be snacking them for sure.

It would be nice to have potato chips with no added fat since that's IMO the worst part about them. I don't worry about the salt too much or the starch at all since I don't eat a lot of other starchy food, but I think it's the grease in potato chips that put me off--even though I can't resist potato chips! I guess this is why I'm interested in the kale chips...

I suppose I'm getting a bit off topic but at least I know the OP won't get mad at me.

 

[Cerise]

Was just contemplating this in another forum topic. What vegetables last the longest in your fridge?

Best example I can think of: cabbage. Cut off a quarter or a half, then throw the remainder back in your fridge (perhaps in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer) and a few months later bring it back out, peel off a few outside leaves, cut off 1/4 inch of the exposed cut part, and you're good to go to use more of it, and still put the unused part back in the fridge for another month or two...

And how long do you think a cabbage would last in the fridge? Just for an example, a fresh uncut cabbage just purchased fresh at the market then thrust into your refrigerator. Three months? Six months? I could try the experiment but I'd probably eat it sooner than that!

I'm lucky I like cabbage. You can keep it for ages!

Can you think of any vegetables that last almost this long, or even longer?

I prefer, & try to shop, for fresh vegetables & what's in Season whenever possible. Inevitably, they do go bad after a few days. When I can, I go to Farmers' markets.

I like cabbage, brussels sprouts, etc. I will buy certain frozen vegetables to keep on hand, rather than dumping so many fresh veggies.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I think everybody prefers fresh vegetables (who would prefer stale over fresh?) but the reason I asked the question in the OP is because for any variety of reasons most of us find ourselves unable (or unwilling) to go to the market from time to time. It's helpful to keep on hand both frozen vegetables and those that have good keeping qualities to handle these situations.

I'm making notes on the various long keeping vegetables mentioned in the topic and intend to keep some of them on hand for those occasions when I prefer to not go to the market to prepare for that night's dinner.

 

[GLC]

I missed the post about "no-oil microwave potato chips." In this topic or another?

Potato chips are one bad food I just can't resist. I mostly handle that problem by not buying any. For some odd reason I've had an open bag of potato chips for 3-4 days and haven't even touched them the last two days. I think maybe I was too busy or preoccupied or something. I'm lucky I'm not hungry now this late (~10 pm local) or I'd be snacking them for sure.

It would be nice to have potato chips with no added fat since that's IMO the worst part about them. I don't worry about the salt too much or the starch at all since I don't eat a lot of other starchy food, but I think it's the grease in potato chips that put me off--even though I can't resist potato chips! I guess this is why I'm interested in the kale chips...

I suppose I'm getting a bit off topic but at least I know the OP won't get mad at me.

It was in an older thread, but it's simple. You have to be able to slice the potatoes very thin. I have a vintage carbon steel slicing device that does it. A good mandoline should do it. So far, my best results were with the Yukon gold and similar potatoes. Regular bakers not so much. No need to peel the potatoes.

Salt the slices, heavily, like a steak, and let them sit and sweat for a while to take some water out of them. I just laid them out on paper towels and patted them dry on top after enough water had drawn off. If you want to flavor them with herbs or other spices, I'd do it at this stage. They will be dry after they're cooked and won't accept dry spices.

You need something like a glass pan for the microwave. I just washed the glass floor of mine and used it. Oil the glass lightly. You don't have to reoil for the subsequent batches. Arrange the slices over the tray, directly on the glass, without overlapping. Microwave on High until they turn brown, darker than golden brown in spots. If they're not crisp when you think they're done, give them more time.

The time varies a lot with different ovens. It took about 12 minutes in mine. It takes less in more powerful ovens. As little as five minutes. You might have to rearrange them near the end of the cycle, if your oven is uneven. Mine was. They will look kind of like those artisan "kettle" chips that are far darker than regular fried chips.

That's it. They're crisp, but no oil. God flavor, but you don't get that coating of grease left in your mouth. And you can do it while you prepare other things, just keeping an eye on them, and you get plenty of warning when they start to brown.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Thanks for the tip GLC! It sounds like something I would probably eat as fast as I can cook them!

 

[Dawgluver]

Am thinking I posted a similar recipe fairly recently, but when I looked, I couldn't find it. I, too, love these chips! Labor intensive, sure, but so good!

Great idea using the microwave turntable, GLC. I was making them on a bacon rack according to the original recipe, which makes such little batches.

DH brought home 10 lbs(!) of russets, which work fine, though I would like to try Yukon golds (obviously after we get through 10 lbs of russets...)

 

[Merlot]

It was in an older thread, but it's simple. You have to be able to slice the potatoes very thin. I have a vintage carbon steel slicing device that does it. A good mandoline should do it. So far, my best results were with the Yukon gold and similar potatoes. Regular bakers not so much. No need to peel the potatoes.

Salt the slices, heavily, like a steak, and let them sit and sweat for a while to take some water out of them. I just laid them out on paper towels and patted them dry on top after enough water had drawn off. If you want to flavor them with herbs or other spices, I'd do it at this stage. They will be dry after they're cooked and won't accept dry spices.

You need something like a glass pan for the microwave. I just washed the glass floor of mine and used it. Oil the glass lightly. You don't have to reoil for the subsequent batches. Arrange the slices over the tray, directly on the glass, without overlapping. Microwave on High until they turn brown, darker than golden brown in spots. If they're not crisp when you think they're done, give them more time.

The time varies a lot with different ovens. It took about 12 minutes in mine. It takes less in more powerful ovens. As little as five minutes. You might have to rearrange them near the end of the cycle, if your oven is uneven. Mine was. They will look kind of like those artisan "kettle" chips that are far darker than regular fried chips.

That's it. They're crisp, but no oil. God flavor, but you don't get that coating of grease left in your mouth. And you can do it while you prepare other things, just keeping an eye on them, and you get plenty of warning when they start to brown.

Ah, that is going in my "recipes to try" document!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Am thinking I posted a similar recipe fairly recently, but when I looked, I couldn't find it. I, too, love these chips! Labor intensive, sure, but so good!

Labor intensive is good! It's what forced our predecessor human cultures and human species to not get fat and lazy. It took far more time and energy to kill game or find and pick up food ("hunting and gathering cultures") than to just cash your welfare check and go down to the neighborhood 7-11 and pick up a case of beer, a couple bags of potato chips and a few microwave pizzas.

Our genetics are based upon the scarcity of food and the difficulty of acquiring it. Our present diabetes and obesity epidemics are based upon the rules of nature being subverted by the politics of modern cultures. Think about it...

 

[GLC]

Well, what's really nice about these chips is that you can get your chip fix without keeping a bag around calling to you to eat on it, and you can have them ready by the time you finish fixing sandwiches or making up some dip. One modest size potato makes plenty for one person.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

LMAO GLC, I know what you mean! I hit my Lay's Wavy Hickory Barbecue chips again tonight, although I'm proud of myself that I've had the bag almost a week and haven't even had any the previous 3 nights. Could'a helped that I went out to dinner last night... But still, it's a benefit when that bad food takes a while to cook, particularly when you have enough resolution to not get them at the supermarket in the first place (something that works for me 80%-90% of the time).

I'm looking forward to trying the kale chips and the nuked potato chips. Both look like they'll take longer to cook than I can quickly and unhealthfully eat them.

That's the point I was trying to make about hunting and gathering. They both take almost as much energy to hunt and gather them as you receive by eating them. That's why in pre-historic times there were few if any fat people, few people with diabetes, and obesity problems were rare. Although of course the flip side was that many starved.

It is a modern challenge to stay healthy in our present times of plentifulness. Most of us have the access to eat far more than is healthy for us. I feel good that most of the time I pick the healthy way but I'm unable to accomplish that 100% of the time. The times that I lapse I try to focus it on those items that are least unhealthful. The kale chips and nuked potato chips sound like good examples of that.