Thursday, April 12, 2012

Comparing Bananas and Tomatoes - Shelf Life



*Warning: You may find some of these pictures disgusting, but then if you've own a refrigerator, you've probably seen this before.

I guess because it was that time of the year I would have normally been helping kids with science experiments, that made me want to check this out.  I did my own experiment.

Question: Will Bananas and tomatoes last longer on the counter or in the refrigerator?

Research: I've read many articles over the years that tried to tell me that fruit would last longer unwashed, washed, on the counter, in a cabinet, bag, or refrigerator.  I really couldn't tell if there was a difference.  In January, I had just read that tomatoes would last for a very long time when left unwashed, unbagged on the counter top away from direct sunlight.  I was also getting tired of bananas dying on me in a couple of days after I got them home.  There must be a reason Frigidaire put a "Fruit" drawer in my refrigerator.

Hypothesis: Fruit will last longer in the refrigerator than on the counter.

Test: As soon as I got home from the grocery with the bananas (which did come in a bag) and tomatoes (in a shrink wrapped Styrofoam container), I took one out of each container and put them on the counter away from direct sunlight.  The temperature of the kitchen was around 63°F @ night and 68°F during the day.  The rest of the fruit stayed in their containers and placed in the refrigerator's fruit drawer with a constant temperature of 43°F.  

Analysis: After one week, I took pictures.  Judge for yourself.
Which do you think was kept in the frig?


Again, which do you think was kept in the frig?  Hint: wrapping.







Conclusion: Maybe the experiment should be done again and leave the wrapping on the counter top fruit?  However, I'm keeping my fruit in their bags/containers in the refrigerator's fruit drawer.  Now I don't have to depend on articles I read.

Hope you enJOYed this science experiment?

2 comments:

  1. I've definitely noticed a difference and always refrigerate my veggies (most of them anyways!) I wonder about those special veggie bags you can get for the fridge, supposedly the air flow or something makes them last even longer?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've tried those little green veggie bags and really saw no difference. Thanks for the comment.

      Delete

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