How to keep groceries fresh longer, reduce trips to the store amid COVID-19

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) – Federal health officials are warning the peaks of the coronavirus could be coming as soon as this week in some cities, meaning even essential runs to the grocery store could be off the table soon.

Buying fresh food is one of the few things considered essential as we social distance and keep at home as much as possible, but staying at home could mean blowing past “sell by,” “use by,” and “best by” dates on food.

However, experts say those aren’t "live and die" dates, and your freezer could be your saving grace.

For example, those eggs and milk could hold out for months, if you know how to store them properly.

"You want to get as much air out of [the container] as you can or a freezer container that’s not going to crack or explode if you freeze those," said Stephanie Urrutia, registered dietitian culinary educator at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Urrutia says many of the foods in your kitchen you think are perishable can actually be good for months.

Fruits and vegetables can last anywhere from eight to 12 months in the freezer, as long as they are chopped and processed.

"Make sure you are processing your fruits so you’re not using seeds, stems, anything like that," said David Brue, Asst. Director of Culinary Services also at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. "[For example], if you’ve got a pineapple, cut it up, it’ll totally freeze for eight to 12 months."

Meats can be frozen, as many people already do, but Brue says to be careful in how you store them, or they won't last as long as you think.

"With a whole chicken, you’ve got about a month," explained Brue. "I know that sounds kind of weird, but when you leave it all intact, you leave the connective tissue and muscle fibers and bones in there so it tends to get a little bit backward."

However, portioned and cut chicken and meats can last three to six times longer.

If quarantine made the baking bug bite you, most baking ingredients like flour will last well through the holiday season, according to Brue.

Urrutia added that if you know you bought extra of something, it's better to process and freeze it now than later. Doing so preserves the nutrients in the food more efficiently.

In the end, both Urrutia and Brue say a good ol' fashioned sniff test is the best indicator, and when in doubt, throw it out.

"Touch it, feel it, smell it that kind of thing; if it smells bad, it is bad."