You’re not imagining it: Grocery shopping has gotten more expensive. A lot more expensive.

Last year, The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted that food prices would rise between 10.5 and 11.5% in 2022. They’ve risen 11.4%, making the second-largest jump in prices since 1979.

Not only are prices up, but Americans also throw out between 30 and 40% of the food they purchase, according to the USDA. It’s impossible to stop buying food, but it is possible to cut down on your costs and to get food to last longer when you bring it home from the grocery store. Here’s what chefs around the country suggest.

How To Prolong The Life Of Groceries

All food has a shelf life. Many of us are unwittingly aging our food, though. Much of this comes down to improper storage. The trick is understanding how different foods react to light and temperature and storing them properly. It’s easier than most people think to not end up with soupy, unidentifiable greens.

Stop Putrefying Produce

One of the easiest ways to make produce last longer is to store it properly. “Don’t always store food in the packaging it comes in,” said Rece Hogerheide, the executive chef at the Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan. “Produce is the biggest thing to get out of the container. Produce bags trap condensation and ethylene, the gas released during ripening. These make things rot,” he said.

Read the full article here!