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How To Best Store Spinach To Keep It Fresh, According To Chefs & Nutritionists
The term superfood can often seem intimidating or unapproachable, but when it comes to spinach, neither sentiment rings true. The versatile vegetable is easy to find year-round, and you can use it in everything from smoothies to salads to pasta dishes without significantly altering the flavor. The only downfall: how quickly spinach spoils.
"It won't last as long as hardier greens such as collard greens and kale because the leaves are more tender," culinary and integrative dietitian Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, L.D., explains. The tender leaves and the high moisture content (about 90% water) make it difficult to buy spinach in bulk—or even make it through one bag—before it wilts.
"If it starts to look slimy or has a bad odor, don't eat it," registered dietitian Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, advises. Those are two telltale signs your spinach has spoiled. Thankfully, there are a few ways to store spinach (in the fridge and freezer) to make it last longer.
How to store fresh spinach.
"The key to extending the shelf life of spinach is keeping it dry," Moore tells mbg. "If you purchase spinach fresh in a bundle, wait to wash it until just before cooking. If you rinse it ahead of time (say for a week of salads), use a salad spinner to remove all traces of water."
Then, follow this step-by-step storage guide from chef and certified nutritionist Serena Poon, C.N.:
- Remove the spinach from its packaging and dry it completely.
- Throw out any leaves that may have gone bad.
- Stack paper towels at the bottom of an airtight container.
- Lay the dry spinach leaves on top of the paper towel.
- Close the container and store in the fridge.
If the spinach you're purchasing is prewashed, Moore recommends eating it as soon as possible. "But once you open the bag, add a clean napkin to the bag to wick away extra moisture, and keep the bag closed," she says.
How to freeze spinach.
If you want to preserve your spinach beyond the standard five- to seven-day expiration date, consider storing it in the freezer. For optimal longevity, Largeman-Roth recommends following this method:
- Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 2 minutes (until it turns bright green.)
- Cool it down with an ice bath and drain the water.
- Store the spinach in a freezer bag or in ice cube trays.
10 ideas for using fresh or frozen spinach.
Fresh and frozen spinach can be used relatively similarly. However, fresh spinach is ideal for raw, uncooked dishes, like salads. Adding it to the end of the cooking process in pastas, stir-frys, or curry dishes helps maintain the crunchy texture and flavor of fresh spinach.
Frozen spinach can work well in just about any spinach dish that's not a salad. Think spinach-artichoke dip, creamed spinach, spinach pancakes, omelets, or take a beat from Whole30 founder Melissa Urban and add it to fried rice. Freezing spinach in ice cube trays makes it easy to pop them in the blender for a veggie-packed smoothie.
The bottom line.
Spinach is high in fiber, as well as antioxidants, like beta-carotene, vitamins A and K, and lutein, registered dietitian Maggie Moon, M.S., R.D., previously told mbg. Both fresh and frozen spinach maintains these nutrients and can be used interchangeably when cooking (for the most part.)
If you plan to eat your spinach within the first week or so, storing it in the fridge is a safe bet. If you want to keep it longer or buy more than you can get through on your own, opt for the freezer. When it comes to nutrition, you can't go wrong either way.
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