Kevin Son / Daily Nexus

Conquer time itself when it comes bananas. Need to ripen bananas? Place them in a brown paper bag with an apple for roughly one to two days. Not sure why this works, but I don’t question the fruit gods. If you need to do the opposite and keep bananas from over-ripening, then place them in a plastic bag and stick them in the freezer until you need to use them.

Don’t cry about it: Onions can become a breeze. To avoid tears, put the onion in the fridge before chopping. You can also prolong the storage time for half an onion by saving the bottom half if the recipe only requires half an onion. The root of the onion helps keep the onion fresher for longer. Here’s another onion tip: Yellow onions are pungent and great for cooking, white onions are milder and mostly used for Mexican dishes and red onions are sweet and the mildest and are typically served raw.

Potato spuds are a humble root veggie. Try and purchase them with smooth skins and more rotund shapes because if they have begun sprouting eyes then they are too ripe. When storing them, keep them away from onions, which cause them to spoil quicker. If frying potatoes, blanch them first in mildly boiling water to ensure they cook through without charring.

Garlic is often overlooked, but your choice to include them can make or break your recipe. Choose tightly wound garlic cloves with paper thin skins. To separate these impossible-to-peel cloves, pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds. Also remember that surface area is important with flavor; the finer you chop garlic, the more pronounced the flavor will be.

Store your washed greens and lettuce in loosely wrapped or layered paper towels to keep them fresh and crisp longer. Avoid greens with thick and rough stems, and to ensure the best flavor, give your produce a good whiff before purchasing; the more aromatic the green, the richer the flavor will be.

Speed Round:

Mushrooms should be removed from the plastic airtight packaging they come in and placed in a dark paper bag to help reduce their decay level and keep them fresher longer.

Broccoli should be stored with the stems submerged in water to keep it fresher.

Tomatoes should have shiny light red skin when purchased and an aromatic scent to ensure maximum flavor.