Storage tips make food last longer

The precious time you spend food shopping can be wasted if the groceries you buy aren't stored properly and used in timely fashion.

Investment of time in organizing food storage is well spent -- you'll reap the rewards later. Chaos in the kitchen drains you of time, energy, and peace of mind.

Here's some basic advice about how to organize, keep and use well and safely the good food you bring into your kitchen from the market.

When in doubt, throw it out: If it looks or smells strange, just chuck it. Remember that cooked poultry dishes keep only for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator; uncooked bacon lasts 1 week; fresh eggs 3 weeks.

Unopened canned foods can be stored for at least 12 months at 70 degrees to 75 degrees. Many canned foods will keep longer, but because it's not always possible to know the food's true age, set a 12-month maximum.

Leftovers: Hot foods should be stored and refrigerated within 2 hours after cooking. It's a good idea to date leftovers so they can be used within a safe timeframe.

Frozen foods: The amount of time commercially frozen foods can be kept in your freezer depends on the kind of food it is, and how long and at what temperature the food was stored before you bought it. Store fruits for a maximum of 1 year, veggies up to 8 months and -- this is the best scoop -- ice cream can last up to one year!

Dried foods should be stored in cool, dry, dark areas for periods of 4 months to one year, depending on the degree of heat they're exposed to -- the higher the temperature, the shorter the storage time.

Cleaning up storage space: Take it one cabinet at a time. That way you'll be focused, you'll avoid getting overwhelmed by the project, and you'll have a better chance of long-term organizational success.

Try to keep all the contents of your cabinets visible all the time. When you know what's in stock in your kitchen, your meal preparation and shopping routines will be simplified.

Clear out opened boxes and bags from cabinets. Half-empty boxes of pasta, cereal, and so on, look unappealing, take up space, and result in waste when forgotten contents deteriorate.

Improve your kitchen's appearance by using attractive storage options. Organize your cabinets by theme: Separate baking products, snack foods, grains and pastas by category, then you'll know exactly where to look for ingredients during meal preparation or when you're making up shopping lists.