If you’re a fan of bean sprouts, you know that they can be a great addition to a variety of dishes. But let’s be honest, it can be frustrating when you buy a package of bean sprouts only to find them wilted and slimy just a day or two later. But don’t worry, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep your bean sprouts fresh for longer.
In this blog post, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about storing bean sprouts. We’ll talk about the best storage containers, how to prep them for storage, and some tips for keeping them fresh. Whether you’re a beginner cook or a seasoned pro, these tips will help you get the most out of your bean sprouts and avoid unnecessary food waste. So let’s dive in and get started!
Learn how to store bean sprouts with our post below. Keep reading to find the answer!
How To Store Bean Sprouts
The shelf life of bean sprouts is only 3 ~ 5 days, but they can last up to 2 weeks or even a month one with a piece of lemon or absorbent paper and a proper storage method.
Here are two methods that may help you solve the headache about the methods of storing it with a few minutes.
Method 1: Using Water And Lemon
This method includes four basic steps:
Step 1: Remove bean sprouts from package
First, let’s look through bean sprouts once to make sure that they are all in good condition. Leave all the spoiled ones before moving to the next step, as they may ruin other bean sprouts if stored together.
Step 2: Choose a suitable bowl
Make a rough guess and find a big enough bowl to store all and the added cold water.
We highly recommend choosing a bowl made from glass, steel, or any other material other than plastic.
Although a plastic bowl is endurable, unbreakable, and protects you from unwanted damage, keeping food in a it for a long time may harm the food and humans, as well.
Why? When exposed to water for a long time, plastic boxes will release harmful chemicals, causing the risk of poisoning and dangerous diseases like cancer.
Step 3: Fill the water and prepare lemon slices
Pour purified and clean water until it covers all of your bean sprouts.
However, don’t let it reach the bowl’s mouth to avoid unwanted accidents for your freezer or further cleaning. For example, if the water in the bowl pours out mistakenly, it may make the fridge out of order.
Then, slice a fresh lemon into thin pieces, and put it into the filled bowl and keep it about 5 minutes. The combination of lemon and water is sure to keep yours last longer.
Step 4: Put the bowl into the fridge
As the bowl contains a lot of water, it is best to store it in a separate corner so that other types of food cannot accidentally drop into the bowl and spoil bean sprouts.
Method 2: Use Absorbent Paper Or Fabric
1. Choose an airtight and large plastic container
It is essential to ensure that no extra air can penetrate the container during storage, as this adversely reduces the shelf life of bean sprouts, or worse, causes distortion to the taste.
2. Place two layers of paper or fabric into the basement.
A piece of cheesecloth or paper towels frequently used in the kitchen is suitable, as long as they are water absorbent. And make sure that the materials are clean and hygienic, as they will absorb the extra moisture when you store bean sprouts.
3. Put bean sprouts into the plastic container.
Remember not to wash sprouts if you want to store them for a long time.
4. Put into the fridge
Put the lid on, and place the container into any extra corner of the fridge. You have finished storing bean sprouts successfully! How easy and quick it is!
Tips And Warnings When Storing Bean Sprouts
How frustrating it is to find out that bean sprouts have gone too bad to be included in a special recipe for your family!
Whether you buy bean sprouts in grocery stores or grow them on your own, here are some useful tips that you may need to store:
1. Make Sure That You Get The Freshest Bean Sprouts
We bet that many homemakers opt for grocery stores due to their lack of time. Usually, bean sprouts are pre-packaged and have an expiration date.
Checking the label and the quality is an indispensable step, as this information may be a useful guide on how to keep bean sprouts fresh longer.
Moreover, you will risk catching bean sprout food poisoning symptoms if you ignore this information. Therefore, you need to find out how to eat bean sprouts safely.
2. Remove Bean Sprouts Tails For Storage
Removing all these tails is undoubtedly hard labor; however, it is certain to pay off!
Not only does this practice eliminate the annoying feeling when eating, but also helps to remain fresh longer! You will not see the results until you do it!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I Freeze Fresh Bean Sprouts?
Freezing is another storage method, and we employ this method to store and keep certain vegetables fresh. Can I freeze bean sprouts? You can, but we don’t recommend this one.
Once frozen, bean sprouts are likely to be soggy and lose their original taste. We bet that you don’t want to see any soggy ones in your stir-fry dishes. It is advisable to buy bean sprouts when you need them for your cooking.
2. Mung Sprouts vs. Bean Sprouts
A fact you might not know that Mung Sprouts is a shortened name of Mung Bean Sprouts. So, Mung Bean Spouts is just one type of bean which is made from Mung bean.
Mung Bean Sprouts have rich nutrition as Saturated Fat, Monounsaturated Fat, Vitamin, etc. It will provide essential nutrition with a suitable amount of input.
So, Mung bean sprouts can be a good substitution for bean sprouts in any recipes.
3. What Can I Do With Bean Sprouts?
Fresh bean sprouts can be a wonderful ingredient in various dishes. So, what to do with bean sprouts?
You can make stir-fried bean sprouts and leek, soup, Japanese bean sprouts salad, and pickled bean sprouts.
