Fruits are the source of different healthy microelements and vitamins, this is why so many people add them to their lunch boxes to take to work. However, since we usually cut fruit prior to packing them in a lunch box, these slices will often turn dark and lose their taste and crispness!
How to keep fruit fresh in the lunch box longer? And what can you do to make fruit in your kid’s lunch bag look tasty longer? We tried to find the simplest methods to share with you today.
Related: How to Keep Grilled Cheese Warm In Lunch Box?
How to Keep Cut Fruit Fresh For Your Lunch Box
There are many different ways of how to keep cut fruit fresh in your or your kid’s lunch box. Some of these approaches include treating fruit with cold water, others will require specific kinds of packages.
However, we can name several most common methods that are used for the fruits and berries that people put in their lunch boxes more frequently than others.
- Wrapping fruit in a dry cloth
- Use a solution of cold water and salt
- Freeze your fruit
- Use a cling film to prevent fruit from browning
Now let’s see, for what kinds of fruit each of these methods can be used.
Keep Your Fruit Fresh Like a Pro!
If you often take round whole fruits, such as apples, peaches, avocado in a lunch box, or pears to work with you, consider wrapping them in a dry and clean cloth. Tie its top with a tight knot so that your fruit will not roll around the lunch box, and feel free to pack them. The same method can be used for the round fruit you give your kids to school with them.
Apples
In case you need to keep a sliced apple crisp longer and prevent it from getting brown too soon, try out a simple solution.
Simply dissolve an eighth of a teaspoon of table salt in two cups of cold water, and soak your cut apple in that mixture for approximately five minutes.
Then rinse the apple slices to get rid of that salty taste, and pack them in an airtight packet. Done! Now they can be taken to work or school safely.
Strawberries
If you like strawberries but you are worried that they will degrade in a lunch box, we can give you a hand with that. Simply wash the berries and leave them whole. That’s it! Like this, your strawberries will be able to remain crisp longer.
Kiwi
Ok, you can say, but what shall I do with kiwis? They are way too soft and tend to spoil rather quickly! Yes, kiwi can be quite a demanding thing. However, there is one solution we can suggest to keep it fresh! You can make kiwi lollipops!
All you need to do is to peel kiwis, cut them in thick slices, and insert the popsicle sticks into each slice. Then freeze them on a tray or a plate. We bet your kids will enjoy such an unusual serving of this fruit!
Banana
Finally, there are bananas. They are very nutritious, so no wonder we grab one or two with us to have a healthy snack.
There is only one bad thing about these fruits: they tend to turn brown way too fast!
To avoid this scenario, simply wrap their stems with plastic wrap. Like that, you will slow down the ripening process significantly.
Now you have a bunch of tips about how to keep cut up fruit fresh easily!
How Long Do Cut Fruit Last?
This is the most frequently asked question when it comes to keeping cut fruit crisp and tasty for your lunchbox or for your kid’s school lunch.
Indeed, there are many fruits that are better not to be sliced ahead (for instance, avocados or bananas) since they will spoil way too fast! But how do we define how much time can different fruits last edible?
Well, in most cases, cut-up fruit will stay fresh for about a week after we slice them. However, some kinds of them will get spoiled faster or, on the contrary, slower.
| Fridge |
Freezer | |
|---|---|---|
| Apples | 3-5 days | 8 months |
| Bananas | 3-4 days | 2-3 months |
| Avocado | 3-4 days | 3-6 months |
| Kiwi | 3-4 days | 10-12 months |
| Mixed fruit |
3-5 days | 10-12 months |
Like that, you will be able to figure out how long each sort of fruit will last when being cut. And knowing how to prolong their life span will allow you to keep your delicious fruity lunch fresh much longer!
How to Pack Fruits For Lunch
If you grab some fruit to work with you, you normally don’t bother much about how to pack them. But with the kids, it’s a completely different story! How to pack fruit for your little scholars so that this healthy snack remains both delicious and attractive? We know several handy tips!
- Write funny messages on bananas! Your kid will love these short love notes!
- Make small fruit cups by chopping apples and pears finely and soaking them in lemon juice for a minute to prevent browning.
- Freeze some thickly sliced kiwis with lollipop sticks being inserted into them. Your kids will love those all-natural and sweet treats!
And of course, remember to wrap fruit with a cling film, or put them in a zip-top packet to keep fresh longer.
Like that, both you and your children will enjoy fruits for your lunch easily.
Well, we shared some basic tips on how to keep various fruits fresh if you decide to pack them into your lunch box or the lunchbox of your kid. In addition, now you have a bunch of easy-to-make ideas of how to pack fruit so that your children will want to eat them at school!
With all that, and also with being aware of the shelf life time of the most common lunch fruits, your lunch box will look super appetizing from now on!
Frequently Asked Questions
⭐What fruits must never be stored cut?
Avocados, bananas, and apples are better not to be kept sliced since they spoil too fast.
⭐In what section of the fridge shall I store my sliced fruits?
The best place would be the crisper drawer.
⭐What fruits need not to be kept refrigerated?
Citruses need no refrigeration. You can keep them whole on the countertop.
⭐What fruits shall we not keep together?
Apples, avocados, and bananas are better not to be kept together since they provoke the spoilage process of each other.
