When they start to wilt just a few days after I buy them, fresh fruits and vegetables like strawberries, blueberries, carrots, and lettuce quickly lose their appeal. Most of the packaging that produce comes in won’t help it last longer, but there are some ways to store it that claim they will. I put Rubbermaid’s Freshworks containers to the test to keep my leafy greens and berries fresh for as long as possible. I’ll be storing my produce better from now on.
How Are They Different From Other Storage Containers?
Rubbermaid’s Freshworks containers are different from most storage containers because they have holes in them. The company says that this helps keep food fresh. Rubbermaid’s site says that the FreshVent technology on the lid “regulates the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide, which helps food stay fresher for longer.” They also come with a CrispTray, which is a patented feature that keeps food from sitting right on the bottom of the container and helps air flow. They come in different sizes, but we tested the medium container, which holds 6.3 cups and is best for larger fruits and vegetables like strawberries, and the large container, which holds 17.3 cups and is best for greens.
Rubbermaid Freshworks Storage Containers
Rubbermaid Freshworks Storage Containers are innovative food storage containers designed to keep your produce fresher for longer. The containers feature a unique FreshVent technology that regulates the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide, which in turn helps to maintain the freshness of your fruits and vegetables. The FreshVent technology works by allowing excess carbon dioxide to escape while also preventing too much oxygen from getting in, which can cause your produce to spoil.
How We Tested
Full disclaimer: I’ve been using these storage containers in my own life for about four months, so I have a pretty good idea of how long greens will stay crisp and strawberries will stay ripe. But I bought one big container of strawberries and two bags of baby kale so I could test and compare them fairly. I cut the strawberries in half and put half of them in a medium Rubbermaid Freshworks container. The other half stayed in the container they came in. I put one bag of kale in the large Freshworks container and kept the other bag of kale by itself. So that it was fair, I opened the second bag of kale before putting it in my fridge. Rubbermaid says to put the fruits and vegetables in the container first and wash them when it’s time to eat, so I didn’t wash the strawberries or kale before putting them in the container. I also didn’t take off the strawberry tops before putting them away. I decided to check on them every day for seven days to see if they were starting to go bad.
Greens Maintained Crunch
The best thing about the kale was how fresh it stayed. I noticed that the kale aged the same way all over the Rubbermaid Freshworks containers where it was stored. By day seven, the kale at the top of the container was the same as the kale at the bottom, and the whole container was still crisp and fresh.
Around day four, I could see that the leaves at the bottom of the bag were getting wet and wilting. Even though the kale on top of the bag was still fresh, it was clear that the kale at the bottom wasn’t doing as well. I decided to use the bag of kale at this point because it was starting to show signs of going bad and I didn’t want to waste food.
Strawberries Were Still Plump
