Who knew?
Does ketchup go in the fridge or the cupboard? Do eggs keep better chilled or on the windowsill? Are vegetables meant to be stored cold or at room temperature? If cold, why are they not refrigerated in supermarkets?
The list of incorrectly stored food items goes on. According to a recent study published in Scientific Reports, there are many more that we haven’t even considered.
The most recent addition: coffee beans, which apparently need to be stored in the freezer for optimum results!
You may have thought that you were keeping your caffeine in peak condition by tinning and storing it in a 'cool, dry place' but freezing your beans instead supposedly makes your coffee richer and more flavoursome.
To quote beauty advert Jennifer Aniston, 'here comes the science part': water extracts flavour from smaller coffee grounds much quicker than bigger ones, and a mixture of different sized grounds makes your morning fix taste slightly sour and bitter. Freezing the beans solves this problem, giving your morning coffee a much more consistent flavour.
This works on all types of fresh coffee other than instant, so if you’re a Nescafe person this doesn’t apply to you. If on the other hand you drink ‘real’ coffee, give it a go.
Tip: make sure that you put your beans in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn, keep out moisture and to stop them from going stale. For best results bulk freeze your coffee beans in large amounts, grind them all up and then keep the grains in the fridge ready for the next day.
So there you have it: the storage secret that will revolutionise your coffee snob drinking.