The Great Monsoon Food Storage Guide

Mushrooms may be the only kind of fungus we willingly celebrate—sautéed in butter, simmered in curry, or grilled to perfection. However, come monsoon, not all fungi are so welcome. As the rains set in and humidity soars, kitchens across the country face an annual invader: unwanted mould.

This becomes a very real problem. Storage turns into a herculean task. No matter how carefully you pack, seal or refrigerate, the damp air and persistent humidity act like a welcome mat for spores and fungus to settle on your food and spoil it. So, if you’re looking for tried-and-tested tips and easy hacks to keep your food safe this monsoon—and save yourself the heartbreak of chucking out spoiled leftovers—you’ve come to the right place. We spoke to grandmoms, moms and scoured the web for tips from internet food experts to get you an all-rounded monsoon food storage guide for this season.

Food Storage Tips & Hacks for Monsoons 

Fresh Fruits & Vegetables & Pickles
Fresh produce is the favourite playground for fungi and bacteria. You need to take extra precautions to ensure it doesn’t get spoiled.

• Rather than washing produce before storing, wait until you’re ready to cook. Excess moisture accelerates spoilage and mould growth.
  
• Wrap leafy greens in damp paper towels before placing them in an airtight container to absorb excess humidity. Keep them refrigerated and pat dry before using.
  
• Store fruits in breathable bags and packets to ensure enough ventilation.
  
• Set your refrigerator to a lower temperature. This ensures your fridge doesn’t become a breeding ground for mould and bacteria. Additionally, food remains fresher for longer.
  
• To avoid fungus from attacking your much-loved pickles, heat some mustard oil and add it to the jars. The antibacterial and antifungal properties in mustard oil create a protective barrier to prevent mould.

Grains & Dry Goods

During monsoons, it’s possible that dry grains, pulses and dals may invite unwanted pests or soil due to excess humidity. Dry goods and snacks, such as biscuits or namkeen, can become soggy, and powders like masalas and coffee can start to solidify due to excess moisture seeping into containers. You can use easy kitchen hacks, though, to keep the humidity wreckage at bay.  

• Your go-to storage options are air-tight containers that won’t let even a little bit of moisture cross the checkpoints. Store grains, such as rice, pulses, flours, and spices, in high-quality glass or BPA-free plastic jars. This shuts out mould, pests, and humidity.  
  
• You can also add bay leaves to containers of rice, dals, pulses, and other grains to deter insects from making them their home. The strong and pungent smell of the bay leaf repels insects, keeping them away.
  
• You can also add a handful of kidney beans to salt jars to avoid moisture.
  
• Sitting in rice may not fix your life, but adding some wrapped in a soft cloth to a jar of coffee will help keep the moisture away and your coffee from turning into hard rocks of caffeine.
  
• Similarly, you can add some sugar crystals to biscuit jars to prevent them from getting soggy. Alternatively, you can also store biscuits in glass jars and keep them in the refrigerator as a hack to avoid sogginess.
  
• Consider lightly dry-roasting items like sooji/rava, daliya, and flour before storing them in airtight containers. Dry roasting helps combat moisture, prevents pests, and increases the shelf life of these items.
  
• Ensure you store bread in the fridge to prevent mould. 
  

Dairy

Dairy products are also susceptible to contamination by fungi and bacteria. Ensure you purchase it from safe and reliable sources and store it properly to avoid spoilage.

• Store milk, yoghurt, paneer, and cheese at the back of the fridge where the temperature is the coldest.
  
• Boil milk before storing it in the fridge to destroy microbes.
  

Meat & Fish

Meat and fish are particularly prone to contamination, especially during the monsoons when increased humidity attracts fungi. Plus, water contamination can affect the quality of meat and fish. It’s extremely important to buy from trusted sources and clean them thoroughly before cooking.

• Monsoon humidity encourages pathogen growth, so avoid untrustworthy meat sources, and ensure packaging is leak-proof. 
  
• Store fresh fish and meat in the fridge or freezer upon purchase. Cook within 24 hours or freeze for preservation.
  
• Divide the meat into smaller packs for freezing—defrost only what you need to avoid the risk of re-freezing.
  

India spends roughly four months under the spell of the rains. During this time, humidity is at its highest, creating the perfect conditions for bacteria, fungi, and pests to thrive. Naturally, you have to adopt a more cognisant approach to storing your food to ensure it remains pest- and fungus-free. This helps reduce food waste and also protects your health.