Does Bell Pepper Go Bad?

Whether it’s a drink, they all have their average life for every food, fruit or vegetable. After that they start decaying, rotting when they met certain unfavourable condition; same goes with bell pepper. You can usually tell by looking at their physical nature, or their pungent smell, whether the food is going bad or not.

The rotten food is so not appealing to be eaten. And yes our very favourite bell pepper also goes bad. Soon after it starts turning into the dark brownish matter, they will start getting slimy or soft, and mould starts developing. There are always certain health risks are associated with spoiled food.

How to Store Bell Pepper

To store bell pepper, certain measures are to be taken into account. The best way is to refrigerate them that would increase their life span. Or when it is sliced, and you feel not to use them right away, you must put them in a plastic bag to maintain their flavour and fresh colour nature.

Drying the bell peppers

One of many ways to store bell peppers is to dry them so they can be used for as long as you want. Slicing them, blench them out, boiling and then putting them into the ice-chilled water will preserve their unique nature. Then put them on the parchment paper; it will absorb the excess water out of them.

Allow them to dehydrate for several hours. This process is a bit long, and it could take eight hours to complete. After that put them in the sealed jar and there, you have the delicious bell peppers for as long as you want.

Could you put them in the refrigerator?

Partially cut bell peppers need proper care to store them. Putting them in the fridge drawer, packing them into plastic bags would increase their life. Raw peppers would last 1-3 weeks in the refrigerator. Wrap them into the towel, which will absorb their excess moisture.

Choosing the fresh batch

If you want to store the peppers and those days when they are cheap, select those fresh out of the market. Choose some with a shiny exterior no matter if they are green, yellow or red. In this way, you will get a lasting flavour and fresh stock.

Canning pickled bell peppers

There are various ways for which you can store peppers. There are numerous methods for which they can be kept delicious as well as maintaining their uniqueness. Pickling has been proved to be a fine way of storing the food for the long term, yet it is also unnecessary.

Can You Freeze Bell Pepper?

Bell pepper can also be stored by freezing them. Slice the pepper, cut out their stems and remove the waste such as seeds etc. Cut the pepper in half, or in strips or whatever shape you might want to use them. Freeze their layer on a clean cookie sheet with sides, for about an hour till they freeze out.

Put them into the plastic bag, and you must use gloves while picking them out of the sealed bag. It is recommended that you should use the frozen material within about eight months or so. Peppers are one of the vegetables which can be freeze without blanching them.

How Long Does Bell Pepper Last

Bell pepper usually does not have their expiry written down, or they are not tagged with such date. With their high nutritional value, they are also a great snack in their raw form. They can be used as a salad too with their delicious colour and their refreshing taste.

In their fresh state, they could last for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. Red peppers can last for 1-2 weeks. In their sliced form, they could remain for 1-3 days. Frozen bell peppers could last for 4-6 months in a freezer.

How to Tell If Bell Pepper Is Bad

You can tell by looking at their appearance for which if they are turning wrinkled or soft. These could be cooked, but should not keep the bell pepper for too long.

• Check for Molds: Soon after they get soft, mould will start appearing on their skin, getting slimy. The other way is to cut them open, and if they smell rotten and bad, they are health hazardous.
• Check for furs: If they have developed fuzz near the end of the stem, they would be around where the stem attaches to see the fuzzy mould. Despite the fuzzy mould, they could also get brown spots around as a sign of disease.
• Check for Insects: Sometimes there is a hole which indicates that there are insects which cut their way into it.
• Check for Discoloration: They also get discoloration as turning into light yellowish colour. Sometimes there is a white-line that bursts and releases liquid which causes their skin to crack.

Sources:

• Storing bell pepper
• Bell pepper goes bad.
• The shelf life of Bell Peppers