Electronic Gadgets to Keep Pastries & Fruit Fresh

Vegetable Crisper

Fruits and vegetables stay crisp and succulent longer in an environment that is cool, but not cold, and dry. The vegetable crisper is a component of most modern refrigerators -- it's that closed container intended to prevent loss of moisture -- and is designed to provide just that type of environment for produce. There are also standalone vegetable crispers that are not full refrigerators, but rather are designed only to hold fruits and vegetables and keep them at a cool temperature: between 60 and 70 degrees. The crispers also have adjustable temperature settings.

When you leave breads and pastries out at room temperature, they eventually dry out and become hard and stale. These foods stay soft and fresh in a slightly warm, slightly moist environment. Bread-warming drawers or warming ovens are electronic gadgets that gently warm pastries without overheating them. Some warming drawers are also able to toast bread and warm other foods. Warming drawers can be very expensive, with even the cheaper models costing several hundred dollars.

When cut fruits and dense, moist pastries are exposed to air, they may begin to darken and grow mold or even harbor bacteria. Vacuum sealers preserve the quality of food by placing it in an oxygen-free environment where most bacteria cannot survive, and where the natural process of spoilage slows down dramatically. Vacuum-sealed fruits and pastries will keep for months and will taste much like they did when you initially sealed them.

Specialized freshness devices designed for very specific purposes are also on the market. For instance, you can purchase a portable watermelon cooler that will gently chill your watermelon for hot summer days. You can also purchase individual bagel warmers and portable pastry heating devices that operate via a USB connection to your computer.