#ethylene-gas

#ethylene-gas

You're not alone if your spinach never seems to last as long as you hope - but it's not you or your fridge's fault. As unbelievable as it sounds, it's possible that tomatoes are what's responsible for those sad bundles of wilted spinach you keep pulling out of your refrigerator. The two may pair marvelously together Jennine Rye's spinach and tomato-stuffed chicken breast recipe, but shove the two of them together into the same crisper drawer, and you won't like the outcome.

The science behind ripening fruit in a brown paper bag comes down to the presence of ethylene gas. Trapping the gas inside a paper bag accelerates the ripening. Adding other fruits that produce large amounts of the gas, such as apples and bananas, helps the gas to permeate the container. Using a paper bag as your container is also imperative for letting air flow through and not trapping moisture like a plastic bag would, which can cause mold.