Salt water beats lemon juice for lunchbox fruit

Salt water beats lemon juice for lunchbox fruit. A quick soak in salt water stops apple and banana slices from browning, and it won’t make the fruit taste like a pretzel.

Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of water, drop in the slices for five minutes, then rinse. That’s it. The salt messes with the enzyme that causes browning. If you don’t want salt, use a little ascorbic acid powder (vitamin C) mixed in water — it’s the same stuff in those commercial anti-browning packets, just cheaper.

For the container, go with any airtight option, but glass with a rubber seal is best. It won’t hold onto smells and it doesn’t stain. Fill the container as full as possible so there’s less air inside, and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the fruit before you close the lid. That direct contact is what really slows browning, not the container brand.

For bananas, keep them whole and unpeeled until lunch if you can. The peel already does the job. Only do the salt-water dip if you’re slicing them ahead of time.

The lunchbox deserves better than sad grey apples.