Bread – What are the pros and cons of storing bread in various locations

You find that storing in the fridge is going to give you the longest life span. Hanging will keep keep the process of drying out continuing , which will intensify the flavour but will eventually become jerky texture. Wrapping will keep a little moisture in longer. If you do keep it for a period of time , you will develop a white mould which I will just cut of as it is just surface . The curing has stopped the pork breaking down . When I travelled through Spain , all of the city markets would have whole pieces of prosciutto hanging from there stalls that where covered in a fat that was covered in a green mould. When they needed a new piece they cut the mould and fat off and would start slicing for the customers ( some up there for over a year). I think the fridge is safer.

For most vegetables, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to retain their quality once they have been cut. Your efforts would be much better spent either improving your cutting/chopping proficiency or in cooking entire meals ahead of time. Also, you could prepare components, such as sauteed onions or peppers, and maintain relatively high-quality versions of those.

Meat is a different story. You can do preparations in advance, and freeze individual portions for later use without degrading quality.

The best way to avoid freezer burn is to have a very cold freezer (ironically, easing the cooling settings on your freezer was having the opposite of your desired effect), and to prevent your food from coming in contact with air. You can use a freezer bag for each food item, making sure you squeeze all the air out of it first. However, if you are really serious about this, you would be well-served by investing in a vacuum sealer. Air is the big enemy here, so mechanically removing air from the system will greatly extend freezer life.