We usually don’t pay too much importance to how we store food in the fridge. Many people think that low temperature is enough for food to remain fresh and retain their full nutritional value and good taste. Unfortunately, this is not true. It is therefore worth explaining how to properly store food in the fridge.
Storing food on the shelves in the fridge
The first thing to look out for is the height of the shelves. It is worth remembering that the lower the shelf is, the lower the temperature. On the upper shelf, we mainly store milk, yoghurt and kefir, as well as jams. This is due to the fact that good bacteria grow at slightly higher temperatures, while at low ones the putative bacteria can rise. Take note that they can be harmful to health when they are active.
On the middle shelf, it is worth placing primarily those food products that have a short shelf life like cottage cheese or sliced sausage. It is also a good place to store cooked dishes, for example, soups.
The bottom shelves are places with the lowest temperature and also the highest humidity. For this reason, it is good to store fruit and vegetables here. You can also place products that require low temperatures, for example, meat or fish, on the bottom shelves. This place is suitable for storing hard cheese.
On the side shelves, you can store products such as ketchup, horseradish, juices, and sauce. Of course, you can place eggs here, using a special container that most refrigerators are equipped with.
Proper storage of food in the fridge
Keeping products on the right shelves is not enough, unfortunately. There are a few more rules to keep in mind. The most important of these is to regularly review the contents of the refrigerator and remove products from it that has started to get spoiled so that they do not come into contact with other food. You should also check the expiry dates. This is a good way to reduce food waste because you can use products that could expire soon. Secondly, you should not store raw meat next to ready-to-eat foods, such as an unfinished dinner that you plan to finish the next day.
Storing food in packaging
Some foods must be stored in their packaging. It is worth considering whether aluminum foil, food foil, paper bags or plastic containers will be a better choice. Aluminum foil is especially suitable for fish and sausages, but you should not put, for example, sliced citrus or tomatoes due to possible acid-metal interactions. Food foil is recommended for cheese and leftover from dinner, but not for vegetables and fruit. It is a good idea to store very juicy and hard fruit and vegetables in paper bags. Other products are best placed in plastic boxes.
The rules for proper storage of food in the refrigerator are not complicated, so you should adapt to them so that the products retain freshness and good taste. This will benefit both health and the home budget.
