As a parent, you can’t afford to have your family’s food be anything but the freshest of the fresh. That’s why refrigerators are so helpful. They help maximise the potential for our food by keeping them from spoiling. They keep a number of our favourite foods cold, delicious, and more importantly: edible and safe to eat.
While these useful household appliances are pretty much lifesavers and a basic part of your daily routine, did you know that there are ways to improve the way you store the food in your refrigerator?
TODAY recently shared an article that can help family’s get the most of their refrigerator, and we couldn’t help but share the amazingly helpful and resourceful list.
Let’s check out some of the ways that you can make sure you’re storing family’s food as efficiently as possible in your refrigerator. To do so, we’ll be breaking down your refrigerator section by section to better understand where we should store certain foods and why:
The Door
Did you know that the door is the warmest part of the refrigerator? Think about it: as soon as you open the door, it swings right into a room temperature environment. That said, it’s probably best to put the least perishable items here. Things like juices, bottles of water, and sodas can be stored here in the door compartments. But you should try your hardest to fight the urge to use those compartments specifically made for butter or eggs, since they perish at a much faster rate.
The Top Shelf
The upper shelf is the most consistently cool places in the refrigerator, so logically the things need a set temperature should go here. For example, milk, left-overs, and dairy products. Ken Immer, chief culinary officer at Culinary Health Solutions, says that leftovers should be stored together in the spots of your refrigerator with consistent temperatures (i.e. the top shelf). If a culinary health expert recommends it, it’s probably wise you keep your family’s food from spoiling by taking his advice.
The bottom shelf
Heat/hot air rises, cold air sinks. That means that the coldest spot in your refrigerator is the bottom shelf; especially towards the back! If you have foods that need to stay as cold your refrigerator will allow, try storing them on the bottom shelf and towards the back.
The meat drawer
As you could guess, the best place to keep meats in your refrigerator…is the meat drawer. Care to know why (other than the name)? As Ken Immer suggests, “The bottom of the [meat] drawer actually fits tightly up against a refrigerator coil, rendering it the coldest spot in the fridge. Perishable meats like raw chicken or steak should hang out in here. If you don’t have a meat drawer, to prevent cross-contamination, keep meat in its original packaging; consider buying a clear plastic bin and keep all raw meat in it on a lower shelf to prevent it from leaking on anything below.”
Crisper drawer/veggie and fruit drawer
A lot of common refrigerators have these drawers. They are designed with the needs of veggies and fruits in mind. They help to keep as much moisture as possible to make the most of your fruits and veggies. If you have a high end refrigerator, you may notice moisture settings. Use this to your advantage! Immer says that “The dampness prevents produce from drying out. Add a damp paper towel into containers with leafy greens and kale to further keep them fresh.”
you should also be mindful to keep your veggies and fruits stored in different crisper drawers (if possible). Because so many different fruits release ethylene, it’s wise to separate various products to prevent the possibility over ripened fruits and veggies.
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them with us!