Keeping your fridge clean and contamination-free is easier than you think it is.
There are lots of research-based techniques that you can use to prolong the storage life of food while it’s kept inside your refrigerator.
Most of these involve no-brainer methods. There’s practically no rocket science needed, only good sorting skills and management.
Fridge organization can give you an idea of what are the contents of your fridge. It helps you strategically decide what goes out first.
Not only does it help you reduce your chances of getting food poisoning and wasting food, but it also cuts your weekly shopping bills.
Here are some tips that you can use when organizing food inside your fridge:
WHERE AND WHAT TO PUT?
TOP SHELVES
Cooked foods, and foods that don’t need more cooking.
LOWER/MIDDLE SHELVES
Dairy products (milk, butter, etc)
BOTTOM SHELF
Raw meat and fish (Make sure they are wrapped and sealed)
DRAWERS
Vegetables, fruits, and herbs should be kept here.
DOOR SHELVES
Condiments, jams, and juice.
FOOD SAFETY TIPS:
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- Clean your fridge regularly. Check out these tips.
- Raw and cooked foods should be kept away from each other. Raw foods should be stored on the bottom shelf to minimize the chances of dripping overcooked food and contaminating it.
- You can never tell if the meat is spoiling by simply smelling it. Most bacteria that cause food spoilage may come odorless so always be vigilant.
- Keep fresh foods more towards the outside and away from the back of the fridge. There’s a tendency that your greens and herbs might freeze up and spoil.
- There are some vegetable and fruit items that must be kept out of the fridge. These are avocados, bananas, tomatoes, peaches, pears, and other “gas releasers”. Food spoilage is more predominant if you have them inside your fridge.
- Cooked food must be covered. Raw meat and fish should be covered and sealed properly.
- Defrost only inside the fridge. Once your food is already thawed outside, never take them back inside.
- Allow food to cool down at room temperature before putting them inside the fridge
FOOD MANAGEMENT
One way of keeping your fridge fresh is knowing all of its contents.
You can do this by identifying the expiration dates of all of your food and keeping a logbook or side notes that you can easily see or access.
It seems like a tedious task but it’s very efficient if you want to save money and reduce food waste.
You can also label near-to-expiration foods with “eat me first” sticky notes to make sure you won’t lose track.
Or consider using a nonpermanent marker and just write down your food plans on the exterior of the fridge. It’s less of the hassle compared to cutting and taping notes on your food.
The good thing about food management is it helps eliminate food spoilage. Spoiled foods are known to produce odor-causing bacteria that bring nasty odors to your fridge.
Is your fridge smelly too? Read this blog to know how the best practices in combatting the stench.
Constantly educate yourself on how to maintain an orderly and clean refrigerator so that it can efficiently do its job of keeping food fresh.
Always remember: your fridge should be a place to store food, not for food to die and be forgotten. Make sure to always purge your fridge for food that is near to their expiration dates.
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Sources:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/a552355/organising-your-fridge-right/
https://www.organized-home.com/posts/how-organize-refrigerator-best-food-storage-tips/