Previously, we posted an article about food safety and edibility. Well, in conjunction to that, to keep your food fresh as long as possible, you have to store it properly. Sure, chucking it in the fridge works just fine, but the many sections of your refrigerator actually sit at different temperatures, which are better suited to different varieties of food. Remember to have your fridge set at 4.4°C or lower, as bacteria thrives in an environment between 4.4° to 60°C.
The top shelf of your fridge generally sits at 7°C. It’s one of the warmer parts of your fridge, and thus is good for things like hard cheeses and strong butters. Put food you’re not worried about here.- The middle shelves are usually 4-5°C. Fresh fish, cooked meats, eggs, dairy (such as soft cheeses), cream and yogurt are best stored here.
- The bottom shelf is the coldest, at 3°C. As it’s the coldest part of your fridge, place the food with the highest safety risk here. Raw meats and vegetables are best stored on the lowest shelf or bottom of the fridge. Meats especially, as you don’t want them to accidentally drip on food below.
- You may have crispers with adjustable humidity levels, which can be used to store fruits and veggies. If you can adjust the humidity, set one to high and the other to low.
- In the high humidity drawer, store veggies that are likely to wilt, like carrots, leafy greens, spinach, arugula, basil, and broccoli.
- In the low humidity drawer, store fruits and veggies that are more likely to rot, such as pears, apples, grapes, mushrooms, peppers, avocados, and berries.
- The door is the warmest place in your fridge, so don’t put anything remotely perishable in there (don’t be tricked by the built-in egg trays)! Condiments and anything that has a very low safety risk is okay to store in the door.
Here’s a handy visual breakdown of what to put where in your fridge:
Storing your food properly is the #1 thing to do to prolong its edible life. It’s important to package your food appropriately when storing it as well! Keep these tips in mind when putting away your groceries:
- Do not wash produce before storing it–the dampness can cause mold to grow more quickly, orfor it to rot earlier.
- Don’t keep your fresh produce in those plastic grocery bags from the store. Buy perforated plastic bags to prevent your produce from drying out, they help maintain a moist environment ideal for many fruits and veggies, but still allow air to circulate.
- For hard cheeses, keep them in their original wrapping until you open them, and then re-wrap them in wax paper, foil, or plastic.
- Things like cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, milk, cream, and similar diary products should be kept in their original containers.
- As stated before, store raw meats on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, so nothing drips down on food below. If the meat doesn’t come in a tray, place a tray below it, and keep it in the original store wrapping as long as possible. Re-wrapping increases the risk of outside bacteria settling on the food.
Now, go forth and organize your refrigerators, UofT!
– Emily Hotton
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