A properly organised fridge is essential for food to remain fresh for a longer period of time, which reduces waste. Did you also know proper food storage can also significantly reduce your electricity bills?
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While the average fridge is set to a specific temperature at the time of installation, that temperature fluctuates by a few degrees across the different storage areas of your fridge.
Here are our top tips for storing food most efficiently in your fridge.
Some dairy products, including fresh milk, cream and some soft cheeses, only have a short shelf life and will spoil quickly if exposed to warm temperatures. So ensure you keep these in a cooler part of the fridge. Dairy products also tend to pick up flavours from other foods, so store them covered and away from food with strong odours. While hard cheeses have a longer storage life, they can often develop mould on the surface so keep an eye on this before consumption.
Despite what some people think, eggs should be kept in the refrigerator to help them maintain freshness for longer and lengthen their storage life. To reduce moisture loss through the shell, eggs should be stored in their cartons.
Any leftover cooked meat, poultry or seafood must be refrigerated straightaway in order to stop bacteria developing. To avoid unnecessary condensation in the fridge from storing warmer food, you can let hot food cool briefly but no more than one hour, as recommended by the CSIRO. It’s also important to store cooked meat, poultry and seafood above any raw meat, poultry or seafood in order to avoid cross contamination.
- Position your fridge in a spot that has good airflow to allow it to work efficiently. Avoid putting it in a warm area or next to the oven.
- Every once in a while — and definitely each season — check that your fridge is working properly and that all door seals are intact. You should also measure the temperature of the different sections — see the next page for recommended temperature ranges.
- To avoid bacteria forming or spreading, avoid overcrowding things in the fridge — each item needs adequate air circulation around it. And only keep the fridge door open for a short time.
- Throw out any spoiled food as soon as possible, as refrigeration won’t stop it deteriorating further.
* Clean out your fridge and defrost your freezer regularly. It’s a good idea to do this when you’re low on food, as you don’t want things to spoil while you’re cleaning.
Text: Homes to Loves