The key to keeping your food fresher longer is all about how it is stored in your fridge along with the fridge’s quality of course. It goes without saying that a quality fridge can help preserve food, but whether a fridge is new or old, big or small, there are organising tricks to also do the job.
RISING HEAT
As you know, heat rises…even in refrigerators. Therefore, meats and fish should be stored on the lowest shelves as they require cooler temperatures. The top shelves along with the door shelves are the warmest so it’s best to store cooked foods, condiments, and drinks here. The middle shelf/shelves can be used for dairy products.
CRISPER DRAWERS
The crisper drawers are always below the shelves for the coolest temperature to store fruit and vegetable produce. They even have a different level of humidity to maintain the produce’s freshness – you may just want to adjust this level based on what you are storing. For example, leafy greens need higher levels of humidity to last (if you ever wondered why they wilt before you get to eat them this could be why).
ADDITIONAL SHELVING
To prevent overfilling your fridge so you have to shuffle things around to find something, try tiered shelving or shelf inserts. You can even get transparent storage boxes! These additions will allow you to see everything in your fridge and make finding things much easier (and neater).
CLEAN SURFACES
Mould and bacteria can build up if your fridge isn’t cleaned regularly, which will ultimately affect your produce. Make sure to wipe down all surfaces weekly and if any strange odours arise try spraying your favourite essential oil mixed with water – some oils will even help to kill bad bacterias.
HEAVY WEIGHT
Accidents do happen so it pays to strategically stack your items with the heaviest items placed lower down in the fridge to avoid spills or damage.