Common food storage mistakes you are making with your refrigerator

When used correctly, a fridge is one appliance that will make your life much easier. But if you make certain mistakes, they can spoil your food or even damage the fridge and you do not want that. You want to be sure to avoid these common mistakes with your refrigerator:

1. Storing food that is too hot

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Sometimes we just want to get things done and go our business. Even so, it’s best to always make sure that your food is cool before refrigerating it. Storing hot food in the fridge might tamper with the temperatures and encourage the growth and spread of bacteria to other stored foods.

2. Storing dairy in the door

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It’s much easier to store your milk in the door area, right? But the door area experiences the most temperature fluctuations which might affect how long your dairy products remain fresh. Milk is better stored in the back part of the fridge.

3. You are keeping food for too long

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The fridge is supposed to keep your food fresh for longer but not forever. As a rule of thumb, any cooked food that has been in the fridge for more than four days isn’t safe for consumption. If you want it to last longer, just put it in the freezer.

4. You are not labeling your food

One of the reasons as to why you might be storing your food in the fridge for too long is failing to label your food. If you don’t trust your memory enough, make sure you label your food by indicating the date of storage so that you know which foods to consume first. Also store food in clear containers so that when you see it, it reminds you that it might be time to eat it before it gets bad.

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5. You are storing raw meat in the wrong shelf

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Uncooked meat can easily contaminate other foods in the refrigerator. As such, it’s best stored in the bottom shelf to prevent spillage of its juices to other foods that could be stored below.

6. You put everything in the fridge

Some foods like onions, squash, potatoes and bananas need not be refrigerated. They can still remain fresh outside the refrigerator so that you have more space to store more perishable foods.

7. You don’t clean it as often as you should

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Don’t wait until there’s a smell coming from your fridge for you to clean it. Apart from cleaning the regular spillage that happens, make sure you also clean and sanitize the shelves even if it’s once in three months to ward off bacteria.

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8. You store your fruits and vegetables in one compartment

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It seems like it’s obvious to store fruits and vegetables in one shelf. However, some fruits like apples, avocados, and bananas emit ethylene gas which can make your fresh vegetables such as kale and broccoli turn yellow and wilt quickly.