As it turned out, food storage is real science.
Our task is to make the refrigerator a place where products will be stored as long as possible and at the same time, not lose their taste. We must not allow our refrigerator to become a cemetery for the products we bought and the money spent on their purchase. To prevent this from happening, you need to know some rules and apply small tricks. Here are some of them.
Rule 1. Free the refrigerator of excess food
The essence of this advice is to regularly check the contents of the refrigerator and timely remove everything that has long been expired, etc. For more information about it, check out https://refrigeratorfaq.com/
Why is it good to do this?
- More free space – less food waste. By removing spoiled foods, the remaining food is easier to control and use on time.
- In addition, electricity is saved. After all, as you know, the more products in the refrigerator, the higher the energy consumption.
Rule 2. Your refrigerator should always be clean
You need to know that the refrigerator needs to be washed regularly.
A clean refrigerator is not only a joy for your eyes but also the freshness of products and their best preservation. In addition, a cleaned refrigerator (from snow and ice) better maintains temperature, consumes less electricity and, again, better stores food.
Washing the refrigerator.
After unloading all the products, pull out all the shelves, drawers, that is, everything that can be removed and thoroughly rinsed. Soak them in a sink with warm soapy water and clean them of dirt and food debris adhering to the surface.
Wash the walls of the refrigerator with a soft cloth and soapy water and then wipe with a clean cloth. Take all the garbage and small crumbs out of the refrigerator. A lot of them accumulate on the seals on the refrigerator doors. Also, check if there are damages and cracks on the sealing, and whether it requires replacement since violation of vacuum insulation can lead to a violation of temperature and increased energy consumption.
Wash all the outer walls of the refrigerator, especially the back wall. A lot of dust and dirt always accumulates on the ventilation holes and grille. And this can affect the temperature regulation in the refrigerator and increase energy consumption.
If you have a No Frost refrigerator, the defrost will happen automatically. But still, 1-2 times a year you need to free the freezer from food and clean it.
The process of cleaning the freezer from ice and snow takes much more time and effort if you have the fridge with manual defrosting.
This is how it usually happens:
- free the refrigerator from food
- turn off and unplug the refrigerator
- put containers for collecting flowing liquid on the shelves of the refrigerator and in front of it. Put a cloth that will absorb water under the refrigerator door just in case.
- the refrigerator defrosting takes a long time (depending on how often you defrost it), from about 2 to 12 hours
- after defrosting, wash the refrigerator with warm soapy water, wipe it dry and fill it with food containers
Sometimes there’s absolutely no time to wait for the refrigerator to defrost itself. You can speed up this process: put cups with warm water or a heating pad with hot water on the shelves.
Rule 3. Correct food storing
Usually, many different foods are stored in the refrigerator. And, often, the proximity to a particular product causes them to spoil more quickly.
Therefore, products are best stored in separate containers. You can use both plastic and glass containers.
In addition to ordinary plastic bags, you can use special bags in which fruits and vegetables can be stored for up to a month. But the price of these packages is different.
There are general rules for where meat, fish, milk, vegetables, fruits, cooked foods should be stored in the refrigerator, and at what temperature.
Raw meat and fish should be stored at sub-zero temperatures and only in the lower drawers. Fruits and vegetables require completely different conditions. There are special places for storing sausages, cheese, boiled meat, etc.
Do not use refrigerator doors to store milk, eggs, or other perishable foods. The temperature in this place is unstable, and the product will deteriorate much faster.
A few more tips:
Keep food separate from each other.
- The meat is stored better if it is separated from the bones
- It is better to coat uncooked sausage with vegetable oil
- Cheese is best stored if wrapped in foil
- It is better to pour milk into a glass jar
- Never store bananas, melons, and pineapples in the refrigerator
- Bread retains its best taste in a freezer
- It is better to store foods (ham, sausage, cheese, fruit) whole than sliced. In that way, they will last longer
- Before you go to the store, check the contents of the refrigerator. You may already have the product you intend to buy, but you simply don’t see it.
I hope that these simple tips will help you save lots of your budget. And it is also your contribution to the preservation of the environment.
