Considered the work horse of your kitchen, your refrigerator allows you to store food and beverages for you and your family. Because your refrigerator is continuously running, opening, and closing, you may have noticed that your food isn’t lasting as long as you’d like. We’re talking about 3 tips to help you preserve food longer in your refrigerator.
1. Fruits and Vegetables
When its time to put your fruits and vegetables away after coming home from the grocery store or picking them from the garden, we recommend they be separated or divided in some way. Depending on your make and model, most refrigerators allow you to put them in separate drawers or in one long drawer with a divider. Fruits and vegetables have different moisture contents and need different humidity settings to preserve them. Depending on the type of fruit or vegetable, some emit different gasses and when they are placed next to each other, they can ripen and spoil quicker.
2. Meat and Fish
Meat and fish should be stored on a separate shelf or in a lower bin in the refrigerator. Because they are raw and not cooked yet, you want to make sure they don’t contaminate any of your fully cooked food. By keeping them in a separate zone, you can ensure your food is fresh and contains the original ingredients. To make sure your cooked foods and leftovers don’t dry out, make sure they are sealed tightly in a container.
3. Cheese, Dairy, and Eggs
Cheese, dairy, and eggs can be stored together since they have relatively the same moisture content and need the same humidity and temperature. The ideal refrigerator temperature setting should be below 40 degrees. If you have a single zone unit, 37 degrees is usually the ideal temperature. For refrigerators with multiple zones, we suggest keeping meats and fish cooler while storing everything else a few degrees warmer.
Shop Refrigeration at Don's Appliances
At Don’s Appliances, you’ll find exceptions brand with great features at reasonable prices. Visit us at one of our locations in and around Pittsburgh, PA, or shop refrigerators online today!