5 Food Storage Myths

Do you still keep potatoes and bread in the fridge and milk on the door? Such mistakes can affect not only the taste of products, but also affect health and wallet. It's time to dispel the five most common food storage myths at home.

Do you still keep potatoes and bread in the fridge and milk on the door? Such mistakes can affect not only the taste of products, but also affect health and wallet. It's time to dispel the five most common food storage myths at home.

Myth 1. The shelf on the refrigerator door is a place to store milk and eggs.

 

Tall and narrow shelves on the refrigerator door, it would seem, are designed to store bags or bottles of milk, kefir and other dairy products. A special plastic egg holder also fits perfectly on the door. But the whole truth is that this place is most prone to temperature extremes. Opening the refrigerator causes warm air to enter. This increases the likelihood of getting a spoiled product, even when the deadlines are still normal.

Perishable foods, especially dairy products, should be stored in a cooler place. The ideal option is near the back wall of the refrigerator.

Myth 2. You can not store thawed foods.

 

Most housewives are firmly convinced that if meat or fish is thawed, they cannot be re-frozen or even stored in the refrigerator. The only option is to cook it right away or, alas, send it to the bin. In fact, it is very important how the product was defrosted. If you left it on the table, thawed it in the microwave or in a container of water, for example, such a product really needs to be cooked right away. It is not recommended to store meat on the table for more than 2 hours.

But if you thawed seafood, fish or meat in the refrigerator, you can safely re-freeze them.

Myth 3. Hot meals should not be refrigerated.

 

If you are in doubt about whether you can still send hot soup to the refrigerator, put aside all doubts! The refrigerator is also designed to cool food. In addition, leaving perishable foods on the stove to cool completely, you endanger yourself. It is best to send ready-made meals to the refrigerator no later than 2 hours after preparation, provided that the room is cool. In summer, this period should be reduced to 1 hour. A large volume can be divided into 2-4 servings so that the dish cools faster.

The faster you put food in the refrigerator, the safer it will be to eat.

Myth 4. To keep bread from spoiling, it must be kept in the refrigerator.

 

If you do not have time to eat bread, do not send it to the refrigerator. There, the bread quickly loses moisture, and therefore becomes stale. And even warming it up, alas, will not save it.

The ideal place to store bread is a closed shelf in a kitchen cabinet. And you can always freeze the surplus.

Myth 5. All vegetables and fruits should be stored in special compartments of the refrigerator.

 

Modern manufacturers of refrigerators equip them with special “freshness” shelves, in which it is recommended to keep vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Indeed, for some of them, such as apples, there is no better place to be found. But this is not true for all vegetables and fruits. For peaches, bananas, pears, storage in the refrigerator is best only if they are already overripe.

Tomatoes, potatoes, garlic and onions, melon and citrus fruits do not like the temperature drop. Storing them in the refrigerator can affect both the taste and texture of the product. And, of course, they spoil faster.

Proper storage of products will help them stay fresh, healthy and tasty longer.