Let’s face it, for most of us, the fridge looks like a battlefield where ham is near tomatoes, and where meat and cheese maintain neighborly relations. Did you know, however, that having a tidy fridge is not only practical, but also important? Here is a little breakdown of what to store and where.
The cold zone: to store the most vulnerable items
This area is for raw meat and fish, or cheeses and opened products. These foods are stored in the coldest zone of the refrigerator, which is at a temperature below 4 ° C. For the majority of devices, this area is located on the top shelf.
Fresh Zone
This is the area of the device with a temperature between 4°C and 6°C. Here is the place where we will store our dairy products (cheeses, yogurt, etc) as well as meat, fish, and cooked fruits and vegetables to get the best possible preservation.
Temperate zone
This part of our fridge is at a temperature from 6° to 8°C, the bottom of the unit. Here we can store cooked cheeses, fruit, and vegetables into bins specially designed for this purpose. Here we can also store the remains of already prepared meals. Tip: Wash your fruits and vegetables before storing, and remove plastic bags, which will likely spoil the food.
The door
In this part of the refrigerator, the temperature should be from 6° to 8°C as well. We will need to use it to store eggs, butter, beverages, and condiments.
Some other tips
For a better optimization of space, be sure to remove the cardboard packaging of products such as yogurt, for example.
Also, avoid opening the fridge door too often so it stays cool. Another thing to remember is that in a crowded refrigerator, food will be less chilled, as it’s too tight. In addition, the contact between different foods may result in the bacterial contamination of your products. However, an empty refrigerator consumes too much energy, so a proper balance is needed.
Also, when you store your groceries, remember to place the oldest foods in the front so they’re consumed and not allowed to exceed their expiration date. Make sure you read the packaging because some products, once opened, will spoil faster than their sell by date.
Finally, clean your machine regularly, and take particular care to defrost it every three months to avoid over-consumption of electricity.
