Although the first refrigerator appeared in 1857, for many it has long remained a luxury item. Today, no kitchen is complete without it. Despite this, most people still do not know the rules for storing food in the refrigerator. Ready meals, fruits, canned food are simply put on an empty spot. If you comply with the requirements of SanPiN, blanks will not stale, mold and dry. How to achieve this, read our article.
How to store products
If you think that in the cold all products are well preserved in any form - this is not so. Uncoated vegetables and fruits can produce enzymes, dirty, unwashed carrots also lead to metabolic processes in the chamber. The result is not immediately noticeable, but milk begins to sour faster, an unpleasant odor appears in the compartment.
Although the refrigerator compartment protects against heat and sunlight, oxygen still penetrates the compartment. Want to extend your shelf life? Then pack and cover prepared dishes and fresh preparations.
Crockery and packaging
The more moisture is in the product, the longer it retains its appearance and freshness. When loading vegetables without packaging into the chamber, in a few days you will get them clipped and dried. That's because the refrigerator draws moisture. On models equipped with the No Frost system, products are quickly weathering.
Important! When bringing goods from the store, do not put them in the cell in a plastic bag. In such an environment, condensation forms quickly, bacteria and mold develop.
In which containers to place stocks so that they do not deteriorate ahead of time:
- Cling film. Great for laying bowls with leftovers of ready meals, snacks.
- Parchment paper is not only suitable for baking. Due to good air circulation it is used for packaging cheese, sausages, smoked meats.
- Foil. It seals perfectly, preventing the product from weathering and losing moisture. Can be used for ready-made snacks, fish, meatballs, slices.
- Antibacterial mat. Allows you to keep vegetables and fruits fresh for longer. It is recommended to wash, dry and put them in the lower drawers, laying a mat. Thanks to the membrane with openings, air circulates freely, saturating the fruits.
- Plastic containers. Allow you to store ready-made snacks and fresh products. If cracks and scratches appear, it is better to get rid of the container.
- Glassware is the safest and most durable option. You can store everything: from prepared meals to meat products, fish, milk.
- Vacuum pans. Able to extend shelf life. Thanks to good sealing, they do not allow oxygen to pass through, they prevent the growth of bacteria.
- Wooden containers store fruits and vegetables well.
In which departments which products are stored
So, the food must be properly packed. But it’s important to know which shelves to store supplies on. Each compartment has its own temperature regime. Therefore, it is incorrect to lay purchases "wherever one looks." Where can I store the blanks, and where are the fresh products?
The optimum temperature in the general compartment is +5 degrees. The “coldest” is considered a shelf under the freezer. The temperature on the shelves can vary from + 1 ° C to + 8 ° C.
Compartment under the freezer
Ideal for perishable dairy and meat products. The temperature norm is + 1-3 ° C.
- Cheese. You can pack it in foil, parchment, but the glass container remains indispensable. Want to keep the taste of cheese longer? Then put in a tray a couple of pieces of refined sugar. It absorbs excess moisture, preventing the product from deteriorating for two weeks.
- Cottage cheese. Often it is sold in vacuum packaging (if you do not take on weight). At home, you need to get the cottage cheese and transfer it to a vacuum or glass tray.
- Butter. Divide the large piece into portions. Set aside one piece in an oiler for daily use. Put the rest in the freezer section.
- Milk. From plastic containers and bottles, it is better to pour the milk into glass containers with a lid.
Important! It is recommended to wipe the eggs and put them in a purchased container (plastic or cardboard). It is unclear why manufacturers continue to make trays on the door: when opened, eggs are poured with warm air, which leads to a decrease in shelf life and the development of salmonella.
Milk products
“Milk” is recommended to be kept in the refrigerator for no more than 72 hours. Much also depends on the timing on the package. Pasteurized milk can last longer than regular milk. See the table for more details:
Product Name | Shelf life in the refrigerator | Storage Features |
fresh fresh milk | 12 hours | in a glass jar or a bottle closed with a lid |
boiled milk | 72 hours | in glass or plastic dishes |
pasteurized store milk | 15 days | in a tetrapack or plastic factory packaging |
cream | 25 days | in original packaging |
baked milk | 7 days | in tetrapack |
condensed milk | 1-3 months | in original packaging |
cottage cheese | 72 hours | in a plastic well-ventilated container |
hard cheese | 15 days | in polyethylene |
processed cheese | 12 days | in foil packaging |
sweet cheese | 20 days | in factory packaging |
butter | 15 days | in parchment or butterdish |
spread | 18 days | packaged |
ghee | 5 days | packaged |
sour cream | 72 hours | in glass containers or in plastic packaging |
sweet yogurt | 48 hours from the moment of opening the package | in original packaging |
natural yogurt | 72 hours from the date of manufacture | in a glass bowl |
leaven | 72 hours from the date of manufacture | in a glass container |
yogurt | 3 days | in the original packaging or in a glass jar |
chicken eggs | 21 day | in special containers |
Meat products
Meat and meat-containing products should also lie on the top shelf. For a large piece, the storage time should not exceed 48 hours. Minced meat is best sent immediately to the freezer, it is most susceptible to the development of pathogenic microorganisms.
How much to store individual products, see the table:
Product Name | Shelf life in the refrigerator, hours | Storage method |
fresh lamb | 24 | in a sealed container, glass or enameled |
pork | 24 | in a special ventilated container |
veal steam | 12 | in an open bowl |
chilled bird | 48 | in the package |
homemade sausages | 72 | in a plastic food container |
purchased sausages | 72 | in the original packaging of the manufacturer |
cooked sausage | 48 | in the manufacturer’s packaging, additionally covering the cut with cling film |
smoked sausage | 72 | in original packaging |
smoked sausage | 72 | in a plastic bag |
cutlets, meat semi-finished products | 48 | in a plastic food container |
stuffed cabbage, semi-finished products | 48 | in container |
minced meat | 12 | in a ventilated container |
fat | 2-3 months | in parchment paper |
brawn | 72 | in original packaging |
ham | 72 | in polyethylene |
Seafood
Previously, the fish must be cleaned from the insides and washed. For freezing, the scales can not be removed. When placing on the top shelf, fish should be placed in a glass dish with a lid.
Product Name | Shelf life in the refrigerator, hours | Storage Features |
fresh fish | 12 | in an open bowl covered with cling film |
chilled fish | 10 | in any dishes |
seafood | 7 | in a plastic food container |
sea kale | 72 | in the original plastic packaging or in the container |
salty fish | 24 | in a plastic bag |
smoked fish | 72 | in a plastic bag |
dried fish | 1-2 months | in parchment paper |
canned fish | 3-6 months | in the original metal tin can |
Second and third shelves
You can put here:
- Sausage and smoked meats. The whole product can be wrapped in parchment. Slicing is best placed in a glass container and cover with cling film. Do not leave it open, otherwise it will become chapped and become unusable.
- Sweets and pastries: cakes, pies, products filled with cream and jam. They can be wrapped in parchment or placed in a closed container with a lid.
- Suitable conditions for finished products. Liquid dishes can be placed in pots with a lid or pour into jars. It is better to place fish, meat, snacks in separate covered trays.
- Salads without dressing.
- Open canned food is best left in a glass dish. After opening, the tin begins to rust, which affects the quality of food.
Experts do not recommend consuming products that are stored ready-made for more than 48 hours. They are no longer useful.
Products with a short shelf life
Product Name | Shelf life, hour | Storage Features |
cakes and pastries | 12-24 | in closed containers |
pies | 24-48 | in special containers |
pies | 48 | in a sealed container |
prepared meat and meat dishes | 48 | in tightly closed containers |
soups and borscht on meat broth | 24 | in a plastic container or in a glass container |
potatoes and dishes from it | 24 | in container |
salads with sour cream dressing | 12 | in a glass bowl |
vegetable salads with vegetable oil | 18 | in a glass sealed container |
meat salads | 6 | in container |
vegetable dishes | 24 | in a plastic bowl |
sandwiches with meat | 5 | in cling film |
sandwiches with sausage and cheese | 4 | in cling film |
canned meat | 1-6 months closed 72 hours from opening | in a can |
canned vegetables | 1-4 months closed, 14 days from opening | in a glass jar |
Zero compartment or lower drawers
What shelves are fruits and vegetables on? For them, modern refrigerators include Flex Cool, Fresh Box, Fresh Zone zones. They allow maximum preservation of moisture in the fruits, which contributes to their long-term storage.
- The dry zone is suitable for meat and fish. The temperature here is zero, and the humidity is 50%. Fresh meat can be stored in such conditions for 7 days.
- Wet zone. The temperature is also zero degrees, but the humidity in the tropics is 90%. Berries are best placed in a separate container. Fruits, vegetables, greens are washed from dirt, dried, distributed in packages and sent to the box.
Vegetables, fruits, berries
Product Name | Storage time | Features |
tomatoes | 10 days | plastic bag or vegetable container |
cucumbers | 15 days | vegetable container |
celery | 5 days | package |
dill | 72 hours | in a jar of water |
parsley | 72 hours | in a jar of water |
cabbage | 20 days | in the package |
onion | 1-3 months | in bulk in a special container |
lettuce | 48 hours | in open containers |
potatoes | 1-3 months | in bulk or in bag |
radish | 12 days | in a plastic container |
carrot | 1-2 months | in bulk |
eggplant | 15 days | in the package |
beet | 1-3 months | in the package |
zucchini | 7 days | in a special vegetable container |
Sweet pepper | 12 days | in bulk |
apricot | 12 | in a plastic open container |
apples | 15 days | in bulk |
bananas | 78 hours | in the package |
persimmon | 12 hours | on the shelves |
cherry | 48 hours | in a plastic container |
sweet cherry | 72 hours | in the package |
plum | 7 days | package |
raspberry | 10 hours | special well ventilated packaging |
Strawberry | 12 hours | plastic container |
blackberry | 72 hours | any packaging |
currant | 72 hours | any packaging |
watermelon melon | 12 hours from the cut | the slice is covered with cling film |
If your refrigerator does not have such zones, here are some ideas for preserving greenery:
- Put the greens in a dry jar and cover. So the leaves will not lose moisture.
- Wrap the bundle in a damp cloth or tissue and then place it in a bag.
- You can simply put the bunch in a jar of water, and place it on one of the shelves.
Door
This is the warmest place since the door is constantly opening and the contents are surrounded by warm air. It is recommended to place sauces, dressings, spices, medicines on the shelves. Do not use the door for dairy products and eggs.
Freezer
Not surprisingly, foods are stored longer than usual in the freezer. It is difficult for microorganisms to act at a temperature of -18 degrees. However, there are also rules:
- You can freeze it only once, otherwise the contents will lose their nutritional value.
- Meat and fish products should be cleaned and divided into portions. Then pack in packages and send to the camera.
- Rinse, dry and divide berries and other plant components into portions.
- As packaging, you can use plastic bags, sealed trays.
What foods should not be refrigerated
Usually we don’t think about what products are stored in the refrigerator, and we put everything that we brought from the store into the chamber. However, there are products that do not need this:
- Exotic, tropical fruits quickly rot in the cold.
- Pears and apples produce ethylene when exposed to cold. It adversely affects the rest of the dishes.
- Bananas quickly blacken.
- Zucchini, pumpkin at low temperatures quickly rot, moldy.
- Cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes contain a large amount of moisture. If there is no special zone in the refrigerator, it is better not to put them inside.
- Olive oil loses its nutritional properties, begins to be bitter.
- The potato rots quickly. Better put it in a cellar or basement.
- Onions lose moisture and become lethargic.
- Cold destroys nutrients in honey.
- Garlic loves warmth.
- Chocolate during long-term storage is covered with white coating and mold.
- Bread absorbs all odors and substances. Better place it in the breadbox.
- Jam and other preservation are perfectly stored on the kitchen shelf.
Unwanted neighborhood
To avoid spoiling stocks, you need to know that some products negatively affect their “neighbors”. As already mentioned above, all dishes should be covered, it is desirable that they do not touch each other.
- Ready meals and raw meat, fish. Raw foods can transmit pathogens to your meal.
- Cheese (and other "milk") and smoked meats.
- Sausage and fruits / vegetables.
- Fruits and vegetables should also be in separate crates.
- Salads and fruits.
- Oil and spices.
- Eggs with any blanks.
Once a week, be sure to wipe the walls and shelves. If an unpleasant odor occurs, you can add lemon juice and soda to the water.
It is important to keep the refrigerator clean and tidy. It does not hurt sometimes to look into the instructions in order to recall the operating rules from the manufacturer.