Tips for storing and organizing food properly in the refrigerator.

Refrigerators are a means of preserving food, not killing bacteria, so housewives need to consider how to store and arrange food properly.

Properly and systematically organizing food in your refrigerator will help ensure food safety and hygiene, and make it easier to retrieve items for cooking. Below are three simple steps to help housewives become more savvy when using their refrigerators daily.

1. Clean out the refrigerator.

Cleaning out your refrigerator helps you easily see what you have in excess or missing. Photo: onegoodthing.

Before rearranging the food in your refrigerator, the first thing you need to do is clean it thoroughly. Ideally, do the following in order from top to bottom:

- Discard all food that has expired.

- Select and keep only single-use condiments such as ketchup, chili sauce, mayonnaise, etc., and discard expired bottles to avoid confusion.

- If your refrigerator is too small, you can remove some foods such as tomatoes, onions, potatoes, bread, grains, bananas, etc., because these foods can be easily stored at room temperature.

2. Arrange the food.

Refrigerators also operate on a principle, and you need to understand this principle to use this appliance effectively. Currently, refrigerators usually have two compartments: a freezer compartment with negative temperatures and a refrigerator compartment with positive temperatures. In winter, if set to setting 1 (least cold), the temperature in the refrigerator compartment will be around 2 to 5 degrees Celsius, and the temperature in the vegetable compartment will be around 7 to 10 degrees Celsius, suitable for short-term food preservation. However, in summer, to maintain these temperatures, you need to adjust it to setting 4 or 5. You can refer to the arrangement below.

ButBottom compartmentRefrigerators are usually designed with specific humidity levels suitable for storing fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid placing fruits too close together in the refrigerator to prevent one fruit from ripening and causing the others to ripen as well.

-Except for the freezer compartment, the coldest part of the refrigerator is not actually the freezer.The glass panel is flush with the vegetable drawer.Therefore, this is the best compartment for storing fresh food. You should buy several plastic containers to store and categorize these foods, preventing contamination.

ButTop shelfSuitable for leftover food, drinks, and ready-made meals.

ButMiddle compartmentIt's a suitable place for items that need to be kept cool, such as coffee, yogurt, and pastries.

- Eggs and condiments can be placed inrefrigerator door.

ButIn the freezer compartmentWhen using it, please note:

Food that has been taken out of the freezer must be cooked immediately because thawing it and then refreezing it can cause food poisoning.

Newly frozen foods should be placed in the inner freezer, while older foods should be placed on the outer shelves for immediate use. Label frozen foods with the date to avoid accidentally using older items. Labeling frozen and canned goods with the purchase date, opening date, or expiration date should also be applied to the refrigerator.

3. Essential scientific habits to know when using a refrigerator.

Proper food organization is key to protecting your family's health. Photo: theglamoroushousewife.

Bacteria don't die in the refrigerator; they only slow down or stop growing, and their toxins aren't destroyed. They simply go into a temporary "dormant" state, resuming normal activity once removed from the refrigerator and exposed to room temperature or the human body temperature. To prevent illness and maintain good food hygiene when using a refrigerator, follow these recommendations:

- The water used for making ice cream and ice cubes must be boiled water.

- Cooked food that you want to store should be refrigerated immediately, no later than 4 hours after cooking. When you need to take it out of the refrigerator, you must eat it right away and not leave it at room temperature for more than 4 hours.

- Raw foods such as meat and fish, if intended for later use, must be refrigerated immediately after slaughter and not for more than 4 hours. Once removed from the refrigerator, they must be cooked immediately.

- For raw or cooked foods whose preparation date is unknown, there is a high possibility of bacterial contamination or bacterial toxins. These foods should be processed immediately or reheated carefully before being refrigerated.

- Follow this principle: Prioritize placing cooked and processed foods on the top shelf.

Even in the refrigerator, food still needs to be stored in its own airtight container.

- Clean your refrigerator once a week; ideally, clean it before you plan to go to the supermarket.

It's important to remember that a refrigerator is a means of preserving food, not killing bacteria. Therefore, the food placed in the refrigerator must be fresh, clean, and free from bacterial contamination or toxins to ensure safety.

According to ngoisao.net