How we look after our fridges and position contents has a huge impact on how long food will last. Photo / 123rf
You might be reducing the shelf life of your bagged salads and soft fruit unintentionally – here’s how experts keep things fresh.
If you’ve never given that much thought to how you organise the food in your fridge, now could be the time to start. Social media videos of people restocking their fridges (and those of their children and pets – yes, in some cases we’re talking about personalised mini fridges for every member of the household) are hitting astonishing numbers with some clips clocking up millions of views on Tiktok and Instagram, including your very own tiramisu drawer.
The surprising trend goes even further with some show-offs sharing how they like to decorate the inside of their fridges –fridgescaping – with china vases of fresh flowers, cut-glass jugs of milk and even miniature portraits under the amusing hashtag #Fridgerton.
While we might not all have the spare time to stack our shelves with immaculately co-ordinated and carefully labelled containers, how we look after our fridges and position contents has a huge impact on how long food will last.
The age and efficiency of your fridge will also make a difference. Consumer body Which? states, “The best fridge freezers maximise the freshness and lifespan of your food without using more energy than they need to.”
Many modern fridges now have super-cool or speed-chill settings as well as more accurate thermostats that can help food last longer. Best-selling fridge brand Beko has even launched a range using “three-colour light technology”, which they claim “mimics the sun’s natural 24-hour light cycle, preserving vitamins in fruit and vegetables for up to five days, compared to a standard crisper drawer”.
If you’re not currently in the market for a new model, one useful thing you might consider splashing out on is a fridge thermometer. It’s estimated that the average UK fridge temperature is set at least 2C too warm. Digital thermometers can be picked up for under £10 ($21.28) and can accurately check an appliance is keeping food at its freshest and safest by staying below the Food Standards Agency’s recommended maximum of 5C.
Have a clear-out
Pick a day when your fridge is looking sparse and start with a good clear out, checking use-by dates and looking under lids for signs of mould. Whether food is still safe to eat once mould has appeared depends on the food – for example, if a hard cheese, such as cheddar has a touch of mould, then it’s usually okay to cut away 1-2 cm from the surface and then rewrap it. Other foods such as cooked rice, pasta or other leftovers showing spots of mould should always be thrown out.
Clean the fridge
According to Which?, you should aim to deep clean your fridge two to four times a year. Place any food you plan to return to the fridge into cool bags while you’re cleaning.
Wiping down the shelves and drawers in situ should be done regularly but doesn’t classify as deep cleaning. And it doesn’t solve the problem of crumbs in the runners. Remove the shelving, drawers and door racks. If they’re dishwasher safe, that’s great news, otherwise, scrub them in the sink with washing-up liquid and hot water. If you’re not sure, wash by hand rather than risking the dishwasher, as warped plastic attachments won’t comfortably fit back into their slots. Rinse thoroughly and air dry.
There’s no need to buy a specialist fridge cleaner, they’re usually pricey and most manufacturers recommend just using washing-up liquid and warm water for cleaning the interior surfaces anyway. Avoid using chemical sprays and harsh detergents which have strong odours that can linger and transfer to foods. For a natural, budget-friendly solution, try using warm water with a splash of white vinegar or a scoop of baking soda.
Wipe from the top to the bottom and don’t forget the condensation trough and drain pipe, usually positioned at the back of the base and a key gathering spot for crumbs and gunk.
Don’t forget the edges of the fridge doors. Check the top of the doors too – they might not be in your eyeline but it’s an area that can easily attract greasy smudges and sticky patches over time. Finally, give the seals a good wipe to ensure they stay grime-free – they’re essential for keeping the cool air in.
Dry all surfaces thoroughly with kitchen paper before returning the shelves and racks to the fridge.
Keep odours under control
Odour transference can affect the flavour and lifespan of certain foods. Make sure strong-smelling foods, such as a halved onion or your homemade kimchi, are tightly sealed and kept away from eggs, dairy and other foods that easily absorb odours.
To keep the fridge smelling fresh, don’t waste your cash on plastic neutralisers, just place a small dish with a couple of tablespoons of baking soda on a shelf to absorb any unwanted odours. A scoop of porridge oats will do this job too and if you’ve got any lemon or vanilla extract in the baking cupboard, add a drop or two to create a more pleasant fragrance.
Salad
Ben Thomas, senior environment manager at Waitrose, says putting a sheet of kitchen paper in a bag of salad to absorb excess condensation works well but the most important factor is ventilation. He recommends putting leaves into a ventilated storage container to make sure there is sufficient airflow.
Bread
According to climate action charity WRAP, storing bread in the fridge will make it go stale quicker. They recommend keeping it in a cool, dry place – like a bread bin or cupboard – and once you’ve opened it, re-tie it or fold the wrapper under the loaf to keep it fresh. If, like me, you don’t get through a loaf before it starts to lose its bounce, keep it in the freezer and take it out a slice at a time.
Washing
While washing soft fruits in water with baking soda is popular on social media, Thomas explains this “hack” could actually shorten the window available to eat the fruit. “By washing soft fruit and then putting it in the fridge, the moisture can speed up the decomposition process and it’ll quickly end up as mush. If you want to wash your food, do it before eating rather than before storing.”
Packaging
Food packaging is carefully designed with preservation in mind so give the Tiktok decanting trend a miss and store food in its original packaging. Fruit and veg boxes usually have strategically placed air holes which make a big difference to shelf life. And vacuum-packed meat and fish are best left untouched until you’re ready to use them.
Lemons
Food writer Xanthe Clay keeps her lemons submerged in a jar of water in the fridge and says they stay juicy for a month. Limes work too, although they lose their green colour after a couple of weeks. She advises a change of water every few days.
Mushrooms
Ideally, buy loose mushrooms and store in a paper bag. If they come in a plastic punnet, check it has vents. If you find the mushrooms are turning brown, don’t bin them, just peel off the outer layer and discard any dry stalks before using as soon as possible.
Fruit and veg
According to Which? you shouldn’t store fruit in a drawer that contains vegetables. It’s likely to produce ethylene, a natural gas that can over-ripen other fresh food when trapped in a confined space.
Cheese
Cheesemonger and UK team leader at the World Cheese Awards, Owen Davies, says the salad drawer is the best place in the fridge for your cheese: “If you keep your cheese there, it doesn’t dry out as much and you create a kind of cave with its own environment, protecting it from the fridge’s fans.”
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