TIPS on Food Storage

The secret in keeping your food fresher longer is on how it was stored.  One of the most critical and common way of storing food is the usage of refrigerator.  Below are some useful tips you may want to consider doing:

1.   Invest on freezer tray the one with strainer.  This keeps the meat away from its juices which causes contamination, thus spoilage.

2.   After buying meat and/or poultry from the market, cut them according to your recipe and store them using freezer plastic or just simple plastic and secure it.  As much as possible, do not put them in the fridge on top of the other.  If you cannot help it, make sure that the same type of meat is in one pile.  Never put poultry on top of beef or pork, this shortens the lifespan of the meat because of its drippings.

3.     Always rinse/clean meat before storing them in the fridge.

4.   By storing the meat according to your recipe, you will only have to thaw what is needed.  It is not healthy to re-freeze meat.  You will expose the meat to bacteria when you do so.  Some bacteria do not die even in very low temperature.

5.   It is best to transfer bacon, hotdogs and other wet processed meat in a sealed container before storing them in the fridge. This way, drippings of these processed meats will be contained, thus will not contaminate other meats in the fridge.

6.   Never put leftover food in the fridge without any cover. The fumes emitted by cooked foods are one of the causes of cross contamination.  Cross contamination equals spoilage. Better to invest on microwavable containers in different sizes and resealable plastics.

7.   Make it a habit to seal whatever food you will store in the fridge may it be liquids or opened chips, chocolates, etc.

8.   Store cheese (wrapped in cheese cloth, if possible) using vacuum sealed containers.  This way, you keep cheese from moisture and air keeping it fresher longer.  Different types of cheese need to be stored in different ways. Best to know your cheese :)

9.   Onions and garlic should not be placed inside the refrigerator for these emits strong odor that is difficult to eliminate or remove once it spread inside the fridge.

10. Leafy vegetables should be cleaned and placed in the fridge wrapped in paper towels. Do not store fruits and vegetables adjacent to each other for fruits hasten browning/wilting of your leafy vegetables.

Maximize the life span of your food by storing them properly, this way, you save money, eat good food and keep your fridge cleaner, thus, less time spent cleaning them.