Storing Food
Your Refrigerator:
It is many years since schools stopped teaching cooking and
domestic science and the result is that few people in the below
35 age bracket are familiar with risks presented by
refrigerators. This article is aimed at covering a few basic
rules that will help us store food in a safe and hygienic manner.
The average refrigerator operates between 35F (2C) and 44F (7C),
which is low enough to stop microorganisms from forming.
(Microorganisms include bacteria and mould.) It is NOT cold
enough to destroy microorganisms already present in the food; it
is up to you to ensure the freshness of food that you buy. The
fresher it is the less likely it is contaminated. Therefore you
should buy fresh and get it into a fridge as soon as humanly
possible.
One of the major problems I see with refrigerators is that the
door seal isn't sealing properly. This places a heavier than
normal load on the motor and causes burnout before the expected
life span. Also it stops the refrigerator from maintaining
optimum performance. The cost of replacing a door seal for a
refrigerator or freezer is reasonably cheap and should be done
at least once every 3 years. This will:
- Extend the life of the machine. - Keep your food safer by
maintaining constant temperature. - Save on electricity bills.
There are also a few other rules that constitute sensible use of
refrigeration that are basically common sense practices and
adhesion to these rules will enhance all of the above benefits.
- Do not open the door unless you know exactly what you wish to
take out. Opening the door allows warm air into the storage area
and this affects the electricity used and the food stored
inside. Leaving the door open destroys what the machine has
worked for hours to achieve.
- Cover all food before you put it into the refrigerator and I
go against common trends by covering with aluminum foil rather
than cling film. Foil excludes light and light is an enemy of
food. Food exposed to light deteriorates quicker than food that
is protected from light.
- I never advise placing warm or hot dishes into a refrigerator
despite claims by various makers that it is safe to do so. It is
better to cover the food and allow it to cool before placing
into the refrigerator. Hot dishes placed into the fridge cause
frosting within the machine and this forms an unwanted
insulation layer over the contents.
- Raw food such as meat and fish should be covered and placed in
the coolest section, normally the top section. If they are
uncovered they can pass their flavor to other foods such as
cheese or butter.
- Cooked meat and other cooked foods should go in the middle
section.
- Vegetables and fruits into the specially designed crispers.
These basic rules will help you produce better meals because the
food you use will be at its best.
This article is copyright © David McCarthy 2006 and may only be
reproduced in its entirety without additions.
About the author:
David McCarthy is a avid article writer and all articles
suppport his website at
http://www.recipesmania.com/ a site
devoted to freely sharing knowledge about all things food,
health and diet. The site features recipes for all occasions.