How to Keep Food Fresh in Fridge? 21 Food storage tips!
You’ve probably been stashing your fresh foods wrongly – an expert shares the right way to do it
By Simone Wu -
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With food prices rising exponentially, cutting on food waste is one way to help manage your budget. Storing food in the fridge is the no-brainer way to keep them fresh for longer.
However, improper food storage can do more harm than good. Poor food storage in the fridge can make your ingredients spoil faster, causing unwanted wastage and even bacteria contamination.
So yes, there is a science to storing food right.
How to keep food fresh in fridge?
To get the lowdown on food storage tips, Chef Lua Chang Yung, former Culinary Instructor at the School of Business (Diploma in Culinary and Catering Management), Temasek Polytechnic shares ways to keep food fresh for a longer time.
In this comprehensive checklist, we cover food storage tips for raw meats, leftover food, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Not to forget tips to properly store dried goods like dried scallops and strong-smelling foods like kimchi and sauerkraut.
Temperature of fridge
The temperature of the fridge should be kept at 3°c or below to ensure bacteria doesn’t multiply.
Rotate food in fridge
Rotate food in your fridge so that the first in is also the first out.
Cool food before storing in fridge
Always wait for food to cool before storing them in the fridge.
Keep fridge clean always
Keep your fridge clean!
Store meat at the bottom of fridge
If you need to defrost meat, leave your frozen meat overnight in the lowest compartment of the fridge with a tray to contain any liquids to prevent bacteria growth.
Store meat in the lowest compartment of the fridge as it is the coldest section. This also prevents their juices from leaking onto the other foods.
Alternatively, meat can be individually portioned and frozen in lowest compartment of the freezer.
When storing meat in your fridge, just remember a simple rule - always try to separate your meat, poultry and seafood to avoid cross contamination.
How long can meat stay in the refrigerator after thawing? Raw meats can be stored for about four days, while cooked meats can be left in the fridge for about three days.
How to store dairy products?
Dairy products in the likes of milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt should be stored in the upper compartment of the fridge in airtight containers or re-sealable Ziploc plastic bags. In the case of milk, they can be stored in the re-sealable cartons.
How to store cheese after opening?
Soft cheeses like Brie or mozzarella should be kept in airtight containers once opened - same, in the upper compartments of your refrigerator. Harder cheeses can be wrapped up in wax or parchment paper then into a re-sealable bag.
How to store fruits and vegetables?
Can I store fruits and vegetables together? Surprisingly, the answer is no. Some fruits release ethylene gas, which causes vegetables to prematurely spoil.
Store fruits and vegetables separately in the upper compartment of the fridge or in the dedicated fruit and vegetables compartments.
Ethylene Gas Producing Fruits:
So, which fruits release ethylene gas and cannot be stored with other fruits or vegetables? Ethylene-gas releasing fruits like avocados, bananas, peaches, tomatoes and plums outside of the fridge. Here is a full list of fruits (and vegetables) that produces ethylene gas and needs to be stored separately:
- Avocados (Not in fridge)
- Apple
- Bananas (Not in fridge)
- Winter Melon (Cantaloupe)
- Mango
- Plum
- Kiwi
- Pears
- Nectarines
- Peach
- Passion Fruit
- Apricot
- Tomato (Not in fridge)
- Beans
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Asparagus
- Onions (Not in fridge)
Other fruits (that don't release ethylene gas) can be stored in the fridge - but store them separately and away from the vegetables.
However, not all fruits can be refrigerated! Some fruits do not need (and should not be) refrigerated. Here’s a list of common fruits and vegetables in Singapore that should not be in the fridge:
- Bananas: Their skin turns black in the fridge, though the flesh is still fine.
- Tomatoes: They lose all their flavour in the fridge as the ripening process is stopped. Their texture is also altered. Keep them on the counter instead.
- Unripe avocados: The ripening process is also stopped by the fridge
- Potatoes: The fridge converts their starch into sugar more quickly, resulting gritty potatoes. Store them in a cool dark place instead.
- Onions: Like tomatoes, the fridge alters their texture. Plus they tend to stink up the area around them.
- Garlic: These will start sprouting or turn rubbery in the fridge.
How to store nuts and seeds?
How to store nuts, seeds, granola, and muesli? Nuts and seeds should be kept away from light, heat and moisture. They do not need to be stored in the fridge and freezer but they can be kept in the fridge if you store them in glass or plastic containers. This way, nuts and seeds can be kept from six months to a year.
How to store leftover food in fridge?
Bought too much for dinner? Leftover food can be kept in the top or middle shelf of your refrigerator. Make sure your leftover foods are in airtight, leak-proof containers. A good tip is to label all leftover food with a post-it sticky note stating the date of purchase so you know when you should get rid of them by.
How many days can you keep leftover food? This is important. Do note that leftover foods stored in the refrigerator must be chucked out within 3 days - else you will be risking you (and your family) of food poisoning.
How to store dried food?
How to store dried foods like shrimps, sea cucumber, scallops, chillies, fish maw, anchovies, persimmons, or even longans and oysters?
First, separate them into portions that can be used all at once to reduce exposure of the entire product at once. Store them in dry containers, and in your refrigerator in a cool and dry climate.
Yet, that doesn't mean that dried foods will never go bad. Dried foods do go bad, too. Dried foods should be inspected regularly for insect infestations and mould, as they are susceptible to such spoilage. They are also vulnerable to moisture re-absorption so they must be properly packaged and stored immediately in clear, dry jars or containers with tight-fitting lids in the fridge.
How to store fermented foods?
How to store kimchi, fermented sauerkraut, or pickles? Pungent and fermented items like fermented bean paste or kimchi should be kept in glass bowls with a sturdy lid, or thick-walled storage containers.
These pungent foods should also not be touching anything in the fridge, even if they are stored in containers.
Since the fermentation smells do inevitably leak into your refrigerator, baking soda can be used to keep fridge odour at bay.
What to put on fridge door?
What do I put in my fridge door shelf? This area of the fridge has the highest temperature fluctuations since it's constantly exposed to hotter temperatures as we open and close the fridge door.
So, highly perishable foods should not be stored on the fridge door. Condiments, juices and more survivable foods can be stored here.
Contrary to popular belief, milk and eggs should not be in the fridge door shelves even though most fridges have compartments for them: they both should be placed in colder regions of the fridge.
What to store in the chiller drawers?
If your fridge comes with multiple chilled drawers, use one chilled drawer for vegetables and one chilled drawer for meat.
Always use the lower one for meat to prevent contamination via dripping. The chilled drawer used to store meat should also be cleaned often.
This article first appears in Women's Weekly. Additional text: Isabel Lim.