How To Properly Store Things In Your Fridge

When it comes to storing perishable foods, not all parts of your fridge are created equal. The way you arrange your food in the refrigerator really does matter, and proper storage will help keep your favorite foods fresh longer.

What to Keep in the Refrigerator Door

The door is one of the most misunderstood places in the fridge. Traditionally, milk, butter and eggs have been stored in this area for convenient access. Unfortunately the door is the warmest area in the whole refrigerator, and not really suitable for these highly temperature-sensitive foods. Save the door for storing:

• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Bottled salad dressing
• Olive oil
• Soy sauce
• Other condiments
• Acidic fruit juices such as orange juice.

What to Keep on the Bottom Shelf

The lowest shelf in your fridge is its coldest space, making it ideal for keeping:

• Raw meat, fish and poultry
• Eggs
• Milk
• Sealed containers of leftovers.

Concerns about bacteria also make storing raw meat, fish and poultry on the bottom shelf an excellent choice. This way bacteria-ridden liquids won’t drip down onto other foods in the event of a package leak.

What to Keep on the Middle Shelf

The center of your fridge has a temperature just right for storing:

•  Butter (in a covered dish)
• Cheeses (tightly wrapped)
• Sliced deli meats (tightly wrapped).

You probably have a drawer in the center of your fridge that will also be a perfect fit for some of these items.

What to Keep on the Top Shelf

The first area you see when you open the fridge is usually the top shelf, making it a great spot to keep the fruits and vegetables you’d like to grab for quick snacks. This space is also the perfect temperature for keeping most fruits and vegetables fresh. In addition, if you have no room for your butter on the middle shelf, it will do fine here.

What to Keep in the Crisper Drawers

If you’ve got fruit and veggie snacks up on the top shelf, what should be kept in the crisper drawers? Crispers help foods retain moisture, so reserve one of your crispers for vegetables with a large surface area that are at risk of drying out, such as:

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Kale
• Collard greens
• Celery
• Broccoli.

Certain fruits give off ethylene gas, which can speed up spoiling of the other foods in your fridge. Reserve your second crisper to keep these gas releasing foods separate from the rest of your produce:

• Apples
• Figs
• Cantaloupe
• Honeydew
• Apricots.

Does It Really Need To Be Refrigerated?

Not all fresh foods have to be stored in the fridge. These guidelines will help you decide whether or not to refrigerate:

• Potatoes, onions and garlic don’t have to be refrigerated. They just need to be stored in a cool, dark place such as a cabinet. To protect individual flavors and shelf life, don’t store these items together.
• Olive oil will do fine in your fridge, however it can also be kept in a cool, dark cabinet.
• If you’re going to use your white flour right away, keeping it in an airtight canister on your counter is safe. Refrigerate white flour if it won’t be used within a year. Whole-wheat flour spoils quickly and should always be refrigerated.
• Coffee doesn’t need refrigeration. Keep it in a cool cabinet.

When putting away groceries, remember that the space on top of the fridge is not a good place to keep anything edible. This area gets warm and will shorten the life of your perishable foods.

With all your foods stored in their optimum spaces you’ll have to deal with a lot fewer scary “science projects” when you open the refrigerator door and you can enjoy your delicious fresh foods before they spoil.