Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Storage at room temperature
• Method 2 of 3: Chilling food
• Method 3 of 3: Freezing Food
• Tips
• Warnings

Knowing how to store food properly will help not only save money, but also keep your family healthy. With our article, you will learn to distinguish between which foods can be stored on the table and which ones need to be refrigerated or frozen. Stop throwing away the missing food, it's time to store them properly!

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Storage at room temperature

1. 1 Priority. This principle is widely used in catering kitchens, so that food always remains fresh, no matter where it is stored. There are so many products passing through restaurants that it is necessary to swap one or two positions when delivering food. At home, this means that canned, packaged and other non-perishable goods should be dated by the date of purchase. This will first open those products that you purchased earlier.
   • Your cupboards, refrigerator and food shelves should be organized in such a way that you know where everything is and how fresh it is. If you have opened three cans of pate, then surely one or two of them will be gone before you have time to use them.
2. 2 Store foods that need to ripen on the table. Leave unripe fruit on the table, either individually or in an open plastic bag. When the fruit is ripe, it should be refrigerated to extend the shelf life.
   • Bananas release ethylene, which speeds up the ripening process of other fruits, so you can take advantage of this property and store them in the same bag with other unripe fruits. It also works great with avocados.
   • Never store fruits in sealed containers on the table, they spoil so quickly. Watch for signs of spoilage or overripe, and quickly get rid of spoiled fruits to preserve the rest.
   • Don't forget about fruit flies that flock to spoiled or missing fruit. Always dispose of leftovers in a timely manner. If you can't get rid of the fruit flies, start storing the fruit in the refrigerator.
3. 3 Rice and other cereals should be stored in sealed containers. Rice, oatmeal, buckwheat and other dry cereals should be stored in a kitchen cabinet in sealed containers. Glass jars, plastic containers and other utensils with a lid are great for storing bulk products in a cupboard or on a table. The same goes for dry beans.
   • When storing rice and other cereals in plastic bags, flour worms can start in them. For the rice itself, this storage method is fine, but the presence of small holes allows mealworms to get inside, which destroy the food. A sealed container is the best solution.
4. 4 Store root vegetables in paper bags. Anything that has grown underground does not need a refrigerator. Store potatoes, onions, and garlic in a cool, dark, dry place, not in the refrigerator. The best packaging is loose paper bags.
5. 5 Store fresh bread on the table in a paper bag. Freshly baked crispy bread is best kept on the table in a paper bag to keep it fresh for as long as possible. So it will stay fresh for up to 3-5 days, and in the refrigerator for up to 7-14 days.
   • You can also refrigerate or freeze bread, especially soft sandwich bread. If you live in an area with high humidity, then soft bread will mold very quickly. You can quickly defrost bread in the toaster.
   • If you store bread on the table, do not leave it in a plastic bag. So it will quickly become moldy.

Method 2 of 3: Chilling food

1. 1 Set the refrigerator to the optimum temperature. The temperature in the refrigerator should be 4 degrees Celsius or lower. For food, the temperature at which bacteria multiply is dangerous - from 5 to 60 degrees Celsius. If food is left at this temperature, it will become susceptible to bacteria, which can cause food poisoning. After cooling down, always place cooked food in the refrigerator.
   • Check the temperature in the refrigerator regularly. The temperature in the refrigerator may change depending on the amount of food on the shelves, so remember to keep an eye on it as you fill and empty the refrigerator.
2. 2 Store chilled food in the refrigerator. Some foods can be stored on the table, but in certain cases it is better to put them in the refrigerator. Where to store bottled beer? Pickles? Peanut butter? Soy sauce? A general rule of thumb: when purchasing a product chilled, be sure to store it in the refrigerator.
   • Pickles, peanut butter, and soy sauce can be stored in the cabinet at room temperature if unopened and then refrigerated. The same goes for oil and vinegar based products.
   • Also put opened canned food in the refrigerator. Whether it's cooked ravioli or green beans, the jar needs to be refrigerated after opening. The product can be stored both in the jar itself and transferred to a container with a tight lid.
3. 3 Allow food to cool before putting it in the refrigerator. Leftover food should be stored in closed containers, with or without a lid, but wrapped in cling film or tin foil. If the container is open, the product will transmit its smell to other products or absorb other odors by itself.Otherwise, this is a perfectly suitable way to store leftover food after cooling to room temperature.
   • After cooking the food, transfer it to a large, shallow container instead of a small and deep one. Larger containers will cool evenly in less time.
   • Meat and meat dishes should also be cooled to room temperature before refrigerating. If you put hot meat in a closed container in the refrigerator, condensation will form, which will cause the meat to deteriorate faster than usual.
4. 4 Store meat properly. Eat or freeze all cooked meats for 5-7 days. If you can't eat all the cooked meat, then you can freeze the rest, and then defrost when the choice of dishes is less wide.
   • Always store raw meat in the refrigerator, separate from cooked meat and other foods, and loosely wrapped in plastic wrap. Inspect carefully for damage. Spoiled meat turns slightly gray or brown and has an unpleasant odor.
5. 5 Refrigerate purchased eggs. Store-bought eggs may not be fresh, so store them in the refrigerator before eating. Always check the egg after breaking it, so you should break the eggs in a bowl, not directly into the food being cooked.
   • Freshly laid unwashed eggs can be stored on the table. If you buy fresh eggs from a farmer's market, it doesn't hurt to find out if they have been washed for proper storage.
6. 6 Store started vegetables in the refrigerator. Greens with leaves, tomatoes, and other cut vegetables and fruits should be kept in the refrigerator. To keep them fresh for as long as possible, they should be rinsed and wiped dry, then folded into an airtight plastic bag with a tea or paper towel to collect excess moisture and refrigerated.
   • Tomatoes should be kept in the refrigerator only when they are sliced. In the refrigerator, the inside of the tomato becomes watery, which shortens the shelf life. Chopped tomatoes can be stored in a plastic container in the refrigerator.

Method 3 of 3: Freezing Food

1. 1 Freeze food in sealed plastic bags. Regardless of what kind of food will be stored in the freezer, it is best to pack it in an airtight bag, removing air from it. To prevent "frost burns" that occur when the product freezes and dries, use special freezer bags.
   • Plastic containers or containers are also suitable for freezing certain foods. So, it is not advisable to store juicy berries or cooked meat in bags, the same applies to soup and other products, which will then be difficult to defrost.
2. 2 Freeze food in convenient portions. To use the product after freezing, it must be thawed in the refrigerator. For this reason, it is recommended to freeze food in portions in order to use them rationally later. Do not freeze the whole salmon, it is better to freeze it in several portions, which are convenient to take for cooking.
3. 3 Date and title stickers. What's in the back of the freezer, last year's blackberries or 1994 venison? Frozen foods are not easy to distinguish. Save yourself the headache by labeling every food in the freezer with a name and date.
4. 4 Freeze raw or cooked meats for 6 to 12 months. Meat is normally stored in the freezer for up to six months, but after that it begins to dry out and lose its taste. It will still be edible, but it will taste more and more like a freezer rather than meat itself.
5. 5 Blanch vegetables before freezing. It is generally a good idea to cook the vegetables before freezing, rather than just chopping and freezing them raw. Vegetables are harder to return to their natural state prior to freezing. Chopped frozen vegetables can be conveniently added directly to soup, stir-fry or stew.
   • To blanch vegetables, cut them into small pieces and dip them briefly in boiling salted water. After a couple of minutes, remove them from the boiling water and place them in ice water to stop cooking. They will remain firm but partially cooked.
   • Pack the vegetables in freezer bags in convenient portions, not forgetting the name and date sticker. Let the vegetables cool completely before freezing.
6. 6 Freeze fruit just the way you need it. How you freeze the fruit depends in part on what you plan to do with it. If you have a bunch of berries for pies, then it is better to sugar them before freezing and then you will have a ready-made filling. When freezing peaches, you can first remove the skin from them, as it will be more difficult later.
   • As a general rule, most fruits should be cut into small pieces before freezing so that they freeze evenly. You can put a whole apple in the freezer, but then you won't know what to do with it.

Tips

• There should be enough free space in the refrigerator for good air circulation.
• Older stocks should be consumed first.
• Mushrooms should be stored in paper bags in the refrigerator. In a plastic bag, they lose their shape and density.
• After opening the packaging, store the unused portion of the tofu in a container of water under a tight lid. Change the water daily. Tofu should be stored for no longer than three days.

Warnings

• Food should not be stored in a cupboard above the stove, as excessive heat will spoil them faster.