How easy it is to clean up the refrigerator and store food according to the rules
'15.03.2021'
Source: The Village
How to make everything right so that it is tasty and healthy to eat and not to throw out too much.
The Village talks about good habits and simple actions that can ultimately make life better. In the new issue of Justinia Khokhlova and Stephen Kelly, the authors of the EcoVolk project on reasonable consumption and waste reduction - on what and how to store in the refrigerator in order to throw out less food.
Make a menu for the week
Not everyone will like this thought, but the refrigerator should not be clogged with food. Like on the supermarket shelves, we like to see abundance by looking in the fridge. At the cost of an imaginary feeling of prosperity are growing urban landfills, where not eaten products are sent. This is not only a waste of resources, but also greenhouse gas emissions.
In the fridge should be exactly as much food as you need to live until the next trip to the store or to the market. To do this, you should create a menu for the week and buy products strictly on the list. We will not conceal that at first discipline is needed here, but this good habit quickly takes root.
IMPORTANT: Provide one vegetarian day per week. If we all do not eat meat at least once a week, this will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere: the meat industry is one of the main culprits of climate warming. In addition, try to buy local products: the closer they are produced, the less will be your negative impact on the environment.
Place products in groups from top to bottom.
Each shelf of the refrigerator has its own temperature regime, so you need to arrange the products wisely. Ideally, you need to read the instructions attached to the refrigerator. Everything is explained there. However, there are some general rules.
DOOR REFRIGERATOR - the warmest part of it. Usually there plus 10 degrees, and there comes the most warm air from the room at each opening. No matter how convenient it is, it is not recommended to keep bottles with milk in the door. Here is a place for eggs, sauces, jams, juices and alcohol.
TOP SHELF: There are already 8 degrees, so it is recommended to store berries, greens (in a glass with water) and salads on it.
SECOND SHELF TOP - for dairy products: from cheese and butter to yogurt and kefir. In general, medium shelves are designed to store ready meals and desserts.
BOTTOM SHELF: It is the coldest here (2 – 3 degrees), so it is better to place raw meat, fish and poultry, as well as sausages on this shelf.
IN BOXESwhich are often located under the lower shelf, the humidity is higher than in the other compartments, therefore, vegetables, greens and fruits are stored here. Pay attention to the symbols on the boxes: apples, pears and other fruits that produce ethylene gas, should be stored separately from other vegetables and fruits, so that they do not overripe.
IMPORTANT: Regardless of the shelf, it is important to leave a gap between the products allowing air to circulate. In a clogged refrigerator, food deteriorates faster.
Freeze everything
As for the freezer, the same principle applies: the lower, the colder. Therefore, meat and fish are stored in the bottom drawer, on average - semi-finished products and ice cream, in the top one - berries and so on. In general, besides the obvious dumplings and shrimps, many other products can be put in the freezer.
Our main life hacking is freezing good fresh bread. It should be cut immediately after purchase, put in a container with a lid (preferably crosswise, so that the whole loaf does not freeze into one big lump) and send it in the freezer. Then, as necessary, defrost several pieces in the microwave or on the grill. You are guaranteed bread, like an oven. This is especially true for those who do not like stale bread.
On the subject: Foods that should always be refrigerated
Eggs can be frozen both raw and boiled. Baking lovers, who often have to go to the store to buy eggs at the last moment, can use this method: squirrels need to be separated from yolks and frozen in portions in zip-bags or small containers.
The wine remaining after making the sauce can be poured into an ice mold and then used as needed for similar purposes.
The sure way to save a banana is to cut it into large pieces and freeze. It will make a wonderful smoothie or homemade sorbet. Jamie Oliver has another good recipe: put the “Isabella” grapes in the freezer and enjoy natural sorbet and fruit ice all summer long. This ice can decorate and cool any summer drink.
IMPORTANT: Defrost food parts, if not going to cook them for 24 hours. Repeated freezing is fraught with poisoning, because when heated, bacteria multiply. If you warm up a dish cooked the other day, make sure that it is evenly and strongly heated (steam must come). So again you will save yourself from poisoning.
Three more life hacking on food storage in the fridge:
- Transparent containers (preferably glass) will allow you not to forget what lies in the refrigerator, and to put everything into action before the expiration date.
- If you opened the tin can, transfer the contents to a glass container. If you do not use this product too often, put a sticker on the jar with the opening of the package.
- Water-filled containers are the most efficient way to store carrots, celery, ginger, and other products that tend to dry out and shrink. So you can save half-eaten sweet peppers, peeled raw potatoes, beets and sweet potatoes. The water in the container needs to be changed every few days. Use it for watering plants, for example.
What are you (possibly) doing wrong
Tomatoes in the fridge lose all their charm, turning into a slurry, so they need to be stored in the air. Cucumbers and eggplants, too, do not like the cold.
Potatoes, onions and garlic do not tolerate moisture in the refrigerator. They need a dry dark place. One of our subscribers suggested that potatoes can be stored for a very long time in a sandbox. We have not tried.
On the subject: What American nutritionists' refrigerators look like
Spicy sauces in the cold lose their taste, so they place in the closet.
Vegetable oils, especially olive, prefer room temperature. If you really want, sunflower oil can be put in the refrigerator, but only in the door.
Chocolate in the refrigerator is also not the place: as with overheating, in the cold it changes texture, it becomes covered with white bloom (by the way, safe for health) and stops melting in the mouth.
