FRIDGES ORGANIZING

Basic reminder:

Layout

Hygiene

Never too full never too empty

Absent minded when you open it?

A fridge should be a friend not an enemy

 

Freezing and defrosting

It’s safe to freeze fish and meat as long as you:

Freeze it before the use-by date

Defrost meat and fish thoroughly before cooking: as meat/fish thaws stands it in a bowl to stop bacteria in the juice spreading to other things

Defrost meat and fish in a microwave if you intend to cook it straight away, or put it in the fridge to thaw so it doesn’t get too warm

Cook food until it’s piping hot all the way through

Make sure the meat is properly wrapped in the freezer or it might get freezer burn, which will make it tough and inedible

Date and label meat in the freezer and eat it within 24 hours of defrosting.

Don’t keep food in a freezer indefinitely. Always have a good idea of what’s in your fridge and freezer

Refreezing

Never re-freeze raw meat (including poultry) or fish that has been defrosted.

Frozen raw foods can be defrosted once and stored in the fridge for up to two days before they need to be cooked or thrown away. To reduce wastage, divide the meal into portions before freezing and then just defrost what you need.

Cooked food that has been frozen and removed from the freezer must be reheated and eaten immediately once fully defrosted. When defrosted, food should be reheated only once, because the more times you cool and reheat food, the higher the risk of food poisoning. Bacteria can grow and multiply when food is cooled too slowly, and might survive if food isn’t reheated properly.

Foods stored in the freezer, such as ice cream and frozen desserts, should not be returned to the freezer once they have started to thaw. Only take out of the freezer what you intend to use for that meal

 

Hygiene

There are some cool rules for making sure your fridge is a safe place to keep food.

Temperature

Keeping food correctly chilled in the fridge slows down the growth of bacteria. At temperatures between 5°C and 63°C (‘the danger zone’), bacteria on food can grow to a point where they can make you ill.

Therefore Keep the fridge at 5°C or below.

Don’t overpack the fridge, as this can stop cool air from circulating freely and the fridge may not keep the foods properly chilled.

Storage

It is very important to prevent germs from raw foods spreading to ready-to-eat foods.

Store ready-to-eat foods such as cheese, yoghurt, cooked meats and leftovers on the middle and top shelves.

Put raw meat, fish and poultry in sealed containers on the bottom shelf so they don’t touch each other or drip onto other foods.

Store leftovers in the fridge within two hours of cooking and eat them within three days.

Don’t eat food after its ‘use by’ date because it might not be safe

Cleaning

Clean the fridge regularly, especially the fridge handle, shelves and storage compartments.

Wash all surfaces thoroughly with warm, soapy water, then rinse them clean.

Dry surfaces thoroughly with a clean towel or kitchen roll.

Wipe up spills straightaway.

Never use cleaning products that may leave a taste in food or damage the fridge.

At least once a week, check for foods that have passed the ‘use by’ date, and throw them out