Life Encyclopedia丨Is it really good to have a full refrigerator?

Almost every household has a refrigerator. Leftover food, half-cut fruits, seafood that has forgotten its "storage time"... If you simply use the refrigerator as a "fresh cabinet" and fill it up, it will not only accelerate the spoilage of food, but also become a breeding ground for bacteria.

Nowadays, as technology becomes more and more advanced, refrigerators are becoming more and more "high-end", with all kinds of functional partitions. So, how can we arrange food scientifically and reasonably? Here are some tips to "lock" the nutrition of food.

Tip 1: To use the refrigerator properly, you must first "partition it scientifically"

If food is placed in a messy way, it is easy to cause cross contamination, moisture resurgence, expiration, odor transfer and other problems. In fact, every food has a "best place".

The refrigerator compartment can be divided into 6 areas according to temperature:

(1) The door shelf of the refrigerator. The temperature is relatively high, and it is suitable for storing food that can be stored at room temperature, is not easy to spoil, or is to be eaten soon (eggs, cheese, opened beverages, condiments, etc.);

(2) The upper layer near the door. The temperature should be slightly higher than that of the lower layer. It is suitable for storing cooked food, yogurt, desserts, etc. It is necessary to avoid too low a temperature during storage;

(3) The upper back wall. The temperature is lower than near the door, so it is suitable for storing food that is not afraid of freezing (leftovers, leftover soy products, milk, etc.). Leftovers should be packed in fresh-keeping boxes;

(4) The lower layer near the door is suitable for storing various green leafy vegetables and fruits. Be careful not to store them close to the inner wall of the refrigerator;

(5) Fresh-keeping layer. For deacidified refrigerated meat, fresh-frozen fish and other aquatic products that are to be eaten within 24 hours after purchase, if there are two drawers, it is recommended that fish and meat be placed on the lower layer;

(6) On the back wall of the lower layer. Foods that are not cooked but need to be kept at low temperatures (such as tofu) and tightly packaged foods that are not afraid of cross contamination can also be placed (such as bagged cooked meat).

The freezer compartment of a refrigerator can be divided into 3 areas:

(1) The upper layer is usually the quick-freezing compartment, which is suitable for making quick-frozen dumplings, wontons and other quick-frozen fruits and vegetables;

(2) The middle layer is suitable for storing food that does not need to be heated for a long time (steamed buns, bread, dumplings, ice cream, cooked food, etc.);

(3) The lower layer is suitable for storing frozen fish, raw meat, seafood, etc. Try to keep raw and cooked food separate.

Tip2: Three principles to improve the preservation effect

Principle 1: Place the refrigerator about 70% full, leaving some space between food or containers to allow cold air to circulate, so that every corner of the refrigerator reaches the ideal low temperature.

Principle 2: The temperature in the refrigerator should be kept below 4°C, and stored food should be consumed within 2-3 days; the temperature in the freezer should be kept below -18°C.

Principle 3: Food should be “first in, first out”, that is, food stored earlier should be used first, and the shelf life of food should be checked regularly.

Tip3: 5 types of food are most afraid of being placed in the refrigerator

1. Unripe fruits: After you bring the fruits home, you should restore them to their original purchasing condition as soon as possible. For example, if the fruits are icy when you buy them, it means they have been refrigerated, so you should put them in the refrigerator as soon as possible after you bring them home.

2. Certain tropical fruits: mango, unpeeled pineapple, banana, papaya, guava, passion fruit, etc., will deteriorate faster if placed in the refrigerator.

3. Honey, preserved fruits, and chocolate: The best storage temperature for chocolate is 54℃-184℃.

4. Powdered and dried foods: such as dry products like milk powder and coffee.

5. Leafy vegetables, tomatoes, and cucumbers: It is best to buy and eat them immediately.

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