There are many places of horror, and some refrigerators are definitely among them: after shopping, everything is quickly stuffed in there at random, long-forgotten banana yoghurts are nestled against the back wall next to lumps of ice – stop! Ice-cold chaos in your refrigerator at home doesn’t have to be the case.
Because properly organizing your fridge, organizing your food effectively and paying attention to hygiene not only saves money, but also gives you a good overview. Here are the best tips and tricks to ensure that your food (and your fridge) lasts as long as possible.
Food is a valuable commodity, not just in times of high inflation: if you treat it properly and carefully, you save money and the environment. Organising your fridge correctly is also an important factor.
For example, the consumer advice center advises:
The refrigerator has different temperature zones that follow a basic physical principle that is easy to remember: warm air rises. Therefore, the higher you go in the compartments (apart from the separate vegetable compartment, which has a temperature of around eight degrees), the warmer it gets.
Another very practical principle that we know from the shelf stockers in the supermarket: put the food that expires first to the front. There they are clearly visible. Juggling and playing what feels like “Tetris” with pudding or yogurt cups is worth it.
In the bottom part of the refrigerator there are usually one or two drawers for vegetables – hence the name of the compartment. Temperatures here are around eight degrees. The following can be put in the vegetable compartment, for example:
Extra tip for durability and hygiene: Store herbs and salads in a plastic bag. Remove the green parts from carrots, radishes, etc., then they will last longer. Line the bottom of the vegetable compartment with kitchen paper, which absorbs excess moisture.
Perishable items such as fresh meat, raw fish or sausage should be placed on the lower glass shelf directly above the vegetable compartment, where it is between two and four degrees cold.
Very modern refrigerators also have a so-called “cold storage” or “zero-degree compartment” especially for sensitive meat and fish products.
The middle compartment of the refrigerator is usually around five degrees cold. This is where you can store, among other things:
The top shelf of the refrigerator is the warmest, with temperatures between eight and ten degrees. Perfect “climatic” conditions for anything that contains a lot of sugar, fat or acid and is therefore not particularly sensitive. For example:
Every refrigerator also has compartments in the door – the inside of the appliance is one of the warmer zones in the refrigerator, with temperatures of up to ten degrees. Butter, mustard, horseradish, ketchup and mayonnaise are stored well here, as are drinks, for which there is space in the lower part of the door.
When answering this question, it is important to keep a cool head, as you usually have to “feel your way” to the right setting. According to energy experts at the consumer advice center, the ideal temperature is seven degrees, measured in the middle of the device.
The crux of the matter: Depending on the refrigerator model/manufacturer, the cooling levels vary and can usually be adjusted using a dial inside the appliance. Level 2, for example, does not make every refrigerator equally cold.
Extra energy tip: Check the temperature with a thermometer every now and then. According to the consumer advice center, just one degree more (i.e. eight degrees) means a whopping six percent more power consumption. And: the older the device, the more “power-hungry” it is.
A clear “yes and no”. Up to 18 days after the laying date, eggs still have a natural protective layer, the cuticle. This is a wafer-thin protein layer that lies over the tiny pores on the eggshell. The cuticle protects the inside of the egg from the penetration of germs. But only up to around 18 days after laying.
In supermarkets, discount stores, farm shops and at weekly markets, eggs are not cooled before being sold. If you want to be on the safe side, always store raw eggs in the fridge, consumer advocates advise.
In the refrigerator, it is best to store eggs in the egg compartment in the door or in the top compartment. Very important: once cooled, always cooled! Eggs do not like temperature fluctuations.
As good and necessary as the refrigerator is for many foods, there are certain types of fruit and vegetables or foods that are better not stored in the refrigerator. These include:
You come back from shopping and have bought a lot of food that needs to go in the fridge. And now what? Is it better to just open the door briefly every now and then or leave it open while you put things away – quickly, of course? The consumer advice center has a very clear opinion on this: it is more energy efficient to leave the door open while you put things away.
Tip: Check the seals regularly, because if they are not properly sealed, heat will flow into the refrigerator from the outside and disrupt the temperatures inside. This means the refrigerator will also “draw” more electricity – and nobody wants that in these times.
A smelly refrigerator is not only unappetizing, but often unhygienic too. In addition to regular cleaning (don’t forget the drain channel for condensation on the back wall, this is where most of the germs and bacteria that cause smells like to “hide”), household remedies can also help to get rid of the smell. For example, a small bowl of coffee powder or half a lemon – both bind odors.
Von Stefanie Monien (smo)
The original of this article “Organizing the refrigerator correctly – which foods belong in which compartment” comes from Express.de.
