10 tips to organize your fridge in a practical and efficient way

Many people have the habit of keeping the fridge full, but the visible abundance can mean waste and possible food poisoning, as excess items can cause food to be forgotten and deteriorate or be in inappropriate places for its perfect conservation. and future consumption.

The organization of the refrigerator is not a superfluous measure, it is a matter of health, because often the signs that a food is spoiled are not visible. industrialized.

To avoid opening the fridge and finding a bad smell or feeling sick with food, see the ten tips below that teach you about the correct storage of food and drinks and learn how to have an organized fridge in a practical and efficient way:

1 – Eggs in the original box

Eggs should not be taken out of their original box or washed before being placed in the refrigerator. The cardboard box is the ideal material for the perfect conservation of this food, which should be washed only at the time of use, and not before going to the fridge, as its porous shell can absorb and store water causing it to spoil.

2 – Milk in the right place

For the milk not to sour, it needs to stay on the coldest shelves of the fridge, usually the top ones, because milk when it is not subjected to low temperatures tends to ferment and gain, therefore, a sour taste and accumulation of bacteria.

3 – Dairy products with visible date

Yogurts, cream and cheeses also need to be well cooled, like milk. As they are items that are bought in larger quantities and come in small portions, an extra care must be taken with these foods: the expiration date.

“Try to stack yogurt trays, for example, leaving on top those that are closer to being expired.”, guides Isabella Peixoto, production and quality nutritionist.

4 – Raw meat with protected drip

Raw meats should always be kept in the freezer, but to defrost them you should always place them on the coldest shelf of the fridge and with a pot underneath so that the dripping of blood and water does not fall into the fridge or other foods.

“Meat drips are very dangerous if they come into contact with other foods, as they can contaminate them, both with their juice and with bacteria that can develop in this mixture.” explains Dr. Isabella.

5 – Vegetables and vegetables in a damp place

For vegetables to stay fresh for longer, you need to keep them with a little moisture. That’s why the vegetable drawer is the perfect place in the fridge to store them. Keeping them in plastic bags, loosely tied and not washing them before use are also good measures to maintain insulation and prevent the accumulation of bacteria from excess water.

6 – Fruits without washing

Fruits should also be in the vegetable drawer and wrapped in plastic bags, except citrus fruits that can be left unattended. In the case of these, do not wash them when placing them in the fridge, only doing so at the time of consumption, it is essential, as fruits are sensitive to deterioration due to excess moisture and bacteria in the water.

7 – Built-in in the middle shelves

The sausages, as well as the little pots with food leftovers that have high turnover are foods that can stay on the less cold shelves of the fridge. As sausages have high levels of preservative substances, their deterioration is more difficult, so intense cooling is not necessary. However, be careful, as they are meats, these foods should not be placed either on the low shelves or on the door.

8 – Hermetically sealed butter and cheeses

Butter and cheeses should be stored in hermetically sealed jars and in the dairy drawer of the fridge, as they can maintain their ideal temperature there without over-freezing and losing texture or going rancid.

9 – Condiments on the door

Condiments are usually rich in vinegar and salt, which are natural preservatives. Therefore, ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressings, olives and pickles or hearts of palm, for example, can stay on the fridge door.

10 – Natural juice with more cooling

Beverages such as juices, soft drinks and water keep well in the refrigerator, but non-industrialized juices, that is, freshly squeezed from the fruit, should be kept on cooler shelves and consumed as soon as possible, as they do not contain preservatives and, in addition to losing their vitamin properties over time, are more susceptible to the development of bacteria.