You stocked your fridge wrong: there’s a right place for everything
YOU may not think much about where the stuff goes in your fridge, but according to one foodie it matters more than you think.
Putting certain foods out in the wrong place can actually increase the risk of food poisoning.
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Post on InstagramBailey, who is a dietician, explained exactly where everything should go and why.
So this is what should really happen to everyone.
Top shelf
This space should be reserved for ‘drinks, leftovers and things that are not needed’ to cookBailey said.
Certain spices can also go here if they do not fit in the refrigerator door.
Large jars and sauces can be stored well here.
Middle shelf
This is the “consistently coldest area,” she noted, so you should store items like eggs, cheese and other dairy products here.
If you have ready-made meals, you can also store them here.
Bottom shelf
Keep your uncooked meats here, including chicken and fish, Bailey said.
Alternatively, you can store these items in one of the two bottom drawers that most refrigerators have.
“The last thing you want is for that stuff to drip onto food that isn’t being cooked, that’s how you get food poisoning,” she said.
Bottom drawers
As Bailey noted, you can store uncooked meat in one of the drawers if you wish, but the space is best used for fresh produce.
“The bottom drawers are used to control humidity, so you can store your fruits and vegetables in there,” she explains.
In some refrigerators you can even set a different humidity level for each draw, but in most cases this is not necessary.
Refrigerator door
Generally this is the warmest part of your fridge, so it’s perfect for spices and drinks.
For that reason, “things that are not crucial to keep cold” are best kept here.
If there is space, you can also store jars of things like mustard, jam and sauces here.
How to clean your refrigerator
1. Empty your refrigerator
The first thing you should do is empty your refrigerator of all the food and drinks you keep in it.
Take the opportunity to see what is still good and throw away anything that is past its expiration date.
Try to store the food in a spacious place in cool air so that the temperature does not change too quickly and there is a risk of it spoiling.
2. Laundry shelves and drawers
Then remove all shelves and drawers, rinse with hot soapy water and clean.
Once they are clean, rinse them with cold water to rinse away any soap residue.
3. Clean the inside of your refrigerator
Be sure to clean the walls and door shelves. When performing this step, be sure to turn off your refrigerator so that it doesn’t feel too cold to clean and you can do it more comfortably.
Rinse the inside with warm soapy water and then some cold water to remove the soap.
4. Dust the condenser coils
It is important that you unplug the refrigerator during this step as you do not want to risk being electrocuted.
The condenser coils are the metal grille located on the back of the refrigerator.
It is important that these are cleaned at least once every six months or once a year because the cleaner the condenser coils, the smoother the refrigerator will run.
If the coils are filled with dust, they will struggle and have to work harder to help the refrigerator convert heat energy in cold air and you may have to buy a new refrigerator sooner than expected.
To clean the condenser coils, simply dust them off and then use a smaller brush to remove any small dust particles you may have missed.
5. Clean the outside
Now that the inside of your refrigerator is clean, you can put everything back in and plug the refrigerator back in.
You can also clean the outside of your refrigerator with warm, soapy water.