Common mistakes like putting hot food in the fridge, not closing the door properly, having a dirty fridge spoil your food quality & give rise to health risks.
Your refrigerator or freezer is one of the most indispensable items in your kitchen. However, there is a tendency among us to take it for granted. Yes, refrigerators are sturdy but even it needs proper maintenance.
Refrigerators serve us by storing foods like meat, fish, and other perishable items. It keeps the food fresh protecting it from getting spoiled. But in most cases, we give little insight into using the fridge properly. That’s why you end up throwing the leftovers in the trash rather than making proper use of them.
If you want to save your food from getting spoiled keep the taste, smell & texture of your food intact, follow these quick tips to avoid common mistakes.-
1. A Congested Refrigerator
Owning a refrigerator doesn’t mean you can stack anything & everything there. There are certain boundaries that you should maintain. However, most people put whatever they can in the refrigerator, starting from fresh foods, fruits, oils, perishable items to even canned goods.
Without realizing what to put and to what extent you, you may shorten the refrigerator’s lifespan & spoil the foods too. But don’t worry. There’s a way to determine if you are overstacking or not. Just make sure your hand reaches the farthest part of the refrigerator easily to get any food. If not, you are overdoing it.
The main problem regarding over stacking is that you end up disrupting proper air circulation. It’s crucial to maintain a specific temperature of (35-38)℃ to keep the foods fresh. Without proper air circulation, bacteria start growing, which is of great concern. In such a case, you may have to look for professional appliance repair to take care of the problem.
The perfect place to put foods that don’t need cooking is the top shelf. Use the middle rack for dairy products.
Raw meats & fishes should be kept in the freezer section of the refrigerator to stop cross-contamination and spoilage.l Use the drawers for storing fruits & vegetables & the inner door to keep canned foods, jams, drinks, etc.
Learning proper storing will save you a world of trouble & you won’t overstock your refrigerator with all the items. You also don’t have to store everything in the refrigerator like onions, avocados, peppers, etc. They only take up your space.
2. Door Not Closed Properly
Your refrigerator door is not some usual door. It has a dedicated rubber panel, which ensures it stays closed.
This rubber panel is necessary to keep the cold air intact within the refrigerator if you have a broken refrigerator then check Appliance repair Toronto. If the outside air comes in contact with the inside’s cold air, the temperature subtly drops to maintain thermal equilibrium. By doing so, the preserved temperature for stored foods in the refrigerator becomes imbalanced.
There can be two consequences of this issue. First, you may face excessive electricity bills. That’s because your fridge will have to work hard to overcome that nonequilibrium temperature & then reach the optimum temperature (which is relatively low) for the foods stored inside.
Second, your refrigerator may fail to achieve that desired temperature it needed & trigger food spoilage.
Most of us always hurry while closing the refrigerator door. It’s better to double-check whether or not the door is locked correctly. So, stop being in a hurry & spend that extra 3 seconds to make sure you closed it right.
3. Obstructing The Temperature Balance
This problem occurs when you try to put too many things at a time. You keep the door wide open for a while, which is not beneficial for your refrigerator at all.
By doing so, you are hindering the standard temperature maintained inside the fridge. You will find ice forming on the fruits, veggies. By coming in contact with outside air, the inner air temperature escalates quickly, resulting in a temperature imbalance.
Another essential factor to do is get a fridge thermometer & place it inside your refrigerator to monitor the temperature fluctuations.
Most refrigerators these days come with a pre-installed one; however, if you don’t have a thermometer in your fridge, install it to have a correct temperature reading.
4. Inconsistent Cleaning
Do you know refrigerators encounter most of the spillages of milk beverages, beer & other foods? You should treat your refrigerator with much care as you do for other kitchen appliances. Manufacturers recommend that you wash & clean your refrigerator once a week.
Even though stressful work, cleaning it once a week will make sure your refrigerator lasts a long time.
You can add a little bleach with water & clean your refrigerator. That way, you can stop the growth of harmful bacteria & eliminate bad odor too.
A refrigerator maintains a standard temperature of (35-38)℃ for all food items. A leak from the perishable goods will allow the bacteria to grow. These bacteria further destroy the taste & flavor of other foods & make them toxic in the process.
So do a thorough cleaning with soap, sponge, bleach, etc. Also, clean the area around the refrigerator. Often rusts & debris collects around the refrigerator & decreases its efficiency. Keeping the underneath of the refrigerator clean will save you a decent amount of bills.
5. Putting Hot Food In The Refrigerator
Although refrigerators can absorb heat from foods, putting too much hot food is harmful. Thus your refrigerator struggles to balance the temperature change. As a result, it takes some time for the temperature inside t to come down.
In the process, other foods experience an increased temperature, which aids in accumulating harmful bacteria. Doing so triggers other foods to spoil faster.
Your refrigerator uses too much power in the process to go back to the standard temperature & you get unexpected electricity bills at the end of the month.
However, if you have to put hot foods in the refrigerator, make sure you do it in little pots. Therefore, the airflow inside the fridge becomes easy & cools down the foods quickly.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of ways to store foods efficiently in the refrigerator but making the common mistakes we talked about reduces the lifespan of your fridge. Consider the above-mentioned tips to make sure your fridge lasts for a long time and keeps your food in good condition. Check Home Inside for more articles.