Archive for June, 2009

Safe food storage is essential for ensuring the quality of the food in your pantry, cabinets and refrigerator remain fresh and fit for human consumption. The shelf-life of food will depend upon the food itself, packaging, temperature, and humidity.

Food such as canned food that is stored in cabinets should be kept in the coolest pantry you have. Ideally the cabinet will be far enough away from appliances that produce heat. These days just about all packaged goods come with a use by date on the package that you can use to ensure that it still falls under the best use period. If you have bought a product that doesn’t have a date on the package put the date that you bought it on it so that you will use that one first. When buying canned food steer clear of badly dented or bulging cans.

Food that is stored in the refrigerator should be stored at a temperature that falls between 34 to 40°F (1 to 3°C). Food that is stored above this temperature can spoil quickly. Generally, the temperature within a refrigerator is fairly uniform. If you are looking for the coldest area outside of the freezer you would use the chill tray that may be located directly beneath the freezer section.

The warmest part of a refrigerator will usually be the bottom of the cabinet. Food storage used at the bottom will be in a temperature that may be a couple of degrees warmer than at the top of the refrigerator. Air circulating throughout the refrigerator will quickly dry out any uncovered or unwrapped food. The effective food storage time that can be achieved in the refrigerator will be affected by the number of times the door is opened and closed, particularly on warm days.

It is still necessary to use food stored in the refrigerator quickly after they have been placed there. Generally, leftovers should be discarded after 48 hours in the refrigerator.

Food stored in the freezer will keep longer than in any other part of the home and the best temperature to store frozen food is at 0°F (-17°C). If your freezer has trouble freezing ice cream it is obvious that there is something wrong or the temperature has been set too high.

Storing food in the freezer allows you to keep food for extended periods. Although the food can be stored safely for a long time, the food’s flavor and texture can deteriorate if left too long. For the best results with the freezer, try to keep it on the full side.

When buying frozen food, try to save picking them up and putting them in your shopping trolley until last before heading to the checkout. Also, ensure that the food you are buying is actually frozen solid ensuring the quality is as high as possible. Put the bought food into the freezer as soon as you can after arriving home.

So that you are more likely to consume the food in your refrigerator or pantry before it passes the expiration date, stock the shelves so that the most recently purchased items are at the back behind the older items.

For safety, always store food separate from nonfood items such as paper products, household cleaners, and insecticides. Contamination of food or eating utensils with a household cleaner or insecticide could result in a chemical poisoning.