Even with a superior airflow system, a refrigerator or freezer will be colder at the bottom. Warm air rises, so the upper shelves will always be slightly warmer than the lower portion of the unit.
The door. This is the warmest area of the fridge as room-temperature air gushes in every time the door is opened. Put your least perishable items on the door, like ketchup, mustard, soy sauce and other condiments with longer shelf lives.
The drawer is at the bottom of the fridge, so it's particularly cold and there's no chance of cross-contamination."
We recommend that you keep your fresh, raw meat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, which usually offers ideal temperatures. Make sure to keep your cooked meat and any warm foods you're putting into the fridge to cool down far away from the raw beef.
Milk, no matter if it's whole or skim, is best kept at around 37°F, which, depending on your fridge, usually means somewhere in the back on a lower shelf. You may need to store the milk on its side so that it fits easily. Avoid keeping milk in one of the door's shelves.
Even with a superior airflow system, a refrigerator or freezer will be colder at the bottom. Warm air rises, so the upper shelves will always be slightly warmer than the lower portion of the unit.
Top Shelf: Ready-to-eat foods, such as leftovers, ready meals, deli cooked meats, and sandwiches, should go on the upper shelves so they are the furthest away from the bacteria of the raw foods on the lower shelves. Middle Shelf: Next, dairy and eggs should go in the middle shelf.
Refrigerator Storage: Refrigerate eggs at 40°F or less. Store them in their original carton on an inside shelf and away from pungent foods. The temperature on an inside shelf remains more constant than one on the door, which is opened and closed frequently.
It's best to keep cheese, of all varieties, in a dark, cool and airy space – the vegetable compartment of an average fridge is ideal, as it is not too humid or cold. Cheese should be allowed to breathe, however this needs a little balance to avoid the cheese from drying out, or becoming too humid and sweaty.
The drawers at the bottom of your fridge are the best place to keep your fruits, vegetables and herbs. In fact, you may have even heard them referred to as salad drawers.
Refrigerate yogurt immediately after you buy it and store it on the colder shelves rather than in the door. Do not eat yogurt after the best before date. Once the package is opened, eat the yogurt within 3 days. Protect yogurt from other foods with strong odours by sealing it tightly.
It is a produce drawer.
The back of the middle shelf is a cold spot, too, just right for leftovers and prepared foods, whereas the front is warmer, a good choice for beans, melons, and other produce that can be damaged by very cold temperatures.
To keep your food fresh, we recommend that the ideal temperature for a fridge is 3°C to 5°C. To maintain this temperature, it is important to not have the appliance door open for extended periods.
There are several causes for a refrigerator that doesn't cool, including dirty condenser coils, poor ventilation, improper installation, faulty or dirty gasket seals, unorganized food storage, appliance location and malfunctioning internal parts.
The Coldest Spot: The rear center is the coldest spot in a freezer. This is the place to store your ice cream maker's canister so it's thoroughly frozen and ready for the next batch of homemade ice cream! The Warmest Spot: In most freezers the door shelves are the warmest spot.
In fact, it's best when it's chilled in the original package. Don't store it in the door of the refrigerator, but rather in the coldest area… near the back! If you want softened butter, remove it from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before use for a smooth, spreadable consistency.
Milk, yogurt, cheese, sour cream and fresh-squeezed juices do best on the lower shelves and not the fridge door, as this is the best consistently cold area. It's important to store these items safely in the fridge to stop bacteria from spreading and avoid food poisoning.
Soft cheeses such as cream cheese, cottage cheese, shredded cheeses, and goat cheese must be refrigerated for safety. As a general rule, hard cheeses such as cheddar, processed cheeses (American), and both block and grated Parmesan do not require refrigeration for safety, but they will last longer if kept refrigerated.
Hard-boiled eggs, peeled or unpeeled, are safe to eat up to seven days or one full week after they were cooked. To make sure they stay fresh, allow the cooked eggs cool a bit, and then store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
You can eat eggs past their expiration date. Just be sure to keep your eggs egg-cellent by storing them correctly. If you don't know if an egg is good or not, you can try the float test or give it a whiff. If it doesn't pass the test, throw it away.
If that's the case, then why are eggs not stored in fridges at the supermarket? Well, there's a simple explanation for that. It's apparently because store temperatures are kept below 20ºC, so refrigeration is unnecessary. 'This also prevents significant temperature fluctuations.
Milk. While it may seem like a convenient place to store large gallons of milk, the door is actually the worst option. Warm temperatures allow bacteria to grow, so storing milk in the door, where it will be consistently exposed, will only increase the odds of spoilage.
Store ready-to-eat foods such as cheese, yoghurt, cooked meats and leftovers on the middle and top shelves. Put raw meat, fish and poultry in sealed containers on the bottom shelf so they don't touch each other or drip onto other foods.