Refresh Your Refrigerator

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With holiday season fast approaching you may be preparing your shopping lists to start buying all the ingredients for your favorite dishes or, if you’re like me, preparing your leftover containers to take home all your favorites your friends and family bring to the party. But before you start to fill up your refrigerator, I would recommend a refrigerator reset to keep those ingredients and leftovers fresh and safe!

 

Making sure your refrigerator is clean and safe can mean more than just throwing out expired food and giving the front a good Clorox wipe down. It’s important to monitor temperature, cleaning the inside of any sticky spots, and having a logical organizing system can be key in ensuring you are protecting yourself from foodborne illnesses or wasting your precious dollars by throwing out those strawberries you forgot you bought two weeks ago because they were shoved to the back behind your hummus and yogurt! Here are some tips and tricks to making sure your fridge is in tip top condition before adding all your holidays treats:

 

Set the temperature below 40°

Clean once a week with clean, soapy water

Wipe up spills and leaks as they happen

Place smaller items towards the front

Use clear containers to see what you have

Keep raw animal products in sealed containers

Keep condiments in the door

Store milk and eggs in the center (not the door)

Store raw meats in the bottom shelf

Produce should be kept in the crisper drawer

Deli meats and cheese should be in meat drawer

Monitor expiration dates

Use leftovers within 3 to 4 days

Frozen leftovers should be eaten within 3 months

 

 

This list may seem overwhelming, and you may look at it and think you won’t have time to tackle each recommendation, but odds are you already do most things on this list and if done once, most of these are easy to maintain. So, take the time to give a little extra TLC to our fridge, it’s earned it! 

 

If I can leave you with any piece of advice, let it be this: when in doubt, throw it out! Download the picture below to print and keep close to your refrigerator as a reminder!

 



 

 

https://www.eatright.org/homefoodsafety/four-steps/refrigerate/does-your-refrigerator-need-a-makeover

 

https://www.cancer.net/blog/2016-03/3-steps-clean-and-safe-fridge-people-with-cancer


PR

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