How organised are you at storing fridge and freezer food? Although you might think you have this process nailed, are careful when storing different food types, and always check use-by dates, you can never be too careful when it comes to safe food storage.
If you want to safely store food and prevent any risk of food poisoning, take our advice, read and digest these tips from us here at Polysec Coldrooms Limited.
Decide what you need to put in the fridge
When you do a fresh food shop, as well as checking the use-by dates on items, you should also consider whether they need to be refrigerated or not. A quick read of the label will verify this. Some items will say ‘keep refrigerated’ on the label, so it’s obvious they need to be stored in the fridge to slow down the growth of germs.
Wondering what to with leftovers? Let them cool completely at room temperature and you can then put them inside a storage container and place them in the fridge. If you open a tin of produce and don’t consume all the contents, decant what is left into a container and this can go into the fridge too.
Want to keep meat or poultry in the fridge? That’s fine, simply separate cooked meats from raw meats and place them inside containers, then store them on the bottom shelf.
How about eggs? Some people store eggs on counter tops. We recommend you store them in the fridge to keep them at a constant temperature.
Need freezer advice? Do this!
Most items are suitable for freezing as long as you do so before the use-by date. It’s a good idea to bag freezer food up and label and date it, so you know what the food is and how long it has been stored for. Always defrost fish and meat completely before you think about cooking it. You can do this in the microwave if you are ready to cook it right away, or simply let it thaw in the fridge overnight to keep it at a cool temperature.
Worried about re-freezing cooked meat? Don’t be. You can defrost meat, cook it, and re-freeze any leftovers ready to use again. The same goes for fish, just make sure you let the meat cool down thoroughly before you put it in the freezer.
A good tip if you are storing food in the freezer is to divide it up into smaller portions. Do this and you can defrost the exact amount you need in the future and prevent wastage this way.
As suppliers of quality cold storage units, we understand how important it is to store fresh or frozen produce safely here at Polysec. For advice or guidance, contact us today or call us on 01905 458551.