How to store food at home like a pro

Have you ever opened the fridge, noticed a funny smell and then found an old, rotten lettuce at the bottom of the salad drawer? Or maybe you decided to clear out the fridge and discovered a pepper trapped and frozen into a block of ice against the back wall?

You’ll be relieved to know that this happens to a lot of people, but it doesn’t have to! All you need is some simple tips on how to store food in the fridge and kitchen properly and I can guarantee you’ll be throwing away a lot less food in the future!

Learn more about how to reduce food waste at home

In this post I’ll share my top tips to help you:

• understand food labels
• learn how to store food in the fridge and freezer
• know which foods can be stored outside of the fridge

Understanding food labels

Lots of food spoils and is wasted in our homes simply becuase we don’t understand or keep track of the dates and labels on the packaging.

Let’s have a look at the labels you might see and what they really mean:

• Use-by date: this indicates the date that a food can go bad. It’s best to eat food prior to this date or it could be bad for your health.
  • STORAGE TIP: Keep foods with earlier use-by dates at the front of your fridge or cupboards so you’re more likely to remember to use them.
• Best before date: this indicates the date until which the food will be at its best. Foods with a best-before date normally have a longer shelf life and can be eaten after the date on the label, but the quality may not be as good.
• Sell by date: this date is actually for the retailers to inform them when the product should be sold by or taken off the shelf. You can usually still store and consume the food after the sell-by date.
  • STORAGE TIP: Check the Use-by date to see how long you can keep the product for after the Sell-by date.

Using a meal planner to schedule your meals and groceries can also help ensure that you use all your food before their use-by and best before dates.

How to store food in the fridge

Lots of our food is stored in the fridge to keep it fresh for longer.

Keeping fruit and vegetables in the fridge can extend their shelf-life which is useful if you do your grocery shopping once a week or once a fortnight.

Dairy products such as milk, cream, cheese and butter should also be stored in the fridge, especially once they’re open. I often find that yoghurt and cream can be consumed after the use-by date too, just smell it first and use your senses to tell you if it has spoiled or not!

Meat and fish should always be consumed by the use-by date. The bacteria that could cause food poisoning cannot be detected by smell, so it’s not recommended to rely on solely on your sense of smell to check if meat or fish is still ok to eat.

Remember to clean your fridge regularly and allow it to thaw once or twice a year to avoid a build up of ice.

Here are some of my top tips for storing food in the fridge:

• Most vegetables are best kept in the crisp drawer of the fridge. Try to keep them away from ethylene-producing fruits (apples, stone fruits, mangoes, passion fruit, pears, and kiwis) to prevent them from decomposing sooner.
• Store fruit in the crisp drawer of the fridge, separately from your vegetables. Bananas, citrus and stone fruit can be stored outside of the fridge.
• Invest in natural beeswax wraps or airtight containers to keep any cut fruit and vegetables fresh until you need them next time.
• Roll leafy greens and fresh herbs in a damp tea towel to prevent them from wilting and losing their crunch!
• Keep cheese in a porous material rather than plastic wrap to prevent it from sweating and forming mould.
• Meat and fish should be kept in the fridge and should be eaten within 2-3 days of purchase. Otherwise it’s best to store them in the freezer and defrost overnight in the fridge before cooking.
• Separate raw and cooked foods where possible to prevent contamination.
• Wait for cooked foods to cool completely before putting them in the fridge to prevent unnecessary temperature fluctuations.
• Opened condiments, sauces, jams and preserves should be kept in the fridge. If any mould forms on jam, I simply remove it with a spoon and consume the rest of unspoiled jam!
• Eggs should be kept under 20ºC. If your home is consistently warmer than this, store eggs in the main body of your fridge, not the door. This is because the door is most susceptible to temperature changes which is bad for eggs. If your home is fairly cool, you can store eggs on the counter.

How to store food in the freezer

Generally speaking, most things can be frozen and thawed safely at a later date. Thaw food safely by letting it defrost in the fridge overnight.

Some foods can be used from frozen, for example fruit that will be blended into a smoothie, herbs or spices that can be stirred directly into sauces, or portions of meals that are already prepared and can be reheated in the oven (e.g. my aubergine lasagna or milanesas!).

Here are some best practice guidelines on how to store food in the freezer:

• Freeze meat and fish before it’s use-by date.
• Never re-freeze thawed meat or fish.
• It’s safe to freeze meat and fish, thaw and cook it and then freeze the cooked meat or fish again.
• Eat thawed food within 24 hours of it being defrosted.
• Ground coffee is apparently best stored in the freezer since they keep longer and maintain their taste!
• Use ice cube trays to store minced garlic or ginger, or even chopped fresh herbs so they’re ready to add straight to your cooking.
• Store vegetable offcuts in a bowl in the freezer until you have enough to make them into a homemade vegetable stock.

What should I store in the cupboards?

You can store lots of dry goods in your kitchen cupboards. I find it useful to organise by cupboards by putting items with earlier use-by dates at the front so that I don’t forget to use them.

• Unopened dry goods will keep in their packaging for several months.
• Once opened re-seal the packaging well with a peg or an elastic band, or move it to an airtight container. Then consume before the use-by date or use your sense of smell, sight and touch to judge whether items are still edible.
• Ground spices and dried herbs are best stored in airtight jars and consumed within 6 months. After this amount of time they will start to lose their flavour. Whole spices can last a couple of years.

What can I keep on the counter?

Some produce will be perfectly find stored on kitchen counters or tables in your home. Personally, I love seeing bowls of colourful fruit and vegetables around the house!

• Potatoes, garlic, onions, tomatoes and squash are best stored in a cool, dry place and can last a couple of weeks.
• Bananas, melons, citrus fruits and stone fruits are best stored on the counter in a basket. However, once cut they should be kept in the fridge to prevent them from drying out.
• As mentioned, eggs should be kept under 20ºC. If your home is consistently warmer than this, store eggs in the main body of your fridge. If your home is fairly cool, you can store eggs on the counter.
• Bread can be kept at room temperature wrapped in beeswax wraps or in a ziplock bag. I normally have a loaf of sliced bread in the freezer for easy to reach toast!
• Cakes can be wrapped in plastic or beeswax wraps for a couple of days on the counter. After that they’re best kept in the fridge, especially if they’re already cut.

I hope all this information was useful! Once you put it into practice you’ll notice how much less food you waste per week. Pair all this with using a meal planner and you’ll rarely struggle with food going out of date or spoiling!

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