A wide range of videos are recommending tips on how to store food properly in the refrigerator, helping to make your supplies – and your budget – go further.
1. Store food at between 0° and 4°C
The first thing to do is to choose the right refrigerator temperature to optimise the preservation of your butter, yogurt and other fresh produce.
According to Anses, France’s national food safety agency, a fridge should not exceed 4°C “at the coldest point”. And it’s worth checking regularly with a thermometer if the environment is adequate for the conservation of your groceries.
This is a habit many TikTokers have adopted, such as this user from the United Kingdom who shows how the system of expiry dates can lead to massive amounts of waste.
Most members of the social network advise storing food at between 2°C and 3°C. At this level, Anses confirms that the growth of microorganisms and bacteria like listeria or salmonella should be slowed.
On his professional website, renowned chef Philippe Etchebest recommends placing a thermometer into a glass of water in the fridge to verify the exact figure, rather than the temperature of the ambient air. Clever!
2. Store food in the right place
Once you’ve set the temperature, you need to choose the right place in the refrigerator to store different products.
It can be hard to know where to start, since there’s so much contradictory advice – so, France’s ministry of agriculture has offered some help.
The coldest part of the fridge is at the top. However, depending on the model of refrigerator, this could be located just above the crisper drawer.
Usually, looking at the inside of the appliance will tell you what you need to know by means of a snowflake symbol or some other distinctive sign. That’s where you should put meat and fish.
Ready-made dishes, cheese and yogurt should be placed in the middle.
Then, the trick is to remember what’s in your fridge. To help with this, one US TikToker had the good idea of taking a picture of the full fridge after all the groceries have been put away.
This will help you keep on top of what to eat during the week, while avoiding you having to buy surplus food on your next shopping trip.
Don’t forget that you should also clean your fridge at least once a month.
3. Use absorbent paper towels
Paper towel is a must-have to better preserve food in the fridge. Many TikTokers encourage their community to place a sheet of kitchen paper in the crisper drawer to absorb moisture or mould from vegetables.
They even recommend adding a sheet of paper towel to a pack of salad leaves before closing the lid, then turning the container over. This trick supposedly helps keep the salad fresh for longer.
However, be careful not to fall into the trap of using too many paper towels. Fruit and vegetables need to be able to breathe to be properly stored.
Contrary to what some videos might suggest, you shouldn’t wrap carrots in paper towels before putting them into a plastic bag. According to Quebec farmers’ network Equiterre, you can cut off the tops and wrap them in a bag – but only if you make holes in the bag beforehand so excess moisture can escape.
Eggplant can be wrapped in a cotton kitchen towel. And, in general, vegetables should be placed in the crisper!
4. Store fresh herbs in ice
Here’s a useful tip that will delight anyone who’s regularly disappointed by wilted bunches of parsley, dill or chives only a few days after buying them.
Make ice cubes of fresh herbs to use whenever you wish. Simply chop them up, put them in an ice cube tray, pour in some olive oil, and freeze.