Refrigerator is one of the most useful inventions by man whereby we can prevent the wastage of the
very precious commodity of life – food.
But like any other devices there is a proper method of using a refrigerator so as to increase the life of
both the refrigerator and the food kept in it. Improper refrigeration of food can lead to a variety of
diseases in people, especially in their gastrointestinal system.
The refrigerator or fridge has two parts, one is the freezer where food is frozen and the other part is the
deck with a slight temperature difference for storage of food stuffs. The freezer is maintained at a
temperature of 0 degrees and easily perishable foods like meat, fish, ice cream, etc. may be stored in
the freezer.
The deck of the fridge maintains a temperature of up to 4 degrees since it is between 4 degrees and 60
degrees that all the bacteria, fungi and other organisms are able to thrive and multiply. The bacteria,
virus and fungus in the foods kept in a fridge are not destroyed, but when food is stored in the fridge at
temperatures below 4 degrees, the bacteria, virus and fungus in the food remain in a dormant stage and
they would not be able to multiply or spoil the food.
How to Store Food in Fridge ?
The usual practice is our homes is to prepare food for lunch, have the left-overs for dinner and then
store the rest in a fridge for future use. But the food that we cook can remain fresh only for 2 hours at
room temperature and it starts decaying in about 2 hours of cooling down. Often, the food that we cook
in the afternoon, if kept at room temperature till late evening, the bacteria must have already multiplied
in it widely within a period of 7 to 8 hours and it is then that we move it to the fridge. This leads to the
spoiling of the food when it is thawed the next morning. This stale food has bacterial toxins that produce
excessive gas, indigestion, acidity, etc. So the proper time to move a food into a fridge is when it is
cooled down after cooking. The excess amount of food must be immediately stored in the refrigerator in
a closed container and the required amount may be kept at room temperature.
Some people cook and store food for 2 to 3 days and this also has to be done within two hours of
cooking the food. Also, when removing some food for reheating, the rest of it must be kept back into
the fridge within 2 minutes since if this food remains at room temperature for a longer time, its
temperature rises and the bacteria starts multiplying quickly.
The storage instructions are mentioned clearly in case of packaged foods and they must be stored
accordingly.
Eggs are seen to be stored on the door of the refrigerator, but when we open and close the door of the
fridge, the foods kept on the door of the fridge, including egg, will be spoiled very quickly. Eggs can be
stored with the shell in a container inside the deck of the fridge or can be broken and stored in freezer in
small containers. However, the eggs must not be frozen with their shells.
How To Store Fish and Meat in Fridge ?
When freezing meat or fish, it must be stored in separate small containers or ziplock bags such that only
the required portions can be removed from the freezer and used and the rest can be left undisturbed.
Also, if it is a single door fridge, it must be made sure that no water from the meat or fish drips into the
other food kept below as this will lead to cross contamination of food.
The frozen meat or fish bought must be checked for freshness. The meat looks pink and bone would
appear to have a bright red color when fresh. If stale, the meat has a pale color to it and bones would be
black.
The fridge must not be opened too many times as it would lead to variation of temperature inside and
thereby spoilage of the food. Also, such practice leads to lot of power wastage. So, all the things
required from a fridge must be taken out together and must be kept back together too after use.
Also, clean the hands and dry them well before touching anything inside the fridge to avoid
contamination and subsequent spoilage of food in the fridge.
Food must be kept in a fridge only after it is cooled completely. Otherwise, there is a tendency for it to
spoil and also the temperature inside the fridge changes quickly leading to spoilage of other foods that
are in the fridge already.
If storing water, it must always be in a glass bottle and not a plastic bottle as the chemical called
bisphenol A present in the plastic bottle will dissolve in the water when kept in the fridge and even the
smell of the water is altered in addition to the plastic particles dissolving in it. In case you need to use a
plastic bottle, make sure it is a grade 5 plastic bottle.
The food in a fridge may be either used when it is slightly cold and it would be safe from any bacteria, or
it must be heated to approximately 70 degrees before using. The foods like ice cream are hence
considered harmless as they are consumed cold.
There are some foods which must not be refrigerated. Usually, all fruits must not be kept in the fridge. It
is better to buy fruits sufficient for one or two days and consume them within that period. Similarly,
placing pieces of watermelon in the fridge leads to change in taste and multiplication of bacteria in it.
Onion and potato too must not be stored in the refrigerator and may be stored at room temperature for
4 to 5 days.