During the New Year holidays, the refrigerator is usually bursting with food prepared for the holidays. Letidor will tell you what is the best way to store food so that it stays fresh for as long as possible.

In order to quickly put food in the refrigerator and place it compactly, it is advisable to have food containers in your kitchen different sizes, parchment paper, cling film, ceramic and enamel dishes.

• Butter, after you have opened the package, it is advisable to transfer it to a ceramic or glassware, but not in plastic.
• Smoked sausage and hard cheese It is best to wrap it in parchment paper; it does not allow odors and fat to pass through, but at the same time breathes. If you have already cut the sausage and cheese, then you can wrap them in cling film or foil - but you should not keep them in the refrigerator for a long time.

• Caviar It’s better to transfer it from an open jar or plastic container to a glass one - this way it will stay fresh longer. You need to do the same with any canned food that you have already opened, but have not yet eaten completely. But you shouldn’t transfer marinades to another container - this will only spoil them faster.
• For eggs There are special compartments in the refrigerator door. If your refrigerator shelves are heavily loaded, you can store eggs here, but it would still be better to keep them on the top shelf - then they will stay fresh longer.
• Vegetables and fruits It is better to store them in special containers at the bottom of the refrigerator, and it is not necessary to put them in bags. The fact is that moisture condenses in polyethylene, causing fruits and vegetables to mold faster. It's better to keep them open. If you bought vegetables and fruits in a store already packaged in vacuum polyethylene, their shelf life will be longer than if you put them in a regular plastic bag. But as soon as you open the package, the process of bacterial growth will rapidly begin to develop and the products will begin to deteriorate.
• Fresh herbs It is better to store it in a plastic bag, but slightly open so that it can breathe.
• Fresh meat and fish Without a freezer, you can keep them for only a short time - no more than 1-2 days, and you can either leave them in the vacuum packaging in which you bought them, or transfer them to glass or enamel containers.
• Ready meals(soups, salads, main courses) can be stored in enamel dishes, plastic or glass containers.

• Concerning plastic containers, then, firstly, they must be designed for storing food (there is a special sign - a glass and a fork), secondly, you must check what dishes they are suitable for (for hot and cold or only cold), whether it is possible use them in the microwave (if you decide to reheat the dish without transferring it to another container). It is not recommended to store acidic foods or dishes prepared with the addition of lemon juice, vinegar. Another disadvantage of plastic containers is that they are difficult to wash off grease, roughness quickly appears on their surface, that is, they quickly fail.
• Glass containers preferable: they are easy to clean, you can store any food in them. But their disadvantage is their fragility. In addition, you cannot immediately put a glass container that you just took out of the refrigerator into the microwave. It needs to warm up a little.
• Vacuum containers- an excellent device that allows you to increase the shelf life of the product by 3 times. The principle of their operation is as follows: air is pumped out of the container, which slows down the growth of bacteria and increases the shelf life of the product. Vacuum containers can be used to store prepared meals, sliced ​​meats, fresh meat and fish. If you want to use a vacuum container to store a finished dish, it is important to transfer it into a container and put it in the refrigerator 2 hours after preparing the product.
• Not recommended use as storage container aluminum cookware and stainless steel dishes - the metal surface can oxidize and poison food.
• In foil It is undesirable to store acidic dishes (for example, meat or fish cooked with tomato or lemon), and you should not wrap still hot foods in it, otherwise the aluminum from which the foil is made may react with the food and particles of the substance will enter the human body.

Each product has its place

• The shelf adjacent to the freezer compartment is the best place for storing dairy and fermented milk products, cheese. The temperature here is from 0° to +4°.
• On the middle shelves, where the temperature is approximately +3°-+6°, it is good to keep sausages, sausages, butter, and ready-made dishes.
• In the “zero” zone, where the temperature is maintained within 0°-+2° degrees (usually located above containers for vegetables), you can store fresh meat and fish (be sure to isolate them from other products).
• At the farthest from freezer will remain in the compartment for a long time fresh fruits, vegetables, berries, mushrooms.
• The temperature in the refrigerator door is not stable considering that we often open the refrigerator. It is best to put open juices, sparkling water, and sauces here.
• Try to ensure that no matter how full the refrigerator is, food does not touch back wall, otherwise they may freeze.

What products do not require a refrigerator:

• It is better not to keep tropical fruits (bananas, pineapples, mangoes, kiwis) in the refrigerator - from low temperatures they may lose their taste.
• Do not put chocolate in the refrigerator if you do not want it to become covered with a whitish coating.
• A refrigerator is not required to store vegetable oil.
• There is no point in keeping potatoes, onions, garlic, eggplants, and uncut pumpkin in the refrigerator.
• Canned goods, if they are closed, will only waste space in the refrigerator - they can easily be stored at room temperature.

How to store food: in foil, paper, vacuum containers, cling film or in packaging bags? Let's try to figure out what's right and what's not.

Plastic bags

They are optimal for storing vegetables and herbs, but it is not recommended to store smoked meats, cheese, butter and other fatty foods in them. They will quickly suffocate and become covered with a characteristic sticky coating.

Foil

Foil keeps food fresh longer than plastic bag. It does not allow foreign odors to seep through, does not absorb fat and does not allow moisture to pass through. It is ideal for storing ready meals and fatty foods– sausages, butter, boiled pork, lard. By the way, you need to eat as little of them as possible. It is recommended to store food in foil at room temperature, not hot, for example, sandwiches. If the dish has just come off the heat, do not rush to wrap it in foil, let it cool.

Parchment paper

It does not allow moisture to pass through and therefore is excellent for storing cheeses, sausages, butter, and smoked meats. But it is better to use it at home, and not for hikes and picnics. On the way, the paper can get wet and stain what is nearby.

Cling film

Ideal for covering the cut of a product. For example, boiled pork, cheese, pumpkin. True, there is an opinion that the film highlights harmful substances. If you are inclined to believe this, then upper layer It is better to cut off the product that has come into contact with the film and throw it away. You can also cover dishes with ready-made food with film.

Vacuum containers

Their peculiarity is that air is pumped out of them. At the same time, the shelf life of the product increases due to the slow growth of microorganisms inside. Containers are great for storing ready-made dishes, cut vegetables, fruits, fresh meat and fish. Odors are completely blocked.

It is better to keep mushroom and meat products in containers not for too long. No more than 7 days. But hard cheese – for 45 days! Fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, bread – 7 – 9 days. Seafood – 5 days. Ready meals – up to 12 days.

Of course, provided that the container is of high quality and you use it correctly. Products should be stored so that they do not absorb foreign odors and spoil. If food smells bad or has become sticky, you should not eat it.

Fortunately, now those who want to get sausages no longer need to stand in a kilometer-long line and gather all their relatives in order to get more of the “delicacy”, which is sold only for three hundred grams “per person”. However, the desire to buy food for future use is firmly wedged into our subconscious and does not allow us to leave the store with a half-empty bag. And sometimes your appetite fails you. Not everyone can eat everything brought from the store in one sitting.

You shouldn’t be guided by the motto: “It’s better to burst your belly than to waste your goods,” you just need to learn how to store food correctly. And you can’t do it without proper packaging.

Bags and films

Plastic bag– a good container for most products. However, the package is different from the package. Plastic bags in which non-food products are packaged are not intended for storing food. Therefore, it is better to leave the food in the bag in which you brought it from the store. All packaging there is intended for food products. A good alternative to a bag is cling film. True, after you have unwrapped the piece wrapped in film once, you will have to throw it away and unwind a new piece of cellophane.

What to store: vegetables, fruits, cheese, smoked meats, meat, fish.

Not suitable for: sausage storage, butter and other fatty foods. In cellophane packaging they quickly become slippery and covered with an unpleasant white coating.

Foil

Does not allow foreign odors to seep through, does not absorb fat and does not allow moisture to pass through. Products in it will live longer than in a bag or film.

What to store: preserves remarkably well in foil ready food, fatty foods.

Not suitable for: hot dishes, do not wrap them in it. When heated, the foil becomes brittle, breaks easily, and food can become airy.

Paper

In parchment paper, products “breathe”, and this will prevent them from appearing unpleasant odor and excess moisture typical of “suffocated” sausage or brisket.

What to store: confectionery, sausage, smoked meats, cheese, cottage cheese, butter.

Not suitable for: vegetables, fruits, herbs, fish.

Containers

Perhaps one of the most civilized packages. Square plastic trays with a lid are very practical way save products. But when choosing a container, you need to be careful. Naturally, the tray you choose should be intended for food products. This will be indicated to you by the icon in the form of a glass and fork placed on the container. However, this is not all. Find out what kind of food, hot or cold, this tray is intended for. The fact is that some types of plastic, which are quite safe at room temperature, can release toxic substances when heated. The most “resistant” are containers made of polypropylene. They can easily withstand even the most high temperatures, so you can reheat food in microwave oven without removing them from the container.

What to store: anything. You can even freeze food in plastic containers. Look for the appropriate labeling and safely place the container in the freezer.

Vacuum packaging

Oxygen is the “main enemy” of fresh food. They oxidize in air, and most bacteria cannot live in an airless space. Therefore, after removing the air from the packaging, the food will remain fresh, if not forever, then for a long time. Vacuum containers are made of glass or plastic. You place food in a package and use a special pump to pump out the air. There are two types of pumps - mechanical and electric. The first ones are cheaper. But you will have to pump out the air manually and it is unlikely that you will be able to create a completely airless space. The latter are more expensive, operate on mains or battery power and provide sufficient rarefaction of air. At the bottom of each container there is a special grid that prevents the products from coming into contact with the moisture that they release. The lids of expensive trays have a date and month indicator so you don't forget when you put food in the tray.

What to store: sliced ​​meats, ready-made meals, fresh meat and fish, sausage, semi-finished products, cheese.

Not suitable for: vegetables, fruits and herbs.

By the way

Do not store food in cast iron frying pans And aluminum pans. Cast iron is highly susceptible to rust, and aluminum is highly susceptible to oxidation. It is better to use glass or enamel dishes. But if you want to pour soup from one pan to another, you need to boil the soup before putting it in the refrigerator, because the second pan was not sterile, which means the soup will spoil faster.

Is your mouth happy with a big piece? Sweets and other culinary temptations are sold mainly in small packages. It is believed that this helps control the amount of “harmful” food eaten. But according to a study by European scientists, in reality things are somewhat different. A small package of high-calorie sweets is often considered completely acceptable and provokes you to eat more. Large packages, on the contrary, make people think about overeating and limit themselves accordingly.

The study proceeded as follows. In a group of participants, scientists activated “dietary concern.” Simply put, they were forced to think about the problems of weight and nutrition by taking a series of tests “How satisfied are you with your body,” as well as weighing and measuring volumes in front of a mirror. The subjects believed that their goal was to evaluate commercials, but in fact the scientists were monitoring the consumption of potato chips, which were provided free of charge in the hall. The chips came in large and small bags. As a result, those who took larger packages ate less. They thought longer before opening a packet and ate fewer chips.

On a note

To keep fish fresh longer, it must be gutted and scaled before putting it in the refrigerator.

Greens will not wither for a long time if you put a quarter of an onion in the bag where they are stored.

Do not store apples in the same bag as other fruits and vegetables. This “neighborhood” leads to the fact that vegetables and fruits spoil faster.

Milk should not be left in the refrigerator door. In order not to sour, milk needs a constant temperature, and slamming the door makes it difficult to maintain it.

Do not wash vegetables and fruits before putting them in the refrigerator.

The oiler should not be transparent. Oil deteriorates quickly in light.

Cling film is an absolutely brilliant thing that can be used in many ways. As the name suggests, this film is usually used to wrap products in it, thereby saving them from weathering.

For example, already cut cheese will be stored longer if you wrap it in cling film, the same applies to sausage, however, in addition to its direct purpose, the film can be used in other original ways.

Store dough portions in the freezer

To leave the dough to set, wrap it in cling film. It will not stick to the surface of the refrigerator and will not absorb foreign odors.

Store food correctly

To prevent aromatic foods such as ham or cheese from overpowering or absorbing each other's odors, wrap them in cling film. It will help protect products from weathering, preserving their taste and original appearance.

Roll out the dough through cling film. The table and rolling pin will remain clean

Cover the table or cutting board with one sheet and cover the dough with the other. It takes skill, but it's worth it.

Wrap the mixer in cling film to prevent liquids from splashing and the flour from collecting dust.

Works with stand mixers and immersion blenders. In the latter case, you need to close three quarters of the bowl, leaving an opening for the device.

Leave the piping bag clean

If there is one bag, and several creams (also different colors), it has to be washed many times. But everything is much simpler if you make a bag from cling film, put cream in it and insert it into a pastry bag.

Protect your gadgets from moisture and dirt

Wrap your tablet and smartphone in film whenever you watch YouTube while eating or cooking. The cling film is thin - the sensor will respond. And if something spills or spills, the gadget will remain unharmed.

Leave your plates clean after eating

The idea will be appreciated by bachelors and desperate lazy people.

Free wine from cork smell

When in wine cork Trichloroanisole (TCA) appears and the wine begins to smell like mold or wet cardboard. Get rid of unpleasant aroma You can use a decanter. If you don’t have it, a simple device made from cling film and a carafe will help. If there is little TCA, the film may absorb it.

Cook poached eggs without a poacher

Cover a small bowl with film and grease it vegetable oil and break the egg. Then make a bag, screw it tightly and place it in boiling water. This cooking method is convenient because you can cook several poached eggs at once.

Cook eggs in the refrigerator

More precisely, in the freezer. From prolonged exposure to low temperatures, the yolks become hard and acquire an unusual taste. Wrap the eggs tightly in cling film and place in the freezer. The temperature should be below 18 degrees.

After three days, take it out, make a small hole, drain the white, and then completely break the shell and carefully remove the yolk. This dish is served in some expensive restaurants.

Make a sippy cup

An excellent solution for children and a lifesaver when traveling. It is convenient to drink from such a vessel on the train or in the car without the fear of dousing yourself and everything around you. Simply stretch the film over the glass, pressing the edges tightly. Insert a straw into the center.

Do not allow liquid food or drinks to leak

Remember the rule: first the film, then the lid. This applies to bottles, lunch boxes and any other utensils that you plan to take with you on a picnic or to work. Even thick-looking sauce can leak if the container with it turns over in the bag.

Use film instead of a refrigerator mat

Marketers claim that silicone refrigerator mats have antibacterial properties and help food stay fresh longer. In fact, they simply protect the shelves from drips from pots and other contaminants. But ordinary cling film will cope with this mission perfectly.