Food Storage in Refrigerators and Freezers

Ever think of the usefulness of refrigerators? They have been performing one of the best service in homes for quite a number of years. With the help of refrigerators, many foods can be stored for a longer period of time without getting spoiled. Many perishable items can be kept in refrigerators and they will still maintain their freshness for a longer periods of time.

Most people buy food in bulk in order to save money. Most times, they don’t use all the foods at once and they will have to keep them in smaller quantities for later use after repackaging. Going grocery shopping is quite expensive – this makes people to buy in bulk as this saves some amount of money. A lot of food left-overs were saved by people after a large meal in order to prevent wasting of food and to save money.

Before making an attempt to be buying more than enough food, it is better to know where the excess food is going to be stored safely. Food contamination is one thing that happen to food stored improperly. Practicing a safe food storage will keep your food safe for several months and also keep your family safe from food poisoning. Different types of food preservation are available but the modern ones are the use of refrigerators and freezers.

Food storage in the refrigerator

Getting a special refrigerator for the storage of foods is one best thing to be done by busy families. This is better because you will be able to store left-over foods for a couple of days without the food getting spoilt. For highest food safety, it is better to set the refrigerator’s temperature to between 33 deg. F and 40 deg. F. The use of a thermometer is the best to check the running temperature of the refrigerator. Foods to be stored in the refrigerator must be stored in foil, plastic bags, plastic wraps or seal in airtight containers.

Food storage in freezer

Food storage in freezers is quite different from food storage in refrigerators as its temperature is to be kept at 0 deg. F. like the refrigerator, it is best to put a thermometer inside the freezer to take note of the temperature. Scared of freezer burn? Wrap your food properly before freezing in foil, plastic bags, or plastic wraps. Below are storage times for some foods to be freeze:
Raw meats: 6 to 12 months
Fresh poultry: 6 to 12 months
Fish and shell fish: if frozen already, 6 to 12 months
Wild game: up to 3 months
Cooked meats and leftovers: 2 to 3 months
Smoked meats: 1 to 2 months

The use of the food vacuum sealers for storing food in freezers or refrigerators will keep the food fresher. To seal fresh meats, the use of LEM vacuum sealers are perfect and highly affordable. The food vacuum sealers are manufactured in a way so as to remove all air from the packaged food prior sealing and storage.

Some features of refrigerators and freezers

With improved technology, there are now modern refrigerators or freezers that allow busy individuals to store different types of food at different temperatures with their weights getting smaller than those before. Whether old or new refrigerators, the best option when buying a refrigerator is the selection of a refrigerator with the right features. 

Getting refrigerators or freezers for a family of any size depends on the needs of the family. The first feature to be considered when getting a refrigerator is the size. Modern refrigerators are energy efficient and are more spacious with plenty shelves, ample storage space and compartments to store different types of foods. With the different sizes, they also have different door styles – those that open from side to side and those that open from top to bottom.

One other top feature that an individual need to put in mind is the relative humidity control of a refrigerator. This is one great feature that allow users to set the humidity of the refrigerator to preserve food well. The presence of an adjustable thermostat gives room for different levels of temperatures for different varieties of food.

Scared of dipping your hands into the freezer? Some refrigerator brands give room for ample drawers for separating food items like the vegetables and wines. This allows different foods to be stored at different temperatures. With the energy efficiency features in the modern refrigerators, you are assured of paying lower utility bills when using your refrigerator. This feature makes your refrigerator have lower emissions and runs quieter.

You don’t want to be opening your refrigerator always? One feature that most people look for in refrigerators for keeping their beverages is the presence of front door ice and water dispensers for keeping beverages. This is one of the best features that suit some families that like beverages.