Whenever you need some ice, where do your run to? Who is it who keeps your beer chilled, just the way you like? Who stores your weekly rationed meat? That’s right; one of the best inventions of all time, the refrigerator. That one gigantic masterpiece in your kitchen is one of the best things that must have happened to you, but how little we care. Just imagine a day without your refrigerator. Your beer will be blistering. You’ll be starved eating takeaway meat food. There will be no ice on a hot scorching day at work. Panicked? Have a glass of water. There you are heading towards your refrigerator. Now see clearly whether your refrigerator is overcrowded? Whether its giving out a pungent odour? Whether it is too moist inside?
Just like we look after our car, or computer, our refrigerator also needs some attention. Many a times, we stock our refrigerator with weekly raw meat and diary products. Food like these stay in a good condition provided the environment is good. A refrigerator in a top notch condition provides essential storage conditions to your fresh food and prevents odour and the budding of bacteria.
Bear in mind to maintain a temperature for your refrigerator between 30o to 40o. While freezer should have a temperature 0o or below 0o. A refrigerator that soars no higher than 40o is the most secured place for your food. Temperature below 40o retrains the bacterial growth.
See to it that you clean your refrigerator every season. This helps in killing the longed odour and the loitering of germs. Also it generates room for new arrivals. Remove everything from inside. Dig out deeply and see to it that the unwanted matter sees the dustbin immediately. Prepare yourself for dirt-free refrigerator. Add a teaspoon of baking soda in to a bucket of water mix. Jumble it well. Dunk a cloth or sponge in the solution and start mopping every shelf of the refrigerator. See to it that the cloth or sponge is damp.
The shelves which are closest to the freezer are the coldest. Stuff your perishable goods like raw meat and dairy products here. The lower shelves are warmer than the ones closest to the freezer. Stock the lower shelves with leftovers or with items that don’t need much freezing. The door shelves are the warmest part of any refrigerator. Each time you open the refrigerator, a flash of hot air swoops door and thus lower the temperature. It is advisable to store items like condiments and water in the door shelf.
The drawers in the refrigerator are the moistest place. They tend to catch moisture soon. To avoid seeing your fruits and veggies as a dried bones, see to it that the moisture level is well maintained. Keep in mind that fruits need less moisture than vegetables. Vegetables need more humidity so store in fruits and vegetables differently and accordingly set different humidity levels for finest freshness.
So, the next time you visit your refrigerator, see to it that it has all the temperature, moisture level and cleanliness it requires to run for a long time.