When food in the fridge goes bad, you probably assume that you left it in there too long. Sometimes, that is the case and you need to be more careful about how much you buy when you go shopping and what order you use things in. However, if you notice that your food is spoiling faster than usual, there might be something else going on.
It’s more important than ever to find ways to reduce food waste and a lot of that waste is created by spoiled food. The good news is, you can usually work out why food is spoiling quickly, so you can do something about it. These are some of the food storage mistakes that could be contributing to your food waste.
You’re Using A Broken Fridge
When you notice that food is spoiling quickly, you should check whether your fridge is working properly. The biggest mistake people make is ignoring the issue or trying to work around it instead of dealing with the root cause. Often, people make do with what they’ve got because they can’t afford a new fridge. The thing is, you can just buy new fridge parts and have the faulty components replaced instead of buying a brand new fridge. It’s much cheaper and better for the environment, and it will solve your problem with spoiled food.
You’re Putting Things In The Wrong Place
People don’t realize how much difference there is between different shelves in the fridge. They assume that you can put things in wherever you like and they’ll all stay cold. However, different areas have different temperatures, so you need to think carefully about how you organize your fridge. The bottom of the fridge is usually the coldest, so it’s best to keep raw meat there. Milk usually goes in the door but this is the warmest area, so if it keeps going bad, consider putting it in the main part of the fridge. Any leftovers or foods that don’t need to be cooked can go on the top shelf because they need a constant temperature but they don’t need to be as cold.
You’re Washing Vegetables
You might think that washing vegetables before storing them will help them last for longer because you remove bacteria. However, it can actually make them go off a lot faster. When vegetables are wet, they are more prone to mold, and this is made worse if they are in an enclosed bag that promotes moisture. So, take vegetables out of their packaging but don’t wash them if you want to last longer.
You’re Packing Too Much In
Overloading the fridge is one of the most common mistakes that people make. If there is not adequate air flow around items, pockets of warm air will form and that spoils your food much faster. If possible try to cut back on the number of items you put in the fridge. If you have a small fridge, this might mean taking multiple trips to the shop instead of getting everything in one go. However, if you organize things a bit better, you can usually fit more in.
Most people don’t realize they are making these common food storage mistakes and they produce massive amounts of food waste as a result. But if you change these habits, you can easily cut back on waste overnight.
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