Let's face it, most of us keep cartons of milk in the door of the fridge, right?
Well, apparently this is NOT a good idea.
According to Good Housekeeping, the doors are the warmest area of the fridge and most susceptible to temperature fluctuations. In fact, we should be storing foods that have natural preservatives here, such as condiments, jams and juices.
Milk is a pesky food, as it spoils easily, and does not have the longest shelf life. If you drink spoiled milk, you will find yourself feeling quite sickly.
While drinking milk that is very sour or chunky can result in food poisoning, milk that is starting to turn or is just after its expiry date is not likely to cause any real harm. Children or those with weak immune systems are more at risk of food poisoning than healthy adults.
The GH team suggests storing milk and other dairy items in the lower and middle shelves of the fridge, where the temperature is lower.
In terms of temperature, set your fridge to 1°C and 4°C so your food is maintained at 5°C or lower. This allows for all your food to maintain a proper temperature, depending on where it is in the fridge.
The bottom drawers are the coldest section, so you should keep your raw meats and fish there, as they are most susceptible to bacteria.
Never put hot food into the fridge, because it will cause the overall temperature of the fridge to rise and can lead to food poisoning and unnecessary food spoilage.
Good Housekeeping also suggests that we keep certain fruit and veg items out of the fridge - such as avocados, bananas, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums and tomatoes - which can release a type of gas that can make some items spoil prematurely.
They also highlighted the importance of keeping raw and cooked foods separate from each other, ensuring that cooked and ready-to-eat items are "on the top shelf, always higher than the raw food, to avoid the chance of the latter dripping or falling on to cooked food and contaminating it."
What do you think, mums? Is there a right way to organise your fridge?
