Food shopping and food storage are neverending battles. Between making sure that we are buying the things we need for the week and also prepping ahead of time to make sure nothing goes bad before we use it—we’re sometimes stuck on the “right way” to store our food in our fridge.
Thankfully, there are plenty of people online who are here to help us and experts to let us know the right way to organize our kitchens.
Recently, storage videos have become all the rage on social media.
On both Instagram and TikTok, influencers and social media users have begun making videos showcasing how they store and organize their food and kitchens. Some influencers have made a huge following off of showing fridge organization hacks.
There are some ways that work and some ways that definitely don’t work.
For example, some say it’s best to wash and cut your fruit and vegetables as soon as you get home, rather than right when you are going to use them. Using vacuum-seel containers for the already cut fruit and veggies keeps them fresh longer.
Now, there are also experts weighing in on how to store our eggs.
The majority of people know that eggs are best kept in the fridge. We all know this to be true because when we purchase our eggs at the grocery store, they are kept in the cold, fridge section.
There are of course people who don’t store their eggs in the fridge.
Experts say this is a big mistake.
“A fresh egg stored at room temperature will start to decline in quality after a few days and need to be used within one to three weeks. Eggs kept in the refrigerator will maintain quality and freshness for at least twice as long, Healthline explains.
Some refrigerators even come with an egg storage location.
For many refrigerators, there is a section on the door that is specifically used for keeping eggs. Some people even buy egg holders so that they will fit right into that section of the fridge.
However, this is not the best place to store your eggs.
According to experts, storing your eggs on the fridge door is definitely not the most ideal place for your eggs. Chris Beasley from the home insurance company Smart Cover claims it’s actually the worst place in the fridge.
The door is the “warmest part” of the fridge.
Beasley shares that the door of the fridge is likely to make your eggs go bad faster because eggs need to be kept at a consistent temperature. The door happens to be the warmest part of the fridge because it is constantly being opened, making it warmer than the rest of the fridge.
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Eggs should be kept in one of two places.
Instead of on the egg section on the door, eggs should be stored on either the middle or on the top shelf. These two places are the coolest and most consistently kept places of the fridge due to just the way in which the fridge fans work.
Also, you should avoid taking the eggs out and replacing them in different storage containers.
All over TikTok, we see storage organization videos where people take eggs out of their cartons and put them into chic and simple egg holders. While they look pretty and sleek, they’re not good for your eggs.
Keeping eggs in the carton serves a purpose.
Sure, the cartons may not match your aesthetic or your look, but there is a true reason why experts say that you should keep them in the carton. Apparently, it keeps bacteria out. Eggs are actually really porous and could absorb bacteria that we don’t want near our food.
It’s also important to keep foods separate.
Experts say that it’s super important to store your cooked food and raw food separately. Making sure they do not contaminate each other is imperative. Putting them on separate shelves could help this process.
Also, you should never put hot food right into the fridge.
“Don’t put very hot food into the refrigerator. Wait until steam has stopped rising from the food before putting it in the fridge,” Better Health shares. This prevents the steam from spoiling other food.
Bacteria also can grow while defrosting food.
When freezing food to keep longer, you need to thaw and defrost it before cooking. However, leaving it out at room temperature leaves the possibility to accumulate bacteria and other issues, making it contaminated.
Also, never refreeze thawed food.
If you end up not using the food you have thawed, you have no choice but to toss it. Refreezing thawed food gives it a higher possibility of having contamination and bacteria which can lead to food poisoning.
And, don’t forget to always use good containers!
When you are storing food, it’s important to get containers that are safe and tested for all types of food. The best ones are glass containers with a strong seal on them. Avoid using containers that are not washed well, too.
