The Food in the Fridge: What Kind of Packaging Do You Have??

Pack them, pack them!

The Institute of Technical Aesthetics, which has been conducting interesting developments in the field of household appliances for many decades, back in the eighties dedicated

A serious research paper on the topic of packaging for food stored in the refrigerator. Their findings and recommendations are still useful today. Original storage methods have also been suggested, and some have been implemented. Packaging should serve several purposes at the same time:

– Protect foods from drying out because unprotected foods in the refrigerator lose moisture very quickly

– to protecting food from the absorption of foreign odors

– to protect the food from oxygen, which supports the biochemical processes and accelerates the aging and deterioration of the food. When properly packed, the biological cells absorb the remaining oxygen inside the package and release carbon dioxide instead, as if “falling asleep”.

– packaging must protect not only the food, but also the refrigerator. It prevents the release of moisture from the food and thus protects the evaporator from freezing.

Better separately than together

Another important storage secret: Before sealing the food, keep them and the container separately in the refrigerator so that they cool to the same temperature. This can significantly extend the shelf life of your food. Otherwise, even in a sealed package, the moisture would condense on the inside surface of the package when it cools and cause the foods to spoil faster.

And don’t forget that if you want to defrost frozen food more quickly, you have to store it in the freezer in individual portions.

A plastic bag or vacuum stocking?

Most of the requirements listed here are satisfied by plastic bags made of special food film. Products in them need to be packed as tightly as possible, so that there is almost no air left. special kitchen appliances for airtight packaging have long been sold for this purpose, such as the Vacuumat, with the help of which the air can be evacuated from the bag containing the food, vacuum is created there and polyethylene is “sealed” tightly with the heating element in the appliance.

Of course, you can use plastic bags without such a device. Just make sure that you let as much air as possible out of the bag before you tie the bag’s neck. That’s what most people do.

But there is a third option. You may be laughing with the recommendation of the American Peg Bracken, author of popular American books on housewifery: “Cut the failed clean nylon stockings into three parts, tighten one edge and in the resulting elastic bag put the food wrapped in a plastic bag into the refrigerator.

There is nothing indecent about it. It is a proven fact that the less air in the bag, the better the food is preserved. And the elastic stocking just squeezes the excess air out of the bag. Why spend money for a special device, to find a place for it in the kitchen and still remember where it is at the right moment?

A stocking is better than a vacuum bag also because you can put a small label between the stocking and the bag: what is stored in this bag and for how long. Such a note saves a lot of your time and nerves, otherwise you can wait for a long time until the frosty bag thaws and you find something other than what you wanted. So you have no choice,” Bracken continues, “but to use old stockings. Do not be afraid that your friends will think bad of you. First, they wouldn’t know about it, and second, they probably do this kind of thing themselves.”.

But back to the more mundane conversation about plastic bags as packaging for food in the fridge. I want to draw your attention to the fact that not all polyethylene is suitable for storing food. Some varieties emit toxic substances, even if in microscopic doses.

These are traces of catalysts that are used in the manufacture of polyethylene. In order to remove these residues, polyethylene food film is carefully processed, which is why it is more expensive. Less processed polyethylene is used for nonfood items.

You’ve probably seen the label “for nonfood products” on the plastic bags and containers. But usually such inscriptions are not put on the packages of manufactured goods, because it is assumed that the package is disposable. The bags that came into your house as industrial packaging should not be used for food.

You can only reuse plastic bags that stores sell groceries in. Better yet, buy brand-name grocery bags and throw them away after you’ve used them.

Thin polyethylene food film is well suited for storage in the fridge, which is sold in the form of rolls in a special package with a cutting edge, so that you can, without looking for scissors, cut off the desired piece of film. It is convenient to wrap gastronomic products in such a film. It fits snugly around the food and eliminates the problem of evacuating air from the package. When you run your hand along its surface it becomes electrified and thanks to its smooth surface and elasticity “sticks” and seems to “seal” the package.

In plastic bags and film stored in the refrigerator most of the products: meat, fish, poultry, sausages, dumplings, sausage, frozen fruits and vegetables, pastries made of flour, confectionery and so on.

But storing fresh herbs in plastic bags, as most hostesses do, is wrong. It makes its leaves rot quickly. Greens need room for storage. So splash the greens you buy lightly with water and put them in a large pot with a lid or in a large, closable plastic container more about that below . Store in a cool place. Greens can be stored without any packaging in a special compartment of the refrigerator with a “rustic cellar” mode, which we will talk about a little later.

To store cooked poultry, pieces of meat, fish, sausages and other delicatessen products, food foil is also good. A lid that fits snugly to the food surface satisfies all the requirements for storing food as mentioned at the beginning of this document.

Food-grade foil is available in the hardware store in rolls. Of course, each piece of foil can only be used once. Washing and drying foil for reuse, as overly frugal housewives do, does not ensure hygienic food storage.

UNDER THE LID

Some food cooked meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, salads, vinaigrettes should be kept in the freezer in well sealed jars. Deep bowls, which can be tightly covered with foil instead of lids, will also work.

And in order to make sure that packed food takes up less space in the freezer. Rectangular containers with lids are well suited for this – they are installed on the shelves tightly, without gaps and can be placed one on top of the other.

A wide variety of round and rectangular containers of various sizes and shapes made of temperature-resistant plastic suitable for a wide temperature range from +140°C to -40°C are now available. They all come with tightly closing lids. Such utensils are good for their versatility: in it you can both freeze food in the refrigerator, and defrost, and cook it in the microwave. These can be put in the microwave with the contents straight from the fridge! No glass, ceramic or porcelain ware should be treated in this way, since it can crack because of the temperature drop.

When buying plastic dishes for this purpose, pay attention to the presence of the mark Thermoplast or Duroplast, indicating the resistance to warping when heated.

There are metal enamel food storage containers available, but their lids are usually less tightly closed and they are less popular.

Soups, borscht, keep, of course, in the same pots in which they were cooked. The lids of the pots must fit well. If there’s not much soup left in the pot, fussy housewives pour it into a smaller pot and then are surprised when the soup goes bad, blaming it on the refrigerator. But it’s not the fridge. After all, the new pan has not been boiled, the lack of sterility and spoilage occurs.

If the refrigerator is tight and you really need to make room for a large pot, then the soup poured into a smaller pot should be boiled, cooled, and only then put into the refrigerator. And then you have to wash two pots instead of one… No, you don’t have to play the part of the hard-working housewife. If you rearrange the food in the fridge more rationally, you can surely save room for a large pot.

Milk, juice is best stored in the containers in which it is sold. If you prefer bottled milk, never store it in a plastic bottle because it is disposable and can release toxic substances if used again. Milk should not be stored in aluminium containers where it has been boiled. Milk, which has an alkaline reaction, reacts with aluminum compounds.

There is no point in transferring the milk boiled in the aluminum container to other containers, it will have to be boiled again in this other container. It is better to sterilize milk in glass bottles in a saucepan with water right away. This kind of milk will keep it fresh and tasty for much longer. Wine, including homemade, can be stored only in glass bottles.

Sometimes there is an inscription “for cold food only” on the polyethylene packages, including dishes. This caveat means that when plastic is heated, it can release toxic substances. But it is safe to use such packaging for refrigerator storage.

HIS MAJESTY THE VACUUM

When you want the food to retain its full appearance, shape and volume – use a modern system of vacuum storage in special containers. These containers are made of tempered glass or impact-resistant polycarbonate and seal hermetically. A vacuum is created inside the dishes with the aid of the pump attached, using a special valve.

Vacuum containers are designed to keep food in the fridge or freezer. At the bottom of the containers there is a grid of elastic material which serves as a filter to separate the product from the liquid, if liquid is formed during the storage. The material of the containers is odorless, does not stain or absorb extraneous odors. Dishwasher-proof and sterilizable vacuum containers. They are beautiful, and the stored food can be served in them directly on the table.

Such vacuum storage protects the products from adverse effects of oxygen and for a long time they remain as fresh as when bought or prepared. Color, odor, vitamins, mineral salts – all components are preserved much longer if you use a vacuum storage system.

Almost any kind of food can be stored in this way, except liquids.

SO IT DOESN’T SMELL

Still, some housewives complain about the specific “refrigerator” smell that stored foods acquire. It can occur, for example, if an apple or other foodstuffs are left in the fridge for too long and are forgotten about. Then the inner walls and shelves of the refrigerator should be washed with warm water with ammonia 1 tablespoon per liter of water .

Using this solution, carefully wipe all interior surfaces, including the shelves, before the main wash. Don’t gamble on patented bottles with promising labels – the price is different, but the result is the same. This conclusion was reached a long time ago by practical American women.

To prevent the occurrence of odors in the refrigerator anymore, special odor absorbers should be put in the chamber. But the same American women in their books on housewifery advise to use as an effective smell absorber a plastic box with a lid from butter or cheese, filled with crushed charcoal from the fireplace , the walls of the jar pierce in many places with a nail heated on the fire.

Charcoal is an excellent odor absorber. Replace it from time to time, or at least stir and dry it out. Lemon crusts on the shelves of the refrigerator improve the smell in the refrigerator.

Keep fresh fish in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic and placed in a container with a tightly closed lid, otherwise other foods will soak up the smell of fish.

For butter and cheese

Although cheese and butter are usually well-packaged, once you open the packages you need to take care to protect these foods from foreign odors, which they tend to absorb. Butter is conveniently stored directly in the butter jar, in which it is served. For cheese, too, it’s a good idea to have a tightly covered container where you can keep a couple of pieces of granulated sugar to keep the cheese fresh.

Cottage cheese in the refrigerator is stored in a closed enamel container or in a closed enamel or glass bowl, putting a lump of sugar there.

There is a special compartment in the door panel of any refrigerator with a tightly closing lid. This is the best place for storing cheese and butter. This keeps these foods safe from foreign odors. Besides, the tight lid prevents too much cold air from the evaporator and the butter doesn’t harden, otherwise it would be difficult to spread it on bread.

For fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables do not need any special packaging for storage if there is a compartment in the bottom of the refrigerator compartment, where the special microclimate of the “rustic cellar” is created. Covering this compartment with a bottom glass or plastic shelf protects vegetables and fruit from too low a temperature for them in the refrigerated compartment.

Often there is a “crisp and fresh” humidity filter built into this bottom shelf, it prevents excessive evaporation. The microclimate created there keeps fruits, vegetables and herbs from drying out, from getting moldy, and keeps them longer than usual. Putting them in plastic bags before loading them into the fruit and vegetable compartment is undesirable.

Melons, watermelons, pineapples, kiwis, mangoes, bananas and other heat-loving crops feel worse in the refrigerator. The same applies to tomatoes. They retain their flavor better without the refrigerator. But a cut melon or watermelon can be put in the refrigerator, and they will need packaging to avoid excessive evaporation of moisture from the cut surface. You can hardly find such a large bag of food-grade polyethylene. Simply cover the cut with plastic film or a plate.

We will not even talk about the packaging of onions, garlic and potatoes here, because they are better preserved without packaging and without refrigeration. But pre-cleaned potatoes keep very well in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for two or three days. The accepted method of storing peeled potatoes in water is acceptable for no more than one hour. From a longer stay in water, potatoes lose their vitamins and trace elements they pass into the water and acquire a coarse consistency. And in a tightly closed and air-free plastic bag there is no such danger for potatoes.

Also, we will not talk here about the special packaging of jams, preserves and smoked meats, which feel fine at room temperature. Don’t use up scarce refrigerator space.

For the rest

– Fresh herbs should not be stored in plastic bags, this will cause their leaves to rot quickly. Greens need space to store. So splash the bought herbs lightly with water and put them in a large pot with a lid or in a large, closable plastic container. Keep in a cool place. Greens can be stored without any packaging in a special compartment of the fridge with a “rustic cellar” mode.

– Soups, borscht keep in the same pots in which they were cooked. The lids of the pots must fit well. If there is very little soup left in the pot, fussy housewives pour it into a smaller pot, and then are surprised that the soup has gone bad, and blame it on the refrigerator.

But it’s not about the refrigerator. After all, the new pot has not been boiled, the lack of sterility is what causes spoilage. If the refrigerator is overcrowded and you really need to make room from the large pot, then the soup transferred to a smaller pot should be boiled, cooled, and only then put in the refrigerator. And then you’ll have to wash two pots instead of one..

– Milk, juices are best stored in the packages in which they are sold. If you prefer bottled milk – on no account store it in plastic bottles, because they are disposable and can release toxic substances when reused. Milk cannot be stored in aluminum cookware in which it has been boiled. Milk that has an alkaline reaction reacts with aluminum compounds. There is no point in transferring the milk boiled in aluminum pots to other containers, it will have to be boiled again in this other pot. It is better to immediately sterilize milk in glass bottles in a pan with water. Such milk retains its freshness and flavor much longer.

– Wine, including homemade, can only be stored in glass bottles.

– Keep fresh fish in the refrigerator, wrapped in polyethylene and placed in a container with a tightly closed lid, otherwise the other products will impregnate its odor

Rules for the entertainer and for the minister

Buying packaged dairy products in the store, canned goods dairy, fruit, meat, vegetables, fish, dried milk mixes, lemonade, juices , first of all, you should look carefully at the expiration date, manufacturing date and storage conditions. These terms and conditions should be very strictly adhered to, no matter how hard the money is at home.

So, for example, soft drinks including carbonated ones are recommended to be kept in lying position at +4 to +7 °C. this is the average value of working temperature in a refrigerator compartment . Juices in bags and bottles, on the contrary, should not be placed horizontally: they must be stored upright, but not for more than one year.

After you have finished cooking, you can not, of course, immediately put it in the refrigerator: it is bad for the unit itself and for the properties of the resulting dish. But gradual cooling on the stove should not last more than an hour and a half, otherwise it can be dangerous to health – especially when it comes to meat dishes.

When heating ready-made meals which have previously been kept in the refrigerator, the following rules should be observed: liquid foods soups, porridges, etc. should be reheated. . , are brought to a boil, and thick ones are heated for at least 3-5 minutes in a hot oven or on a burner.

Table 1: Recommended storage times for food in the refrigerator

Product Recommended shelf life Notes Kefir 36 hours Pasteurized boiled milk 12-36 hours Pre-cooled, cover with lid. Sour cream 72 hours Butter 6-14 days In foil or sealed containers. Margarine 14-24 days In sealed dishes. Melted butter 6-10 months In a closed container. Cream For 12 hours Creamed condensed milk 2-3 days You can not store in a canning jar, overflow! Cottage cheese 36 hours Cheese 5-12 days Eggs 14-21 days Recommended to be stored with the tip pointing downwards. Smoked sausage 2-6 days Sausages, wieners 2 days Cooked sausage 1 day Smoked fish 2 days In aluminum foil. Canned fish 1 day Transfer from an open jar. Open marinades 2 days

Table 2: Recommended storage times for foods outside the refrigerator

Product Recommended shelf life Notes Cereals, pasta and rice 6-12 months In a sealed or pre-packed container. Flour 2-3 months Sugar 2-3 years Salt 2-6 months In a dry, covered dish. Vegetable oil 4 weeks In a dry, ventilated place. Canned meat 2 years Canned vegetables and fruit, honey, condensed milk 1 year Milk powder 3 months Mixtures for baking muffins 9 months