Summer food care tips
Home » Blog » Siobhan Leathley » Summer food care tipsDon't get sick from food that's been out in the sun for too long! Here's how to get the most from leftovers as well as boost the fridge life of your fruit and veggies
Image by essamo via Flickr
Keep your fridge cool:
- Cool any hot, cooked food before putting it in the fridge.
- Teach little ones to make sure they've closed the fridge and freezer door properly.
- Put everyday family favourites in the same handy spot each time. By reducing the amount of time your fridge door is left open, it will keep the fridge at a constant cool temperature, which is critical for good food care.
Manage the crowd:
- Make room in your fridge for all your Christmas goodies by discarding expired food or food you haven't used in the past two months.
- Use your freezer to store any extra veggies (just blanch them in boiling water before freezing) as well as pastry, dough, meat and prepared meals. Leftover egg yolks from pavlovas can also be frozen and used to make quiches for summer picnics.
Get the most from your fruit and veggies
- When storing, separate stone fruit from leafy vegetables, as these will ripen the vegetables.
- Don't wash produce until use – this adds moisture and removes its natural protective coating.
- Berries and smaller items can remain in their punnets but larger items do not need to be stored in their plastic bags.
- When stored correctly, most fruit and vegetables can be kept for one to two weeks.
Prepare and care for prime cuts
- Raw meat needs to be stored on the bottom shelf of your fridge to prevent any drips or spills from contaminating other foods.
- Keep your ham moist with a ham bag or a damp tea towel, but remember to replace it with a clean one each day. Unused ham can be sliced or chopped and then frozen, although freezing increases the concentration of salt so it's best used for cooking in meals such as quiches, pies and muffins.
Invest in quality refrigeration
- A decent fridge is vital to good food care, ultimately saving you money and stopping you from getting sick.
- Look for a fridge with a high Energy Star rating &ndash an energy efficient fridge means you'll save on your power bill.
- Or how's this for top technology: Fisher & Paykel's ActiveSmart fridges monitor how they're used and adjust accordingly. If you go away, the ActiveSmart automatically changes to 'holiday mode', which is more energy efficient.
