EN 36 Storing food in your refrigerator
Red meat
Place fresh red meat on a plate and loosely cover with waxed paper, plastic wrap or foil.
Store cooked and raw meat on separate plates. This will prevent any juices lost from the raw meat contaminating the cooked product. Delicatessen meats should be used within the recommended storage time.
Poultry
Fresh whole birds should be rinsed inside and out with cold running water. Dry and place on a plate. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or foil. Poultry pieces should also be stored this way. Whole poultry should never be stuffed until just before cooking, otherwise food poisoning may result. Cool and refrigerate cooked poultry quickly. Remove stuffing from poultry and store separately.
Fish and seafood
Whole fish and fillets should be used on the day of purchase. Until required, refrigerate on a plate loosely covered with plastic wrap, waxed paper or foil.
If storing overnight or longer, take particular care to select very fresh fish. Whole fish should be rinsed in cold water to remove loose scales and dirt and then patted dry with paper towels. Place whole fish or fillets in a sealed plastic bag.
Keep shellfish chilled at all times. Use within 1 – 2 days.
Precooked foods and leftovers
These should be stored in suitable covered containers so that the food will not dry out.
Keep for only 1 – 2 days.
Reheat leftovers only once and until steaming hot.
Fruit and vegetable bins
Although most fruit and vegetables keep best at low temperatures, take care not to store the following at temperatures of less than 47°F (7°C) for long periods: citrus fruit, tropical fruit, tomatoes, cucumbers.
Undesirable changes will occur at low temperatures such as softening of the flesh, browning, accelerated decaying and or loss of flavor.
Do not refrigerate avocados (until they are ripe), bananas, mangoes or pepinos.
If possible store fruit and vegetables separately, ie fruit in one bin and vegetables in the other.
Each fruit and vegetable bin has a humidity control slide that can be adjusted depending on what is stored in the bins. For more information on using the Humidity Control refer to page 28.
