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Food storage tips – 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 raw meat contaminating cooked meat.
Poultry
Fresh whole birds should be rinsed inside and out with cold running water, dried, placed on a plate and covered.
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. Refrigerate on a plate loosely covered until required.
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 one to two days.
Precooked foods and leftovers
These should be stored in covered containers, so the food does not dry out.
Keep for only one to two days.
Reheat leftovers only once and until steaming hot.
Fruit and vegetable bins
Although most fruit and vegetables store best at low temperatures, take care not to store citrus fruit, tropical fruit, tomatoes or cucumbers at temperatures less than 7˚C for long periods.
Undesirable changes, such as softening of the flesh, browning, accelerated decaying and loss of flavour will occur at low temperatures. Do not refrigerate avocados (until they are ripe), bananas, mangoes or pepinos.
For more information on storing fruit and vegetables refer to page 20.
