Food storage tips and tricks
Your fridge and freezer are your best friends when it comes to keeping most foods fresher longer, so it makes sense to stock up during harvest season or when you spot a great deal. Eat local all year long? Yes please! That said, there are certain rules you need to be aware of if you really want to hack food storage and avoid potential sources of food poisoning.
Fridge and freezer temperature
Bacteria that cause foodborne illness tend to grow faster at temperatures exceeding 4°C (all the way up to 60°C), which means most perishables need to be refrigerated or frozen. Set your fridge to somewhere between 0 and 4°C (35°F to 38°F) and your freezer to around -18°C (about 0°F). For improved accuracy, spend a few dollars on a thermometer for your refrigerator instead of relying on numbered knobs or other vague temperature settings.
What goes where in the fridge?
Inside the fridge, temperatures vary. The coldest areas include the centre and lower shelves, where it’s best to keep raw meat, fish, seafood, eggs, and leftovers that might take a few days to get eaten. The upper shelf is a great home for milk and other dairy products, as well as ready-to-eat items. Door shelves are the warmest part of your refrigerator (6 to 8°C), making them the perfect location to store sauces, condiments, marinades, jams, carbonated beverages, and so on.
Finally, the fruit and vegetables bins are excellent places to put their eponymous eats, but do not mix ethylene-emitting fruits (peaches, pears, tomatoes, etc.) with veggies—it can lead to your vegetables going bad sooner.
Fill up your fridge—but don’t over clutter!
A well-stocked fridge tends to stay cool. However, if items are stored too close to one another, the cold air won’t be able to circulate as well as it should, which translates to greater temperature variability from one area of your refrigerator to the next.
Transfer canned foods after opening
If you open a can, empty it and store unused portions in a plastic or glass container in the fridge. Doing so ensures that your food won’t deteriorate. For instance, it’s possible for rust to form inside cans when exposed to air, so storing formerly tinned contents in plastic or glass will keep your canned corn, fruit salad, whole/diced tomatoes, etc. fresher longer!
How long can you keep raw chicken, beef, and other foods in the refrigerator or freezer?
We’ve created comprehensive charts detailing how long you can safely store meat, poultry, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and other foods.
Stocking up on discounted meat or fruits and veggies? Check out this handy article for all food freezing details.
Best before vs. expiry: Eat or toss?
The best before date is there to tell you how long freshness is guaranteed for a particular product, meaning you can still eat it after. Health Canada tells us that a best before date “must appear on pre-packaged foods that will keep fresh for 90 days or less.”
As for the expiry date, follow that to a T because food safety isn’t guaranteed afterwards—the food item could pose a danger to your health.