If you’re thinking more eco-friendly, cutting down on wasted food is a great habit to get into.
According to recent research, 65% of UK adults admit they buy too much food that ends up being thrown away. In fact, the average household chucks out almost £30 of food each month. That works out at a whopping £9.7 billion of wasted food each year in the UK. Which is honestly pretty bonkers.
So, we’re going to look at how you can keep food fresher for longer. That way, you’re more likely to eat it, rather than bin it. And you won’t be wasting money either.
How can I keep food fresher for longer?
There are loads of easy ways you can keep food fresh for longer, so get ready - we’ve come up with five top tips for you…
1. Get your fridge temperature right
If you want to get the most out of your food, the temperature in your fridge needs to be spot on.
The ideal fridge temperature is between 37°F (3°C) and 40°F (5°C)
Your freezer temperature should be at 0°F (-18°C)
Just remember that it takes about 24 hours for your fridge to adjust to any changes you make. So be patient!
2. Use different shelves for different foods
Did you know that your fridge temperature varies between shelves? Typically, higher shelves have higher temperatures. So with that in mind, keep your raw meat and fish at the bottom, at temperatures between 0°C and 3°C. Dairy products like butter and cheese are fine to be kept nearer the top of the fridge.
3. Don’t overload your fridge
Give your food some space! If you cram everything in too tightly, it can actually stop cooling air from circulating, and keeping everything at the right temperature and humidity.
4. Don’t wash your food
We recommend you only wash your food when you’re ready to prepare or eat it. If you wash fruit and veg before you put it in the fridge, it can actually reduce its lifespan by a fair amount. This is because adding moisture actually speeds up the decaying process.
5. Keep certain things separate
Lots of fruit and veg give off different gases as they ripen, making nearby foodstuffs spoil faster. To avoid this, it's important to store things like bananas, apples and avocados by themselves.
You can store less gassy stuff like potatoes and carrots with each other, but they should still be kept away from the baddies above.
Fridge and freezer tech that keeps food fresh
Here are a few features to look out for if you’re thinking about getting a new fridge that’ll keep your food fresher for longer…
Expiry date tracking
Some smart fridges can now help you keep on top of expiry dates. There’s no need to dig around to check the labels on everything – you can just have a quick look at which items are about to go off. The fridge will even suggest recipes to use those ingredients up!
Smart temperature control
If a new fridge has multizone technology, you can select individual temperatures for specific drawers and compartments, rather than having to alter the temperature of the entire fridge.
Super cool and fast freeze
More fridge freezers now come with super-cool and fast-freeze settings. Use them when you’re unpacking a big shop, because this is when your fridge needs to work hard to cool itself back down.
Blue light technology
Some fridges now have something called blue light technology. This replicates the same type of light that fruit and veg are exposed to in nature, and helps to increase nutrients, reduce bacteria, and give food a longer shelf life.
The best fridges for keeping food fresh for longer
If your food’s going off quickly, it could be a sign your fridge is struggling to keep its temperature down. So if you want to upgrade to a new fridge, here are a few of the best around.
LG InstaView GSXV91BSAE American-style fridge freezer
This LG American style fridge freezer works hard to keep your fruit and veg as fresh as possible. It uses LINEARCooling and DoorCooling+ to maintain a consistently cool temperature, chilling everything quickly and locking in freshness. Our favourite feature has to be the InstaView door. Simply knock twice and you’ll be able to see what’s inside your fridge without opening the door and losing precious cool air.
Haier HTF-540DP7 American style fridge freezer
The Humidity Zone uses Haier's clever Humidity Control System (HCS) to keep fruit and veg in high humidity – which preserves all those valuable nutrients and keeps everything fresh. Then there’s MyZone. This is an isolated drawer compartment with independent temperature control, giving you the freedom to chill food at temperatures between -1° C and +1° C.
Not sure what fridge freezer to get? Then head to ShopLive. Our in-store tech experts can point you in the direction of some fresh new fridge tech. Cool!
