Storing ingredients properly

Position matters inside the fridge

A fridge is not one temperature throughout. The door swings warmest because it changes every time you open it, and the back of a lower shelf is coldest. That is why milk kept in the door spoils sooner than expected. The more perishable something is, the deeper it should sit.

• Door: large temperature swings, for condiments and drinks
• Upper shelves: cooked food and leftovers
• Lower shelves: raw meat and fish, low so drips cannot fall
• Crisper: high humidity, for vegetables and fruit

Things that should not share a shelf

Apples, bananas and tomatoes release a gas that speeds ripening. Stored with leafy greens, they make the greens wilt much faster. Potatoes and onions also spoil each other and are better kept apart. If you want unripe fruit to ripen faster, the same effect works in your favour.

What not to refrigerate

Refrigerating everything is not the answer. Potatoes lose quality as their starch changes in the cold, bananas darken, and tomatoes lose aroma sharply. Bread goes stale fastest in a fridge, so keep what you will eat soon at room temperature and freeze the rest.

Sell-by versus use-by

A sell-by date is how long a shop may display an item, and the period it remains edible is longer. Stored properly, food slightly past that date does not need to go straight in the bin. That assumes proper storage, though. Anything left out for long or already opened is a separate question from the printed date.

Freezing does not stop the clock

Freezing slows spoilage greatly but does not hold quality unchanged. Surfaces exposed to air dry out and lose flavour, so packing flat with the air pressed out keeps food better and thaws faster. Refreezing something already thawed is poor for both quality and safety, so divide portions before freezing.