Storing food in your refrigerator
US
38
CA
Red meat
Place fresh red meat on a plate and loosely cover with waxed paper,
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plastic wrap or foil.
Store cooked and raw meat on separate plates. This will prevent any
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juices lost from the raw meat contaminating the cooked product.
Delicatessen meats should be used within the recommended storage time.
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Poultry
Fresh whole birds should be rinsed inside and out with cold running
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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
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be stuffed until just before cooking, otherwise food poisoning may result.
Cool and refrigerate cooked poultry quickly. Remove stuffing from
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poultry and store separately.
Fish and seafood
Whole fish and fillets should be used on the day of purchase. Until
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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
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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.
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Precooked foods and leftovers
These should be stored in suitable covered containers so that the food
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will not dry out.
Keep for only 1 – 2 days.
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Reheat leftovers only once and until steaming hot.
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Fruit and vegetable bins
Although most fruit and vegetables keep best at low temperatures, take
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care not to store the following at temperatures of less than 44.6°C (7°C)
for long periods: Citrus fruit, tropical fruit, tomatoes, cucumbers.
Undesirable changes will occur at low temperatures such as softening of
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the flesh, browning, accelerated decaying and/or loss of flavor.
Do not refrigerate avocados (until they are ripe), bananas, mangoes
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or pepinos.
If possible store fruit and vegetables separately, ie fruit in one bin and
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vegetables in the other.
Each fruit and vegetable bin has a humidity control slide that can be
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adjusted depending on what is stored in the bins. For more information
on using the Humidity Control refer to page 35.