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Storing Food in Your Refrigerator
Red Meat
Place fresh red meat on a plate and loosely cover with waxed paper or
plastic wrap or foil.
Store cooked and raw meat on separate plates. This will prevent any
juices lost from the raw meat from contaminating the cooked product.
Delicatessan meats should be used within the recommended storage time.
Poultry
Fresh whole birds should be rinsed inside and out with cold running
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 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. Until
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
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.
Precooked Foods and Leftovers
These should be stored in suitable covered containers so that the food
will not dry out.
Keep for only 1 – 2 days.
Reheat leftovers only once and until steaming hot.
Fruit and Vegetable Bins
Although most fruit and vegetable varieties store best at low
temperatures, take care not to store the following at temperatures of
less than 7˚C for long periods.
Citrus fruit Melons Eggplant Pineapple Paw Paw
Courgettes Passionfruit Cucumber Peppers Tomatoes
Undesirable changes will occur at low temperatures such as softening
of the flesh, browning and/or accelerated decaying.
Do not refrigerate avocados (until they are ripe), bananas, mangoes or
pepinos. If possible store fruit and vegetables separately, i.e. fruit in one
bin and vegetables in the other.
