How do I keep food fresh for longer?

Two things determine how long food lasts: temperature and cross-contamination. Most domestic fridges run warmer than their owners think, and most are organised by what fits rather than by food safety. Fixing both takes half an hour once.

Safety

What you'll need

• Fridge thermometer
• Sealed containers
• Labels and a marker (optional)

Step by step

1. Put a fridge thermometer in the middle of the fridge and check the actual temperature.It should read 0–5°C. Built-in dials are frequently inaccurate, and many fridges run several degrees warm.
2. Put raw meat, poultry and fish on the bottom shelf, in sealed containers.The bottom shelf is coldest and nothing can drip onto anything below it.
3. Put cooked food, dairy and leftovers on the upper shelves.Anything eaten without further cooking goes above anything raw. This one rule prevents most cross-contamination.
4. Use the door for condiments, not milk or eggs.The door is the warmest part and swings in temperature every time it opens.
5. Cool leftovers quickly, then refrigerate within one to two hours.Divide into shallow containers to speed cooling. Large deep containers stay warm in the middle for hours.
6. Store food in sealed containers rather than open bowls with cling film.Better seal, better stacking, and no absorbed fridge smells.
7. Label leftovers with the date.Takes five seconds and removes the guessing that leads to either waste or risk.
8. Don't overfill — air needs to circulate.A packed fridge has warm pockets. This is a common reason food spoils faster than expected.

Tips

• Keep a 'use first' shelf or box at eye level and put anything approaching its date there. It cuts waste more than any other single habit.
• The 'use by' date is a safety date and should be respected. 'Best before' is about quality — food is often perfectly good after it, judged by look and smell.
• Milk lasts noticeably longer on a shelf than in the door, because the door swings warm every time someone opens the fridge.
• Clean the fridge monthly. Spills are both a contamination risk and a source of the smell that transfers to everything else.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the fridge is cold enough — Many run warmer than set. A £3 thermometer is the only way to know.
• Raw meat above other food — Drips contaminate ready-to-eat food, which is one of the most common domestic food poisoning routes.
• Storing milk and eggs in the door — It's the warmest, most variable part of the fridge.
• Putting large hot dishes straight in the fridge — It raises the temperature of the whole fridge. Cool in shallow containers first, but don't leave out longer than two hours.

Questions people ask