Refrigerator Basics

Dear Sam,

This is the first time I am not renting my fridge, what should I know?

Thank you,

First Time Home Owner

Lets face it, even if we upgrade to a bigger fridge, we're probably still going to stuff it full.. It's like a woman's purse, everything is in there and no matter how many times they buy a bigger bag to accommodate "everything".. it's always bulging, and surprisingly much heavier than it looks. Yes men understand, we may complain about the size of your purse, but we are grateful when everything we need is in your bag and not our pockets. Joking - but it is convenient. 

First lets talk about the temperature of your refrigerator. Somewhere between 32 - 40 degrees Fahrenheit is good enough to slow the growth of bacteria but it won't affect the food quality (food won't start to ice). How can you tell what temperature you're refrigerator is at? You can always buy a thermometer and leave it in the fridge to make sure that you're food is stored at a safe level, or you can stop buy you're Appliance Direct and ask a manager for a nice bright yellow thermometer. 

Note: The refrigerator does not improve food quality. It prolongs food quality.

When putting hot foods such as a large casserole into the refrigerator, it's much more sensible to separate the food into smaller containers. It's best to keep it less than 3 inches deep. 

Odor. The air in your fridge, and everybody else's fridge, is very dry. Always cover food when storing it in the refrigerator. Especially foods that are bland or delicate.. they may start to smell like other items in your fridge.. unless you want you're glass of milk you didn't finish to chill and taste like cabbage when you pull it out..the stomach wants what the stomach wants if you want that, I guess.

Overloading the refrigerator is not good. There needs to be space between the food that you store so that air can circulate. This will help the temperature stay even in your fridge. 

Nobody wants to remove everything from their fridge. BUT at least every 3 weeks, you should remove everything from your refrigerator and wipe down the inside. A baking soda solution works well and make sure that everything is dry before putting your food back in. Remember there is the 2 hour rule with the foods you take out!

Hope this helps!