ArticlesBase.com - Free Articles Directory
Free Online Articles Directory
12.10.2008 Sign In Register Hello Guest
Email:
Password:
Remember Me 
forgot your password?


Spring Cleaning: Don't Forget the Fridge!

Author: Modern Menus Author Ranking Blue | Posted: 24-04-2007 | Comments: 0 | Views: 13 | Rating:  (50) Article Popularity - Green (?) Got a Question? Ask.
Related Videos
How to Make Organic Cleaning Supplies

As we await the warm weather, let's do some all-natural Spring Cleaning!...

How to Clean Out Ponds for Spring

Dave talks with Tom Frost about what you need to do to...

How to Clean Up The Garden in Spring

Dave shows you how to tackle garden cleanup in the...

Sign Up Now!

Spring is in full bloom and it’s time to give your home a thorough spring cleaning. This year, be sure to include the refrigerator among your chores. Cleaning out your fridge and freezer will not only make things tidier, but will also improve the safety and quality of your food.

To avoid getting a foodborne disease (which cause an estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), store food properly as quickly as possible after you leave the grocery store. Make sure to set your refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less and your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or less.

To clean the refrigerator, wipe down the interior walls, shelves, and rubber gaskets with a weak, sanitizing cleaning solution. (Ideally, this should be done once a week. Once a year is a must.)

As for which foods to keep and which to toss, use the expiration date as a guide. Note that the dates reflect when to buy or use products at their best quality. Therefore, the trick is to know how long a product is good to eat after its expiration date. Here are some tips to follow:

The Refrigerator

“Sell-by” (or “pull”) dates tell stores how long to display the product for sale and take into account additional storage time at home. Try to buy a product before this date.

“Use-by” dates indicate the last day recommended for use of a perishable product while at peak quality. Try to avoid buying foods that are already past this date, even though most are generally still safe to eat.

Regarding specific foods: Store meat, fish, and poultry, sealed-tight, in the “meat keeper” drawer or the back of the bottom shelf, where the refrigerator is coldest, for one to two days only. Keep eggs in their cartons up to five weeks after expiration. Dairy products tend to spoil quickly after their expiration dates have passed, so use them accordingly. Raw fruits and vegetables may last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

The Freezer

Frozen foods are safe indefinitely, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. So, while their expiration dates apply only to quality and nutritional value, make sure the items are frozen solid without signs of thawing. Otherwise:

  • Freeze food right away to help keep the product at its peak quality.

  • Freeze food in either its original packaging or packed in freezer bags or heavy-duty foil for maximum freshness.

  • Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the food.
The Pantry

Bread products that contain eggs but have been baked (like muffins) can safely be kept at room temperature for about a week. If you see signs of mold, they should be tossed. Bakery items (which should have a “sell-by” date) that contain custards, meat, vegetables, or frostings made of cream cheese, whipped cream, or eggs should be kept refrigerated.

Bottom line: While you may be methodical about checking nutrition labels on foods for calories and fat content, keep in mind the dangers of improper food storage. Thus, along with your usual hard work, resolve to add the refrigerator and freezer to your spring-cleaning list this year.

And in general, be sure to follow expiration dates to determine how long foods are safe to eat. Of course, regardless of the date on any product, throw out any food that smells funny or has something growing on it that you think shouldn’t be there.

Robin Brett Weschler

Modern Menus Nutritionist

www.modernmenus.com

 

Rate this Article: Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/spring-cleaning-dont-forget-the-fridge-137026.html

Print this Article Print article   Email to a Friend Send to friend   Publish this Article on your Website Publish this Article   Send Author Feedback Author feedback  
About the Author:

Modern Menus is a wellness company dedicated to designing nutritious meal plans for health conscious families. Modern Menus offers delicious yet easy and quick-to-prepare recipes written by our staff nutritionist, as well as a fully customizable grocery list, nutrition articles, healthful hints and advice, an “Ask the Nutritionist” column, and more.

Modern Menus also publishes a free weekly newsletter with current nutrition news, valuable tips, and dinner suggestions. Visit us at www.modernmenus.com

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Comment on this article Comment on this article
Your Name
Your Email:
Comment Body
Enter Validation Code: Captcha


Related Articles

Guide to Buying a Refrigerator/freezer
By: Andrew Gates | 01/09/2006 | Accessories

Liebherr Introduces New Models in US
By: Braeg Heneffe | 07/04/2008 | Kitchens

The Diverse Food Service Career
By: Josh Stone | 13/09/2006 | Careers

Mike Adams, Founder Of The Consumer Wellness Center Discusses Safe And Healthy Sweeteners
By: Kevin Gianni | 09/05/2008 | Health

Integrated Liebherr for the Kitchen
By: Braeg Heneffe | 31/07/2008 | Kitchens

How Often Should you Clean your Mailing Lists?
By: Steven Sellwood | 18/02/2008 | Marketing Tips

More Pond Basics
By: Carl Strohmeyer | 03/05/2007 | Gardening
Gardening related articles, find free content for your Gardening related web sites or Gardening related newsletters. Submit your Gardening related articles for free syndication.

Raw Food Detox Diet
By: Jonathan Heusman | 18/01/2008 | Health

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

Easy cleaning for white vinyl strap patio furniture
By: smirnof | 24-08-2008
My white vinyl strap patio furniture has become discolored. I used to clean it by scrubbing with scrub free with bleach but the older i get the more difficult it's become. Any solutions that can be sprayed on and washed off with a hose available out there?

Foods to avoid with stomach cancer
By: scott | 24-08-2008
Have terminal stomach cancer. What foods do I need to avoid. Best foods to eat to cause less distress.

How to can sauer kraut and how to can picled ...
By: Mike | 24-08-2008
how to can sauer kraut and how to can picled corn?

What is EMB Disease in horses
By: Anita | 24-08-2008
What is EMB disease in horses?  A friend of ours is looking at a horse at that was brought up.

Where is the food stamp office for zip 92113?
By: Marti | 24-08-2008
Where is the food stamp office for zip 92113?

How to clean a filthy attic or garage
By: brehlww | 23-08-2008
how to clean a filthy attic

Q&A Powered by:
Powered by Yedda 

Latest Nutrition Articles

A Healthy Diet is the Most Powerful Appetite Suppressant
By: Paul Rodgers | 12/10/2008
Anyone struggling to lose weight understands that appetite suppression is often a necessary part of the battle. The most powerful appetite suppressant, however, is a healthy diet. Many natural herbal and homeopathic remedies are available that stimulate the metabolism and work as natural appetite suppressants. If you haven't heard of Caralluma yet, you will.

5 Surprising Consequences of Emotional Eating
By: Mike Smith | 12/10/2008
Emotional eating is the biggest factor in binging & overeating. Shrink Yourself guides us to identify and learn more about emotional eating and helps us beat it.

Eating Tips For Burning Fat And Successfully Losing Weight Healthily
By: Jennifer King | 11/10/2008
Losing weight requires more than just cuting down on calories. When to eat is very important.

10 Tips to Healthy Eating-part One
By: Vivian Waterman | 11/10/2008
Many of us have a difficult time managing a healthy diet. With these 10 tips you will be able to make positive changes and learn how to implement healthy choices into your diet.

10 Tips to Healthy Eating-part Two
By: Vivian W. | 11/10/2008
Don't eliminate your favorite foods. One of the biggest mistakes that people make when dieting is to eliminate their favorite foods. The problem with this is that you then feel deprived and are more likely to binge on these foods

I Asked Myself is Tap Water Safe for Bathing and Showering?
By: Peter Foremski | 11/10/2008
If you have already taken steps to install a water treatment system in your home you may have been looking at only half of the problem.

Tips to Eating Healthy Portions
By: Vivian W. | 10/10/2008
In order to stop eating huge portions of food you will need to learn how to determine what a portion is. This is not always easy but once you learn you will always know.

Foods That Help You Lose Weight - Fruits and Vegetables
By: Vivian W. | 10/10/2008
Fruits and vegetables are known to be healthy but many don't realize that they can help you to drop unwanted pounds due to the negative calorie effect. The negative calorie effect simply means that you burn more calories eating the food then is in the food itself.

More from Modern Menus

Modern Menus Offers Free Meal Planning
By: Modern Menus | 08/11/2007 | Recipes
Enjoy free meal planning compliments of Modern Menus.

In Search of the Perfect Food
By: Modern Menus | 26/06/2007 | Nutrition
We eat to nourish our bodies and stay healthy and strong. But which food is best? That is, if you could survive on eating only one thing for the rest of your life, what would that perfect food be?

Fruit Center Says Thank you With Complimentary Meal Planning
By: Modern Menus | 26/06/2007 | Press Releases
Fruit Center Marketplace offers complimentary meal planning from Modern Menus, leader in healthful meal plans, to its customers.

Plan to Eat Well in 2007
By: Modern Menus | 13/03/2007 | Weight Loss
Robin Brett Wechsler, nutritionist for Modern Menus, discusses the top 5 tips for eating well in 2007.

Article Categories






Give Feedback

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below