Quick Reference - Where to Keep What

You take great care when purchasing food for yourself and your family. You read labels to be sure you know what you are buying. You buy high quality ingredients for your meals. But do you know where to properly store what you buy? Here’s a quick reference for your food storage needs.

Your refrigerator’s temperature should be between 34 and 40 degrees. Use a thermometer to check the temps in the various areas of your fridge. Eggs and dairy should be stored in the coolest part of your refrigerator. Fruits, veggies and herbs can be in the higher temp areas. Don’t pack your refrigerator or freezer full of food - air should be able to circulate between the items.

The following items should be stored in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator):
Baking powder
Baking soda
Bananas (they will darken in the fridge)
Bread and baked goods (the refrigerator will dry them out)
Chocolate (preferably at temps between 63 and 68 degrees)
Cocoa
Cornstarch
Crackers
Dried foods
Dried fruit
Dried herbs and spices
Dry beans
Dry cereals
Garlic
Honey
Molasses
Nutritional yeast
Onions
Potatoes -(should be stored in the dark and not in the fridge - the low temp will turn their starch to sugar and the extra sugar will cause the potato to darken too quickly while frying, as well as give the potato a sweet taste)
Refined oils
Rice
Salt
Shallots
White sugar
Tea (preferably in the dark)
Textured soy protein (TSP – dehydrated)
Tomatoes (some people do refrigerate them but I think they taste best at room temperature)
Unripe fruit
Vinegar
White flour
Whole grains and whole grain pasta

Store the following items in the refrigerator:
Active dry yeast
Brown sugar (won't harden in the fridge)
Cold, pressed oils
Cooked foods (chili, rice, soup, lasagna, beans, etc.)
Dairy and non-dairy milks, yogurts, cheeses, etc.
Eggs (the American Egg Board recommends storing them in their carton on a shelf in your fridge, never on the door)
Fresh herbs
Fresh pasta
Fruit or dairy/non-dairy filled pies or cakes
Ginger
Maple syrup
Nut and seed butters
Nuts
Olives
Opened condiments
Ripe fruit
Seeds
Tempeh
Tofu
Vegetable and fruit juices
Vegetables
Whole grain flours

Store the following items in your freezer (FYI - your freezer’s temperature should be 0 degrees):
Baked goods (if you are storing them for later use)
Coffee beans
Ground flaxseed
Items purchased frozen (veggie burgers, bags of vegetables, fruits, juices, etc.)
Wheat germ

For more food storage tips, click on the links below:

A freezer storage guide giving the length of time various products can be frozen is found at the Garden Guide's site here.

An informative guide giving the length of time dried goods can be stored is found at the Online Cook's site here.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic