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10 Foods You Shouldn’t Store in the Fridge

Tomatoes, lemons etc.: These foods do not belong in the refrigerator

Storing food properly is almost an art – and the refrigerator is not always the best solution. Not everything stays fresh longer in it. Many foods are harmed by the cold, some simply do not need it cool.

Store tomatoes in the fridge? Please do not!

Tomatoes lose their aroma in the refrigerator and can mold more quickly. It is best to keep them in the cellar or in the pantry – a temperature of around 15 degrees is ideal.

If a cool room is not available, tomatoes are still better off at room temperature than in the fridge. This also applies to other types of vegetables that contain a lot of water, such as cucumbers, peppers, aubergines and zucchini.

Food that doesn’t belong in the fridge: Bread

Bread is best stored at room temperature in air-permeable containers. Without air, moisture builds up and the bread starts to go moldy.

Clay pots are ideal for storage. Wooden bread boxes are also recommended, as bread dries out less quickly in them.

Olive oil does not belong in the fridge!

Olive oil can become flaky in the refrigerator. This is reflected in the warmth, but it doesn’t have to be.

Protected from light at room temperature (e.g. in a cupboard), olive oil keeps for many weeks – by then a bottle is usually gone anyway.

Lemons better not in the cold

Lemons and other citrus fruits don’t tolerate cold – after all, they come from warm regions. Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, etc. do well at moderate room temperatures, but they prefer it a little cooler.

You should store citrus fruits openly so that they have contact with air.

Garlic and onions

Garlic and onions are best kept in a cool, dark and dry place, such as the basement. It’s too cold for them in the fridge.

If you don’t have a cool room available, it’s best to store garlic and onions in a clay pot that gives them enough room to “breathe”.

Avocados shouldn’t be in the fridge

Like bananas, avocados are usually bought unripe. “Hard” avocados should be left to ripen and soften at room temperature. It is best to eat up ripe specimens as soon as possible.

Store bananas in the fridge?

Bananas quickly get brown spots in the fridge because the cold damages their cell tissue. They will keep for about three to four days at room temperature if you protect them from direct sunlight.

This also applies to other exotic fruits such as mango, melon or pineapple – better not in the fridge.

Booze

Anyone who has spirits such as vodka, whiskey or other spirits with more than 35 percent at home does not need to store them in the refrigerator. Sealed bottles last practically forever.

Even when the bottles are open, it takes time for the alcohol and aroma to evaporate. Storage in the basement or at room temperature without direct sunlight (e.g. in a cupboard) is sufficient.

Tabasco etc

In addition to chilies, hot sauces usually only contain vinegar and salt – these are excellent preservatives. That’s why Tabasco & Co. don’t have to be in the fridge even when they’re open.

In a light-protected place (in the cupboard) they last for many months.

Store honey in the fridge? Unnecessary!

Honey hardens in the fridge and is difficult to spread. When stored tightly closed, dry, and protected from light (e.g. in a cupboard), honey usually keeps for years without losing quality.

Also, if you keep honey free of foreign bodies, you can eat it practically forever.

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Lifestyle

Load the Fridge Correctly and Avoid Mistakes

Important rules and a simple guide to the fridge will help you to avoid common fridge mistakes. As a result, storing food properly saves you time and money. You can also find out what absolutely shouldn’t be in the fridge and what fridge size is right for you.

Proper storage of food is important

If you follow a few simple tips when storing the fridge correctly, you will not only save time that would be spent searching but also money. Because the food has a longer shelf life. And in extreme cases, even harmful germs can form. The rules of physics also apply to the refrigerator. Warm air rises. That means there are different temperatures in the refrigerator and there are different cooling zones. You should consider this fact for the correct storage of food. But what does the correct storage of food in the refrigerator look like and what mistakes can I avoid?

Correct instructions for the refrigerator

Refrigerators have different cold zones, which can differ by up to 7°C. Accordingly, it is warmer in the upper compartments than in the lower compartments. It’s coldest on the back wall and on the glass shelf above the vegetable compartment. And it’s warmest in the refrigerator door. Since some foods need to be stored cooler than others, it makes sense to follow a few rules here.

Avoid common fridge mistakes

Storing food incorrectly in the fridge is a common mistake. When storing the refrigerator properly, the milk should never be in the refrigerator door, as the temperatures here are too warm. In addition to these mistakes, there are others that you should definitely avoid:

1) Do not store tropical fruits in the refrigerator

When storing the fridge correctly, remember that tropical fruits such as bananas or mangoes do not belong in the fridge. Because that would spoil the taste. Tomatoes and courgettes also react negatively to the climate in the refrigerator. Therefore, it is better to store them in a shady place in the kitchen. Eggs don’t necessarily have to be stored in a cool place either unless they are washed. You can put them in the fridge after a certain time stated on the packaging. Also, read tips on storing eggs. In addition, cucumbers should not be stored in the refrigerator because of their high water content. Likewise, potatoes are not suitable for the cold. Fresh herbs last longer in the crisper, with the exception of healthy basil.

2) Avoid hot food in the refrigerator

Mistakes often happen even with correct storage. Who does not know it? There was a lot of cooking and half of the lunch left. Quickly in a Tupperware and the warm food in the fridge. And now we have an error. Refrigerators remove the heat from the products. The warmer an object is, the more electricity is used to cool it. So let the food cool down first. Then you can save electricity.

3) Stock the fridge properly with the right packaging

Well packed, you protect your food from drying out. You also prevent odors and germs from forming. Therefore, use cling film or storage boxes to store the products properly. In addition, storage boxes create a good basic organization in the refrigerator. A “sausage box” and a “cheesebox” are recommended. Nothing is lying around openly and everything can be stacked better. You should also defrost and clean your refrigerator regularly. This way you can avoid a musty stench in the fridge.

  • Use cling film to preserve flavor and prevent germs
  • Use storage boxes to avoid chaos and save space

4) Pay attention to hygiene when storing the fridge correctly

In order to avoid germ formation and damage to health from spoiled food, you must ensure adequate hygiene. Consequently, make sure that when storing meat and products with raw eggs, juice cannot leak. These should be packed well. Food that is placed in the refrigerator for defrosting should also be placed in a bowl that catches the defrost water. This is very important with meat and poultry because hygiene is the be-all and end-all here. The refrigerator can be washed out with lukewarm water once a month. A splash of vinegar essence in the wash water prevents the formation of bacteria and mold. You can read more about this under the tips for cleaning and cleaning the kitchen.

5) Bought the wrong refrigerator

In order to avoid mistakes when buying a refrigerator, you should estimate the required refrigerator size. In general, you can assume that size of 120 liters is sufficient for a single person. Tests have also shown that an additional 60 liters are required. This means that a refrigerator for 3 people should have a capacity of around 240 liters. Of course, these are only guidelines. Here it depends on my own shopping behavior and how often I find time to shop. If you enjoy doing a large weekly shop, then the above estimates are realistic.

Fridge size guidelines

  • One person: 120 liters
  • Two people: 180 liters
  • Each additional person + 60 liters
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Food

Can I Put Warm Leftovers Directly in The Fridge?

After a long day at work, many go to the kitchen in the evening to prepare a warm meal. But what to do with the leftovers? Can you keep them warm in the fridge or should they cool outside?

Should you keep leftovers hot in the fridge?

The above points speak against cooling at room temperature. On the other hand, if you put hot food in the fridge, the entire cupboard heats up. The device takes a correspondingly long time to restore the optimal temperature and thus consumes significantly more and, above all, unnecessary energy. In addition, other foods that are also in the refrigerator are heated during this time. The warm food breaks through the cold chain of the other products due to the abrupt increase in temperature, which are then damaged more quickly. Sensitive foods in particular, such as yoghurts, could be affected quickly. In addition, with open, warm dishes, condensation can form in the refrigerator, which can later be found as icing.

In general, the food should be cooled as quickly as possible – that’s already clear. But how do you regulate the temperature without constantly having to think about high electricity bills, freezing or infection? Here are a few suggested solutions:
Pour the meal into another container, because heat escapes as soon as you transfer it.
Warm food cools faster when stored in small containers.
The food can be placed in a cold water bath for a few minutes before going into the fridge.
At the right time of the year or overnight, the cooked food can be covered animal-safe and placed outside, i.e. on the balcony or terrace.

If the food has to be kept warm in the fridge, don’t forget to cover it to avoid condensation.
When reheating: heat for at least two minutes at a minimum of 70 degrees to give no chance for germination.
Conclusion: lukewarm food can be placed covered in the refrigerator without any problems. Warm or hot dishes, on the other hand, should be cooled first, but then they can also be put in the fridge quickly. Dairy and meat products in particular, as well as foods with eggs, should not be left at room temperature overnight, as this can lead to the undesirable development of bacteria and germs.

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Food

Do Tomatoes Have to go in The Fridge? You Should Never Store These 11 Products Cold

Everyone knows this rule of thumb: Cold makes many foods last longer. But not every product belongs in the refrigerator. We tell you eleven foods that the temperatures in the refrigerator do more harm than good.

Do tomatoes have to go in the fridge? Cold is poison for these foods:

Not everything is suitable for the refrigerator and automatically stays fresh longer there – the cold even damages many types of fruit and vegetables. Especially foods that come from the south like it warm to keep their aroma.

#1 Bananas

They hardly tolerate the cold in the refrigerator and quickly develop brown spots if stored incorrectly. The unsuitable temperature will damage your cell tissue.

#2 Avocados

Just like bananas, avocados are harvested unripe and are therefore usually bought when they are still solid. It is best to keep them at room temperature to let them ripen. As soon as the avocado is ripe, it should be eaten quickly and not kept at all.

#3 Tomatoes

Vegetables with a high water content soften much more quickly in the refrigerator. Most people automatically put tomatoes and cucumbers in the fridge, but they quickly get old and shriveled there. Water-rich vegetables should not be stored below 10 degrees. A cool, dry cellar is much better suited for fresh storage.

#4 Onions

They play a role in many dishes, but in order to preserve the flavor of the onions, they should not be stored in the refrigerator. To fully develop their aroma, onions should be stored in a dry, oxygen-rich place.

#5 Honey

When stored properly, honey will last for years without suffering any loss in quality. But the refrigerator is not the right place to store this product. Temperatures that are too cold make the honey hard and difficult to spread. Instead, it is best stored tightly closed, dry and away from light. A kitchen cupboard would be a good solution here, for example.

#6 Bread

If the bread is kept in an air-poor environment, such as in the refrigerator, moisture builds up and it starts to go mouldy. That would be a pity, especially with homemade bread. Baked goods are better stored at room temperature in air-permeable containers. However, wooden bread boxes are not suitable here, because the food tends to dry out here. It is best to grab a clay vessel.

#7 Lemons

Citrus fruits come from the south and therefore come from warm regions. As a result, they prefer room temperatures and not refrigerator temperatures. Oranges, mangoes and grapefruits also lose their flavor intensity if they are stored too cold.

#8 Potatoes

In order not to let potatoes become shriveled and go bad, you should not store them in the refrigerator. Due to the cold, the potato converts its starch into sugar and thus develops a sweet, unpleasant taste. It is better to store the potatoes in a cool, dry and dark cellar room.

#9 coffee

Many people store coffee powder or coffee beans in the refrigerator because of the myth that it retains a better aroma. In reality, however, exactly the opposite is the case. Because the coffee loses its taste due to the cold and may even absorb unpleasant odors. It is better to store the powder well sealed and dry in a kitchen cupboard.

#10 Oil

Actually, the oil keeps for weeks at room temperature and therefore does not have to be put in the refrigerator. If the temperature is too low, the oil develops a flaky or buttery consistency, which is why it is better kept in a kitchen cupboard.

#11 Garlic

The garlic is very similar to the onion mentioned above. Garlic often becomes rubbery or moldy in cool temperatures. Like the onion, it should therefore be stored in a dry, oxygen-rich place.

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health

Remove Musty Odor In Smelly Fridge

Smelly fridge? Many tips against smelly refrigerators will help you to eliminate odors in the kitchen. Removing and combating unpleasant odors in the fridge made easy. Finally got the fridge odorless again. Avoiding musty refrigerators is made easy.

Reasons for smelly fridge

Before removing fridge odors, you should understand the reasons behind a smelly fridge. It’s hard to ventilate the fridge, so you have to do something else.

  • There is an unpleasant odor in the refrigerator due to strong-smelling food.
  • These include stinky cheese, sliced ​​onions, fish, and cooked vegetables like cauliflower or sauerkraut.
  • Moldy food can even produce toxic odors.
  • Even when removing smelly food, the refrigerator can smell for a long time.
  • The odor can also build up in rubber seals, especially if liquids leak in the refrigerator.

Home remedies and tips against the smelly fridge

Tips and home remedies against unpleasant smells from the fridge will help you to combat the smell in the fridge. In this way, unpleasant odors are dispelled quickly and in an environmentally friendly manner. If the smelly odors in the fridge don’t go away, be sure to defrost and wash the fridge thoroughly.

1) Apple

There is a home remedy for unpleasant odors that can be found in every household. A normal apple. Simply cut an apple in half and place half in the middle of the fridge. Remove or replace as soon as the apple begins to shrivel.

2) Vinegar

The refrigerator should be wiped out regularly with vinegar water or vinegar cleaner. Vinegar itself does not smell and neutralizes the unpleasant smells in the fridge. In acute emergencies, you can also put a vinegar bowl in the fridge for a few days.

3) Coffee

Coffee is a miracle cure for odors. Place a bowl of freshly ground coffee in the refrigerator. Strong odors are neutralized with a nice fragrance.

4) Lemon

You can also squeeze a lemon and put the fresh lemon juice in a bowl. The fresh lemon juice eliminates many smelly odors quickly and safely.

Avoid fridge odors

You can avoid refrigerator odors by observing the following tips:

  • Always pack smelly food airtight or store it in a can.
  • Wipe and clean the fridge regularly with vinegar to neutralize the odor.
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Lifestyle

Remove Musty Odor In Smelly Fridge

Smelly fridge? Many tips against smelly refrigerators will help you to eliminate odors in the kitchen. Removing and combating unpleasant odors in the fridge made easy. Finally got the fridge odorless again. Avoiding musty refrigerators is made easy.

Reasons for smelly fridge

Before removing fridge odors, you should understand the reasons behind a smelly fridge. It’s hard to ventilate the fridge, so you have to do something else.

  • There is an unpleasant odor in the refrigerator due to strong-smelling food.
  • These include stinky cheese, sliced ​​onions, fish, and cooked vegetables like cauliflower or sauerkraut.
  • Moldy food can even produce toxic odors.
  • Even when removing smelly food, the refrigerator can smell for a long time.
  • The odor can also build up in rubber seals, especially if liquids leak in the refrigerator.

Home remedies and tips against the smelly fridge

Tips and home remedies against unpleasant smells from the fridge will help you to combat the smell in the fridge. In this way, unpleasant odors are dispelled quickly and in an environmentally friendly manner. If the smelly odors in the fridge don’t go away, be sure to defrost and wash the fridge thoroughly.

1) Apple

There is a home remedy for unpleasant odors that can be found in every household. A normal apple. Simply cut an apple in half and place half in the middle of the fridge. Remove or replace as soon as the apple begins to shrivel.

2) Vinegar

The refrigerator should be wiped out regularly with vinegar water or vinegar cleaner. Vinegar itself does not smell and neutralizes the unpleasant smells in the fridge. In acute emergencies, you can also put a vinegar bowl in the fridge for a few days.

3) Coffee

Coffee is a miracle cure for odors. Place a bowl of freshly ground coffee in the refrigerator. Strong odors are neutralized with a nice fragrance.

4) Lemon

You can also squeeze a lemon and put the fresh lemon juice in a bowl. The fresh lemon juice eliminates many smelly odors quickly and safely.

Avoid fridge odors

You can avoid refrigerator odors by observing the following tips:

  • Always pack smelly food airtight or store it in a can.
  • Wipe and clean the fridge regularly with vinegar to neutralize the odor.
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Technology

Beeswax Cloths: A Colorful Variety in the Household and Fridge

When we cook privately with our colleagues during the lunch break or at the weekend, there are rarely leftovers. If a cup of rice or a portion of pasta has been made too much (for example, if the eyes of our dear colleague Steffi were bigger than her stomach…), the leftovers are of course packaged and stored in the fridge. But before that, the search for the right lid for the can begins. And if you can’t find it, a layer or two of cling film has ended up on the can, because it rarely really sticks with one.
In order to put a stop to the search for lids and the mountains of plastic waste, we tried out a great alternative: beeswax towels or in English Bee’s Wrap.

Benefits of Beeswax Wipes

Beeswax towels are made from a cotton muslin fabric covered with a layer of beeswax and jojoba oil. Sometimes tree resin is also mixed in. These raw materials, especially beeswax and jojoba oil, naturally have antibacterial properties and are therefore ideal for wrapping vegetables, fruit and cheese. The towels are very flexible in their handling and nestle well to any shape. At the same time, the wax gives them a certain strength, which keeps the Bee’s Wraps in the shape they are shaped into with warm hands.

The wipes can be used over and over again and have an amazing shelf life of up to 2 years. A really good alternative when you consider that a piece of cling film often ends up in the trash after less than 24 hours. After use, you can simply wipe them down with a cold, damp cloth and let them air dry.

Hot things

The all-rounder beeswax cloth is excellent at adapting to its surroundings. But even the cloths get too hot in some situations. We therefore advise against cleaning the towels with hot water, drying them on the heater or covering hot food with them. Even in summer in the sunlit car, the towels don’t like it. The heat melts the wax and the cloths can lose their function.

If they have gotten a little sunstroke, you should give them a rest and let them cool down before you continue to use them.

Caution! The cloth is not suitable for meat and sausage due to the limited cleaning options!

Buy beeswax wipes

Originally, the first towels came to us from the USA. But since we want to improve our CO2 balance with the reusable cloths, we think European manufacturers are the better choice. Finally you can also order Bee’s Wraps from us.

Beeswax towels DIY

In addition to buying the towels, you have the option of making them yourself. We tried it and after the 5th shawl we got the hang of it 😉

For the production you first need fabric remnants of pure cotton, old bed sheets, old T-shirts or pillowcases are suitable for this. The second most important thing is the beeswax, which can be ordered online as granules. You will also find what you are looking for in the local health food store, at the market or directly from the beekeeper. Good to know, by the way: Residue-free organic beeswax is also declared as such.

We also recommend that you buy a bottle of jojoba oil. We did without it in our first experiment and got very strong and partly brittle cloths.

When you have all the “ingredients” together, all that is missing is the tools consisting of an iron or an oven, baking paper, an old sheet and scissors. Then it can go!

Cut the leftover fabric to the desired size. For this you can z. B. measure typical doses. A size of 20 x 20 cm has proven itself for us. The cloths do not have to be re-stitched as the wax seals the edges.
Lay out the old sheet and set the iron to the cotton setting.
Now a layer of baking paper, the cloth, beeswax, a few drops of jojoba oil and another layer of baking paper are stacked.
Stroke the baking paper lightly with the iron and distribute the melting wax evenly.
The cloth is ready when it is evenly coated in wax on both sides. You can tell by a darker and yellowish color in light fabrics.
Carefully remove the parchment paper (caution: hot things). Often there are still beeswax residues stuck to the baking paper. These can be used for the next cloth.
You bought beeswax towels or made them yourself? Now you can start wrapping. The yoghurt bowl from breakfast, the individual lettuce leaves, half an onion, the individual rolls from the baker. The towels are versatile. At the beginning the adhesive feeling of the wipes is still very strong, this decreases a bit over time, but does not limit the function.

Already knew?

A large cloth, e.g. 30 x 30cm, is good for covering leftover cakes on a plate or for wrapping bread.
Beeswax wraps can also be used for things other than food. For example as rain protection for the bicycle basket. Just try it out.
Is your beeswax wrap no longer sticking so well? Hold it briefly under warm water or warm it with your body heat.

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Cooking Tips

Yeast Dough in The Fridge: This is How You Can Let it Rise and Store it There

You can let the yeast dough rise and store in the fridge overnight. This reduces the effort for fresh rolls or yeast buns in the morning. Here we show you what you should consider.

Many recipes with yeast dough state: the ingredients should not come cold out of the refrigerator, the yeast should be dissolved in lukewarm liquid and the dough must rise in a warm place. These clues are there because yeast is a leavening agent and consists of yeast fungi. These yeasts die off when the yeast is processed too hot and do not become active when it is too cold.

But the last aspect is not entirely correct. Yeast fungi also work in the cold, but much more slowly. Some recipes take advantage of this and let yeast dough rise in the fridge rather than in the heat. This has many advantages that you can take advantage of when baking with yeast.

Leaving yeast dough in the fridge has advantages

If you let the yeast dough rise in the fridge, you benefit from a number of advantages:

You can prepare the yeast dough the night before, let it rise in the fridge overnight and use the risen dough straight away in the morning. So you can look forward to fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls, rolls and more for breakfast. Doing it yourself is particularly worthwhile for pastries, as you can do without many of the additives. You can find out more about this in the article: This is why many people can no longer tolerate bread.
If you have made more yeast dough than you can handle at once, you can store the rest in the fridge for up to a day and don’t have to throw it away. Alternatively, you can also freeze it. It lasts like this for several months.
In addition, you only need half the yeast for refrigerator yeast dough.
The refrigerator dough is prepared with cold liquid. This avoids the risk of your yeast dying from water that is too hot.
Yeast dough from the refrigerator is often looser later. Because he has enough time to rise. Pastries made from frozen and thawed yeast dough are in no way inferior to fresh yeast pastries. The taste does not change when stored in the cold.

Yeast dough in the fridge: you have to pay attention to this

You can let yeast dough rise in the fridge overnight and store it there for up to a day. Pay attention to the following:

Prepare the yeast dough with cold liquid so that it doesn’t puff up too much.
You don’t need a pre-dough and you shouldn’t let the yeast dough rise in a warm place first.
Immediately after kneading, dust the yeast dough all over with flour and put it in a reusable and sealable bag or tin. This should be large enough for the yeast dough to spread out.
Now put the yeast dough in the fridge and let it rise overnight. The ideal duration for this is 12 to 18 hours. You can use the dough first thing in the morning or keep it in the fridge. However, it should not be left in the fridge for more than 24 hours, otherwise it could ferment.

Tips for the yeast dough in the fridge

You can form the yeast dough into balls, snails or braids before you even leave it. If you have formed small balls or pastries, you can store them in a bag that you blow open after filling. This creates more space in it and the yeast pieces do not hit the bag and deform when they rise.
Alternatively, place the yeast pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or on a floured board. Pay attention to the distance between the individual pieces of dough. You then slide the baking sheet or board into a large bag, which you seal and put in the fridge.
The bag or tin should always be closed tightly so that the dough does not dry out.
After rising: The yeast dough has risen well in the fridge overnight. If you want to bake it now, shape it as you like (if you haven’t already done so) and let the shaped pieces of dough rise again at room temperature for 20 minutes. This makes the pastry particularly fluffy.

Freezing yeast dough: What you have to consider

If you don’t want to use your yeast dough immediately after rising, you can store it longer. To do this, you put it in the freezer. There it stays at minus 18 degrees Celsius for up to six months. You can store yeast dough in the freezer as follows:

Shape the dough into a ball or patty before freezing. Then flour the dough.
Place the dough in freezer bowls or freezer bags and place in the freezer.
If you want to bake the dough later, let it thaw thoroughly beforehand.
After thawing, you can process it like conventional yeast dough. So he has to rise first. Give the yeast dough enough time to do this. Defrosted yeast dough takes about twice as long to rise as fresh dough.
Once the dough has risen, you can process it like conventional dough.

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