FOOD STORAGE

How to Store Food

Focus on Quality

• Inventory the contents of your pantry, fridge and freezer.
• Set aside food items that are high in fat, sugar and sodium.
• Store these items, separately, for emergency or special-occasion use, or discard.

Cupboards, Pantry and Drawers

• Keep canned goods, condiments, oils, and vinegars in cool, dry cupboards.
• Place your most recent purchases behind older ones so their “best-before date” isn’t missed.
• Group like items for easy access.
• Store dry goods e.g. baking supplies, crackers, dried fruits, nuts, and seeds, pasta, etc.
   in cool, dry cupboards.
• Keep crackers crisp in sealed, see-through containers.
• Store dried fruits and seeds in sealed glass jars.
• Refrigerate nuts in sealed jars.
• Store grains and flours in sealed containers to prevent weevils.
  Whole-wheat flour is best kept in an airtight bag in the freezer.
• Organize herbs and spices in lidded glass jars in a cool, dark cupboard or drawer.
  Buy herbs and spices in smaller quantities to ensure freshness, and regularly
  discard old ones.

Refrigerator

Store foods in the fridge by types, for easy access.

• Keep uncooked fish, poultry, and meat in the coldest part.
• Keep produce, after a thorough washing, in crisper drawers.
• Keep beverages in the door.
• Washed and torn lettuce kept in a salad spinner stays fresh and crisp for
  4 to 6 days.
• Keep mushrooms in a brown paper bag.
• Place fresh and perishable foods at the front.
• Keep prepared items and leftovers in see-through containers, so they
  aren’t forgotten.

Freezer

• Date and label all items stored in the freezer.
• Use your freezer for prepared dishes and perishables not for immediate use,
   good buys, and abundant produce to be used within a few weeks or months. 
• Store breads in the freezer to defrost as needed.
• Your freezer is not for long-term storage! (see Appendix V Freezer Storage)