You know the age-old debate: should you store tomato sauce in the fridge or pantry?
Well, finally – here’s the right answer to that question, plus the correct way to store fourteen other common foods:
- Tomato sauce: in the fridge once opened (you knew it, didn’t you?!)
- BBQ sauce: in the same place as it’s tomato-flavoured sibling…
- Honey: in the pantry (i.e. at room temperature)
- Bread: in the pantry for two to five days, or in the freezer for up to four months
- Peanut butter: in the pantry
- Vegemite: in the pantry (i.e. a cool, dry place)
- Strawberries: in an air-tight container in the fridge
- Tomatoes: at room temperature until ripened, then in the fridge
- Maple syrup: in the fridge once opened
- Sriracha: in the pantry (i.e. a cool, dry place)
- Seeded mustard: in the fridge once opened
- Olive oil: in the pantry, away from light and heat
- Eggs: in their carton in the fridge
- Salsa: in the fridge once opened
- Potatoes: in the pantry (or another cool, dark and well-ventilated area)
Now, you might think some of these are trivial, but storing your food correctly is actually really important. You see, incorrect storage can result in food that is unsafe to eat.
Overall, if you aim to keep cold food cold and hot food hot, you’re off to a good start.
It’s also wise to pay attention to the best-before or use-by date – and in case you don’t know the difference between the two, listen up. If you eat a food past its use-by date, there is a risk to your health and safety. Most foods with a best-before date, however, are usually still safe to eat but may be of poorer quality past the date.
You should make sure your fridge is organised properly as well. To get you up to speed, raw and cooked foods should be separated – so keep your raw foods at the bottom of the fridge, and cooked foods at the top. That will help to ensure juices from raw foods don’t come in contact with ready to eat foods.
