With holidays on the horizon, it's time to clean out the fridge
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EmailWith the thought of all the holiday dishes and goodies you might be planning to cook and bake, now is the perfect time to clean out your refrigerator. In fact, Nov. 15 is National Clean out Your Refrigerator Day.
Start National Clean out Your Fridge Day by throwing out all expired dairy products, meat, condiment jars, wilted produce and containers of old left-overs. Top of your list to toss should be anything with mold growing on it. And as a reminder, you can’t cut off the mold or scoop it out to make it safe. Just toss it.
For food that isn’t obviously spoiled, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a handy chart that lists the length of time food can be safely stored in the refrigerator and freezer. Use this chart as a guideline for purchasing food at the grocery store and planning on when to use it at home.
For produce that is nearing the end of its freshness, think of ways to use it before it spoils. Salads, omelets and soups are all dishes you can prepare with extra vegetables. Add extra veggies to frozen pizza and casseroles. Some vegetables like peppers can be frozen without blanching. You could also chop up all of those vegetables and cook with some broth to freeze for future soups? If you’re not sure what recipes to use, go online to a recipe search site and put in the vegetable (or other ingredient) and you will get a list of recipes that feature that food.
If you’ve purchased meat that might expire before your planned meal, consider setting aside some time to cook all of it and then store it in the freezer. You get a double bonus: no waste with more costly meat products and future meals that are already partially prepared.
Once your fridge is empty of foods that need to be tossed, clean out the bins, shelves and interior walls. A simple cleaning solution can be made by adding baking soda to water and using that to wash out the refrigerator.
Ways to keep your fridge clean
- Buy only amounts of food you will use within the next week
- Plan ahead by making a weekly menu and buying only what’s needed
- Choose one meal a week just before your shopping trip to use up the left-overs and produce
- Designate a day for cleaning out the fridge; best if done the day before grocery shopping
Be prepared for the holidays by getting your refrigerator ready for extra storage. You’ll thank yourself that this one task is finished before the winter holiday season is upon us!
For more information about healthy eating, contact your local Michigan State University Extension office.
