Refrigerator Care

After the last cleaning a refrigerator will slowly accumulate things you forgot about.  

Packages leak that you didn't know did and putting away leftovers in a container that wasn't quite clean on the outside.  A refrigerator is cold and the air in the house is warm and moist.  When worlds collide there can also be condensation that builds up.  So this example of cleaning I did today can be copied and repeated because they are all the same.  Even a self-cleaning oven requires that you press a button!

Here goes.  We have a fridge with adjustable shelves so it always helps to re-think how it is used in order to maximize space.  Find a bucket and put hot water in it with a dabble of dish detergent and a dash of Clorox to melt goo and sanitize at the same time.  Make your own rules on where to place food then live by them but obey the industry wide law of cross-contamination.  Meats go on the lowest consecutive shelves and vegetables above. You can even swap and put vegetables higher than milks and cheeses.  One other reason to do this is because cold air is heavy and settles to the bottom and that is where you want to store meat where it is coldest besides the freezer.

If you ever buy a refrigerator buy new just one time and read the manual cover to cover.

Freezer Filosophy

In this photo I show how the vegetables and dairy are on the top and meat on the bottom.

Remember that meat items are not frozen when you put it in the freezer at first so their liquids 

still have time to collect in one corner and drip onto what is below.  This is why you will never 

find a freezer with an ice maker in the middle or bottom of the freezer.  At least there shouldn't be.

In computer lingo memory can be accessed in two style- random and sequential.  Note how the items on the shelf below the vegetables are sort of stacked in there.  You have to lift up an item to see what is below it or to get it out.  This is sometimes clumsy.  But the shelf below that the items are stored on their edges.  This is called randomly accessible because you can reach wherever you want and pull things out with less bother.

Items you reach for frequently are stored at eye level like ice cream. yum Less frequently are the first aid ice pack thingy way in the bottom and the ice chest frozen bock thingy.

 I hope you take these practical tips through life to make cooking easier and safer.