The best place to store your raw foods

“Isolation of food items is important. For instance, fruits and vegetables, animal and plant foods should be isolated in different compartments to avoid cross contamination,” she says.

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She also highlights that whether it is in the fridge or in a room, always use a storage area or container with a larger surface area rather than a vertical one. 

“A large surface area allows proper circulation and regulates moisture build-up, which would otherwise cause rotting of the stored food,” she adds.

Dried foods
All dried foods should never be stored in a fridge, according to Aisu. They should instead be kept in a well aerated and dry place away from moisture to prevent them from rotting and developing mould. 

“The most important aspect of storing dried foods for a longer time is to make sure that the foods are adequately dry before storage. The standard is for them to be stored with a moisture content of 13 percent. If the foods are not dry to this level, they must be put out in the sun or air dried until they reach the acceptable moisture content for storage,” she advises. 

Vegetables
Storing vegetables the right way will keep them fresh and safe to eat. Leafy vegetables are best kept in the fridge but they must be washed and then dried. Carrots, turnips and parsnips are also best kept in the fridge.

Thereafter, wrap the vegetables in a polythene and place them in the fridge. Without wrapping the vegetables will wither, become wrinkled and frail because of the strong air blast in the fridge that draws moisture from them.

Also, the vegetables will lose water-soluble vitamins if they are directly put in the fridge without wrapping. Aisu warns against squashing the vegetables while they are in the fridge because it damages the leaves, exposing them to the entry of bacteria. 

Tomatoes in the grocery are kept at room temperature and although keeping them in the fridge extends their shelf life, cold temperatures affect their flavour. It is, therefore, important that you consume them as soon as possible. 

Eggs
Although eggs can be stored at room temperature, the best storage place for eggs is in the fridge. Aisu, however, warns that eggs should never be washed. 

“Eggs have pores and naturally have a protective layer over them. Washing them means washing away the protective layer which exposes the pores facilitating the entry of bacteria,” she warns. 

Potatoes 
If you want to store your potatoes for a long time, it starts with selection. They should be firm, have no bruises or black spots. If stored at room temperature, they are best if eaten within one to two weeks. 
Potatoes are best kept in a cool, dark room with a lot of ventilation; preferably in an open container or sac according to Ronnah Nankunda, a nutritionist at Impact Nutrition Company.

Proper air circulation around them keeps the moisture levels down and prevents them from getting rotten quickly as well as preventing them from greening. Greening happens when chlorophyll builds up under the peel. It is associated with solanine, a bitter, toxic alkaloid that can make you sick if you eat too much of it.

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Dampness can cause potatoes to spoil faster. Therefore, Nankunda advises one not to wash them before storage. Potatoes turn green if exposed to light and heat.

“Potatoes should never be stored in the fridge because this way, the starch in the potato is converted to sugar. When baked or fried, these sugars combine with the amino acid asparagine and produce the chemical acrylamide, which is carcinogenic (having the potential to cause cancer),” Nankunda says.  

She adds that one should throw away rotten and smelly potatoes that are soft and wrinkly with black spots. Also, cut off any sprouts and green parts on your potatoes by peeling away the extra green flesh and the rest of the potato is safe to eat.

Fruits

Before storing fruits, always remember to wash and dry them. They must be kept away from sunlight and heat which causes evaporation of water soluble vitamins. Heat can also activate rotting of the fruits. They should, therefore, be kept in a dry and well-aerated place to avoid development of mould.  

“Since bananas are a tropical fruit, they do not thrive in the cold. They should, therefore, be stored at room temperature and not in the fridge. If you want to ripen avocado quicker, store it next to a ripe banana in a paper bag. This is because the banana produces ethylene, a natural gas released by fruits and vegetables. Therefore, if you want to keep them longer, do not keep them together,” Nankunda says. 

The extreme temperatures in the fridge inhibit the enzymes that would help ripen the bananas and instead make other enzymes take over, including browning enzymes, turning the bananas black. 

She adds that, “Apples and pears all contain the ripening agent and should not be stored with other items because they make them go bad quickly. Watermelons are safe at room temperature until you cut them. After cutting, watermelons are better stored in the fridge but should be consumed after a day.”

Onions
Onions and garlic should be stored in a cool, dark and dry place such as a cupboard. They should also be kept away from fruits that produce ethylene, such as bananas, as they are sensitive to the gas. 

The cold temperatures of a fridge are not good for onions because it causes them to become soggy, soft, sprout, develop moulds, and rot because the starch is converted to sugars. 

Bread
“Bread should be kept in the cupboard because storing it in cool temperatures will dry it out. This is because the starch molecules in bread recrystallise faster at cool temperatures making the bread hard and stale much faster. Also, remember that storing bread in a damp place can facilitate the development of mould,” Nankunda says.  

Refrigerator hierarchy for food safety:
Top shelves- Ready to eat cut or prepared foods that will not be cooked. Always tightly cover or keep food in a sealed container to prevent contamination. Middle shelves- Fruits and vegetables that have not been cut or prepared. 

Bottom shelves- Raw meat, poultry, and fish. Due to the severity of allergic reactions, store shellfish separately.

Regardless of the food product being stored, always keep food in a sealed container. Additionally, all food kept in a sealed container should have a clear use date written on it. Refrigerator temperatures should be kept between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit to decrease time spent in the zone that most bacterial grow.