Less food waste

Fresher and tastier for longer: How to store food

After you have planned your shopping, taking the time to store your food properly is decisive in ensuring it stays fresh. Sorting your purchases once you get home will help to keep your fruit and vegetables, dairy products, bread, pasta and meat fresh for longer. Some foods need to be chilled, while others just need to be kept at room temperature. We’ve put together some tips outlining when and how you can store food so that everything stays fresh for as long as possible.

Why exactly does food go bad?

Whether warm or cold, moist or dry, not all foods like the same conditions. If stored incorrectly, food will lose its flavour and spoil more quickly. This is due to the physical, biochemical, chemical and microbial influences and changes to which products are exposed. Food can also be damaged by pests and vermin.

Microbial spoilage is caused by bacteria, mould and yeasts. They cause food to rot, ferment or develop mould and sometimes develop pathogenic substances as a result. These processes and the storage life of food products depend in particular on physical conditions such as warmth, cold and moisture.

In addition, enzymes within food trigger biochemical changes, such as vitamins, pigments and flavourings breaking down. Fat turning rancid is due to chemical spoilage triggered by chemical reactions within food constituents. External factors such as light and air can accelerate this process.

Hygiene, refrigeration and storage: It all starts with shopping.

Before you get your shopping home and start to put it all away in the right place, making sure that everything is suitably hygienic and chilled starts in the supermarket. Key points to remember:

Check that all packaging is intact.
Make sure that chilled foods are kept cool, such as with reusable cool bags, to prevent germs from multiplying when produce gets warm.
Only put frozen and perishable products in your trolley at the end of your shop, just before heading to the checkout. Speaking of the checkout, soft and delicate produce such as eggs, bananas and grapes should be the last things you place on the conveyor belt. This means they will be at the top of your bag and will not get crushed by heavier items.
After finishing your shop and before sorting out your purchases at home, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly to prevent the spread of bacteria and germs.
Keep storage areas such as shelves, pantries and your fridge clean and wipe them down regularly. The best way is to use warm water with a little detergent. Adding a dash of vinegar essence can prevent mould.

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Freezing effectively: How to store food in the freezer

If you want to store food for a particularly long time, your freezer or the freezer compartment of your fridge is the best option. The low temperature and reduced water activity mean that microorganism reproduction is significantly reduced or even eliminated. However, make sure to clean, wash and blanch fruit and vegetables before freezing them. Ideally, you should pack food as airtight as possible and in small portions. It’s also worth labelling bags with their contents and the date to help you keep on top of things. However, even frozen food cannot be stored indefinitely. Fruit and vegetables will keep for 11 to 15 months, fish and fatty meats will keep for 6 to 9 months, and beef and poultry can be frozen for 9 to 12 months.

Freeze first, enjoy later

Turn frozen fruit into delicious smoothies or smoothie-bowls. Our recipe ideas tell you how to.

Rapsberry and goji berry smoothie2go with lime and coconut oil

Recipe

Acai berry smoothie bowl

Recipe

Red fruit and coconut smoothie bowl

Recipe

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Chilling correctly: How to store food in the fridge

Most fresh foods should go straight in the fridge when you get home. A cool ambient temperature of 4 to 8 °C inside fridges helps to keep perishable foods fresh for long periods. This is because the low temperature slows cell metabolism in foods, impedes the growth of microorganisms and curbs chemical and enzymatic spoilage. The “FiFo” principle (first in, first out) can help you keep track of what’s fresh and what isn’t. In other words: Put new food at the back, bring older food to the front.

How to store your refrigerator properly

Fridges have various temperature zones. So, to help foods in the fridge stay fresh for as long as possible, make sure to place them on the right shelf. We set out exactly what belongs where in our fridge tips.

Fridge door

What belongs in the fridge door

The fridge door is one of the warmest areas in a fridge. The temperature here is usually between 8 and 10 °C. It is suitable for storing ready-made sauces, juice, drinks, dressings, milk, butter and eggs

Crisper drawer

What belongs in the crisper drawer

The clue’s in the name: the crisper drawer keeps fresh produce crisp. Crisper drawers are separated from the rest of the fridge, usually by a glass pane, which keeps the temperature at around 9 °C. This is perfect for storing vegetables, salad and various types of fruit. Remember: Produce that is sensitive to cold, such as exotic fruits and vegetables with a high water content, do not belong in the fridge at all.

Bottom shelf

What belongs on the bottom shelf

The temperature of the bottom shelf, just above the crisper drawer, is no higher than 2 to 3 °C. You should store easily perishable food on this shelf, such as meat, fish, poultry and deli salads.

Middle shelf

What belongs on the middle shelf

The middle shelf is usually about 5 °C, making it ideal for dairy products like yoghurt, milk, quark and cream. It’s also the perfect place for cheese and sausages.

Top shelf

What belongs on the top shelf

The top shelf of a fridge is comparatively warm. The temperature here is usually between 8 and 10 °C. You can store butter and jams at this mild temperature. Leftover food you intend to eat soon can also be kept here, as this area is perfect for preserving flavour.

Storing foods at room temperature in the cupboard or pantry

Pasta, rice, canned goods and the like don’t benefit from being stored in the fridge. Instead, it’s fine to store them in a cupboard at an average of 15 to 20 °C. It’s important that food is not exposed to direct sunlight or warmth, e.g. by being kept near a hob or oven. High temperatures and moist air generated when cooking have a negative impact on the storage life of even long-life products. When tidying your cupboards or pantry, remember: put new products at the back and bring older food to the front so that it gets used first. Once you open a packet, seal it securely or transfer the contents to a sealed container. Just like when freezing food, make sure to label containers with dates – so you don’t forget what’s inside.

Storing products in the right place: What food belongs where

Whether warm or cold, moist or dry, not all foods like the same conditions. If stored incorrectly, food will lose its flavour and spoil more quickly. Let’s look at the best place to store different foods so that they stay fresh for longer.

Bread & baked goods

Keeping bread fresh for longer

Keeping bread fresh means preventing it from drying out, such as by storing it in a bread bin or a stoneware container with a lid. Many people store bread in plastic bags. The disadvantage of this is that fresh bread from the baker very quickly turns soft when stored in airtight packaging. For this reason, it’s best to keep crisp baked goods you plan to eat soon unsealed – such as in the bag they came in from the baker.

However, drying out isn’t the only way bread can spoil. If the surroundings are too moist and air cannot circulate, water can accumulate and cause mould to develop, particularly in the case of sliced bread. Any crumbs lying around in a bread bin can also lead to mould growing. Remove crumbs every few days and wipe down the container with some diluted vinegar. In warm, humid weather, you can even keep bread in the fridge if necessary. This protects against mould, especially in the case of white bread. If in doubt, you can always freeze bread and bread rolls before defrosting them at a later date, ideally at room temperature.

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Fruits et légumes

Pommes, carottes, salade, etc. : ce qui doit être conservé au réfrigérateur et ce qui ne doit pas l'être.

Presque tous les légumes peuvent être conservés dans le réfrigérateur. Les aubergines, les tomates, les pommes de terre et les potirons sont les seuls que vous ne devez pas conserver au froid. Les fruits sont un peu plus compliqués, puisque certains types de fruits ne restent frais et conservent leurs vitamines que lorsqu'ils sont réfrigérés. D'autres, en revanche, sont très sensibles au froid. En règle générale, vous devez réfrigérer les fruits indigènes comme les pommes, les cerises et les prunes. Les fruits exotiques comme les mangues, les bananes et les agrumes n'ont pas leur place dans le réfrigérateur. Les exceptions à cette règle sont les figues et les kiwis, qui ont tout à fait à leur place dans votre tiroir à légumes. Au fil du temps, certains fruits et légumes développent un gaz de maturation appelé éthylène. Ce gaz fait vieillir plus rapidement les autres fruits et légumes situés à proximité. Les pommes, les abricots, les prunes et les tomates sont les plus gros producteurs d'éthylène. Il est préférable de les conserver séparément.

Produits laitiers

Les yaourts, le beurre et le lait : Comment conserver la fraîcheur des produits laitiers

Les yaourts, le lait et le beurre doivent passer du supermarché à votre réfrigérateur le plus rapidement possible. L'idéal est de les conserver bien fermés et dans leur emballage d'origine. Nous vous recommandons de mettre le beurre sur l'étagère supérieure de la porte du réfrigérateur, et de garder les yaourts et le lait au milieu du réfrigérateur. Le lait UHT ne doit être mis au réfrigérateur qu'une fois ouvert ; il peut se conserver à température ambiante pendant plusieurs semaines avant ouveuture. Si vous consommez du lait cru provenant directement de la ferme, il doit être consommé dans un délai de 2 à 3 jours au maximum. Le lait frais pasteurisé reste souvent frais jusqu'à une semaine lorsqu'il est conservé fermé et pendant 2 à 3 jours lorsqu'il est ouvert.

Fromage

Le fromage se conserve mieux dans un endroit bien ventilé et humide, mais le fromage frais aime la fraîcheur.

À l'exception du fromage frais, tous les types de fromage doivent pouvoir respirer et ne doivent donc pas être conservés dans un récipient hermétique. Il est préférable de conserver les fromages préemballés dans leur emballage d'origine, dans du papier spécifique, ou dans un boîte à fromage. Cela les empêche de transmettre leur arôme à d'autres aliments et empêche la formation de moisissures comestibles sur les fromages à pâte dure. Une autre option est le film alimentaire, mais vous ne devez jamais utiliser de récipients en plastique hermétiques. Le fromage est le plus heureux sur l'étagère du milieu du réfrigérateur. Le fromage frais, en revanche, doit être conservé dans un endroit beaucoup plus frais, donc sur l'étagère du bas du réfrigérateur. Les morceaux de fromage peuvent se conserver jusqu'à trois semaines dans le réfrigérateur. Le fromage en tranches et le fromage frais emballés se dessèchent plus rapidement une fois ouverts et perdent leur saveur : il est donc préférable de les consommer dans la semaine qui suit l'ouverture.

Pâtes

La meilleure façon de conserver les pâtes, les spaetzle et les gnocchi

Vous pouvez conserver les pâtes sèches jusqu'à un an. Il est important de les conserver à température ambiante et de les garder au sec dans des récipients ou boites bien fermés. Comme d'autres produits secs (tels que la farine, le muesli et le thé) les pâtes sèches sont particulièrement sensibles aux parasites, comme les mites alimentaires.

Les produits frais à base de pâte comme les pâtes fraiches, les spaetzle ou les gnocchi sont extrêmement sensibles aux germes. Ils se conservent au réfrigérateur pendant trois ou quatre jours. Vous pouvez conserver les restes de pâtes sur l'étagère supérieure du réfrigérateur, où elles resteront fraîches pendant un ou deux jours. Il est préférable de conserver les pâtes cuites dans des récipients fermés afin qu'elles ne durcissent pas.

Viande

Ce qu'il faut retenir pour conserver la viande

La viande, la volaille et les saucisses sont des aliments qui se gâtent très rapidement. Dans la mesure du possible, vous devez éviter de rompre la chaîne du froid ou ne le faire que pendant un temps très court. Le meilleur moyen est d'emporter un sac isotherme au supermarché. À la maison, placez immédiatement la viande sur l'étagère inférieure du réfrigérateur, puisque c'est la partie la plus froide du réfrigérateur.

Si vous achetez de la viande dans un emballage plastique, vous devez le remplacer avant de la mettre au réfrigérateur. Retirez la viande de son emballage, essuyez-la avec du papier absorbant et placez-la dans un récipient hermétique pour la protéger des germes. La viande de bœuf peut être conservée pendant 3 à 4 jours, le veau et le porc pendant 2 à 3 jours, et la volaille pendant 1 ou 2 jours. Faites attention aux viandes hachées - si possible, consommez-les le jour même où vous les achetez. Décongelez toujours la viande congelée dans le réfrigérateur et n'oubliez pas que cela peut produire de l'eau dû à la décongélation.

Poisson

La meilleure façon de conserver le poisson

Le poisson est encore plus périssable que la viande. Par conséquent, il est préférable de consommer le poisson directement je jour même de son achat. Si vous achetez du poisson frais au rayon poissonnerie, ne le laissez pas dans son emballage : rangez-le dans un récipient en verre ou en porcelaine, couvrez-le de film alimentaire et de glace, et conservez-le au réfrigérateur pendant 1 jour au maximum.

Conservez le poisson préemballé du rayon surgelé dans votre congélateur et surveillez la date de péremption ! Décongelez toujours le poisson congelé dans le réfrigérateur et n'oubliez pas que cela peut produire de l'eau du à la décongélation.
Pour les poissons fumées, vous pouvez les conserver dans votre réfrigérateur, couvert d'un film alimentaire, jusqu'à 3 jours environ. Le processus de fumage permet au poisson fumé de rester frais plus longtemps.

Little hint: You don’t need to throw away food past its best-before date

Most food has a best-before date (BBD) on its packaging. However, food doesn’t automatically go bad just because this date has passed. This is the date until which the manufacturer guarantees typical product characteristics, such as taste, aroma, consistency and colour.
It’s important to distinguish between the best-before date and the use-by date for perishable foods such as raw fish, mince and fresh poultry. You should not eat products after their use-by date and should throw them away instead.
Take a look, have a taste, smell food for yourself: trust your senses! It’s often easy to tell whether food is still good enough to eat once its BBD has passed.

Did you know?

None of us would ever plan to throw away one-third of the food we buy. However, the statistics show that this is precisely the amount that ends up in the bin, unused. According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), this corresponds to 1.3 billion tonnes of discarded food globally each year. This is an inconceivable waste of food when you consider that there are 690 million people around the world who are starving.

Did you know...

...how to keep your Avocados from browning?

Braun's kitchen hack of the day: after opening an avocado, simply sprinkle some fresh lemon juice on it to keep it from browning. It stays fresh for longer and even tastes good.

Avocado cut in half with citrus juice dripping on it.

…how to keep your Carrots crisp?

We carrot wait to try this hack at home. Place your carrots in a glass of water to keep them fresh and crispy. Do you already treat your carrots like flowers and keep them fresh in a vase?

en_scs_braun_hack_card-04_Crisp_Carrots_1080 × 1080.jpg

…how to keep your Bananas fresh?

Keep calm and go bananas. Did you know that bananas naturally release a gas called ethylene from their stem, and therefore tend to ripen much faster? Try and cover the stem of the bananas with a small piece of leftover foil, and the ripening process slows dramatically. Have you ever heard about this kitchen hack?

en_scs_braun_hack_card-05_Fresh-Banana_1080 × 1080.jpg

…how to keep your Potatoes from sprouting?

An apple a day keeps the sprouts away. Just place an apple in the same rack with your potatoes. With this little kitchen hack you can keep your potatoes fresh, even if you don't use them up all at once. Have you tried this before?

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…why you shouldn't put hot food straight into the fridge?

Keep calm and stay cool. Your leftover food should always be allowed to cool to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator. This way, you can make sure to maintain a secure temperature in your fridge as well as save energy. Have you been aware of that?

…how to make limp lettuce fresh again?

Don't throw away that limp lettuce just yet! Did you know you can bring it back to life by soaking it in cold water with lemon juice? This simple trick is a real hit for anyone who loves fresh, crisp greens.

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Braun stands for durable products and sustainable design. We believe that, in the struggle to protect the environment and maintain our quality of life, both today and in the future, every action counts – no matter how small.

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Less food waste

Fresher and tastier for longer: How to store food

Why exactly does food go bad?

Hygiene, refrigeration and storage: It all starts with shopping.

Freezing effectively: How to store food in the freezer

Freeze first, enjoy later

Chilling correctly: How to store food in the fridge

How to store your refrigerator properly

Fridge door

What belongs in the fridge door

Crisper drawer

What belongs in the crisper drawer

Bottom shelf

What belongs on the bottom shelf

Middle shelf

What belongs on the middle shelf

Top shelf

What belongs on the top shelf

Storing foods at room temperature in the cupboard or pantry

Storing products in the right place: What food belongs where

Bread & baked goods

Keeping bread fresh for longer

Fruits et légumes

Pommes, carottes, salade, etc. : ce qui doit être conservé au réfrigérateur et ce qui ne doit pas l'être.

Produits laitiers

Les yaourts, le beurre et le lait : Comment conserver la fraîcheur des produits laitiers

Fromage

Le fromage se conserve mieux dans un endroit bien ventilé et humide, mais le fromage frais aime la fraîcheur.

Pâtes

La meilleure façon de conserver les pâtes, les spaetzle et les gnocchi

Viande

Ce qu'il faut retenir pour conserver la viande

Poisson

La meilleure façon de conserver le poisson

Little hint: You don’t need to throw away food past its best-before date

Did you know?

Did you know...

Braun stands for durable products and sustainable design. We believe that, in the struggle to protect the environment and maintain our quality of life, both today and in the future, every action counts – no matter how small.

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