Knowing the correct way to store meat in your fridge may seem like common knowledge. However, you may unknowingly be storing your meat improperly. This can risk the spreading of harmful bacteria and contamination of your food, not something you want to worry about this holiday season. This blog covers the correct way to store meat in your fridge this Christmas, ensuring it’s safe to consume.

How to Store Meat Hygienically in a Fridge

It’s critical you know how to store meat hygienically as you could be unknowingly putting yourself and your family at risk. So, let’s work from the bottom up.

Crisper Drawer

Firstly, it should go without saying that the crisper drawer should be for fruit and vegetables exclusively! The crisper drawer is the compartment at the bottom of your fridge. Not only does it protect against cross-contamination but it also keeps your veggies fresh for longer. The crisper drawer creates a different environment inside your fridge, one with greater humidity and a cooler temperature. This environment helps preserve your fruits and veg, which you may have a lot of after Christmas day!

Bottom Shelf

The bottom shelf is where you should be storing your raw meats, poultry and fish. The reason for putting these items on the bottom shelf is to ensure that the raw food isn’t touching or possibly dripping onto your ready-to-eat foods. Raw meats should always be stored in a sealed container such as a Ziploc bag. This not only prevents bacteria on the meat from spreading, but also keeps it fresher for longer. Leaving you with a more tender, juicier cut. This is the ideal spot for any raw Christmas meats waiting on getting cooked.

If you’re looking for more information on how to store meat at home check out a previous blog on the topic.

Middle and Top Shelf

Finally, the top two shelves are reserved for foods that are ready to consume. These ready-to-eat foods are stored as far away as possible from raw food (ie above them). This prevents harmful bacteria from spreading onto cooked food.

An example of ready-to-eat foods are cooked meats, cheeses, leftovers and pre-packaged food. These items should be sorted in sealed containers to ensure that these items can be safely eaten without any preparation. This area is perfect for storing your post cooked festive cuts, keeping them away from the hustle and bustle of other holiday ingredients.

Get in Touch

Now knowing the correct way to store meat in your fridge, are you looking to place an order for some premium, high-quality cuts of meat for this holiday period? Feel free to place an order from our home delivery service if you are in our delivery area. If you’d like to talk to us about an order, to discuss your needs, or just to ask us a question about our processes, please either call 01424 730417 or fill in a few details on our enquiry form.