Statistics show that households in the USA throw $2,000 of spoiled food in the garbage each year on average. In these trying financial times, there is even more pressure to avoid this waste. Fortunately, there are some practical ways to keep your food fresher for longer.

Make Sure Everything is in the Right Place

Many of us have a habit of simply putting items in the refrigerator wherever they will fit. Unfortunately, this can compromise your produce lifespan. There are actually zones in your refrigerator, which provide optimum conditions for particular items, so you need to become familiar with the right place for each item.

The temperature in the door compartments can fluctuate, so it is important that any items are resistant to spoiling. Many people place milk and cheese in the door, but this can be a mistake, as it is also the warmest spot in your refrigerator. So, you could be reducing the lifespan of your dairy and other delicate products. The door compartments should be reserved for items such as condiments, soda, juice, bottled water, and other items that can withstand the temperature fluctuations.

The top shelves provide the most consistent temperatures, so you should put items that don’t need reheating or to be cooked on these shelves. For example, olives, deli meat, hummus, and even berries should be placed here.

The lower shelves are the coldest place in your refrigerator, so this is the place for more sensitive items. This is the place to put eggs, milk, cheese, butter, and other dairy items that you may have put in your refrigerator door.

High-end kitchen appliance manufacturers like Fisher & Paykel, applied their R & D to solving this issue and have come out with the Freestanding Quad Door Refrigerator Freezer which has smart capability, to automatically adjust the temperature in different zones, so you can have greater flexibility and preserve your items.

Use the Crisper Properly

One of the biggest areas of food waste is spoiled produce, but you can reduce this by using your crisper properly. Many people look at the crisper drawers as simply another storage area, but they are actually humidity controlled compartments designed to keep your produce in optimum conditions.

Crisper drawers feature a window that adjusts the humidity to high or low and vent ethylene gas produced by many fresh items. Generally, things that tend to rot, such as apples and pears should be kept at low humidity, so the gases can escape and prevent premature rotting. Produce that wilts, such as leafy greens, should be kept in a high humidity drawer. This will hold the water vapor and moisture in the drawer to keep things crisp and fresh for longer.

The Fisher & Paykel Freestanding Quad Door Refrigerator Freezer offers humidity controlled bins that are proven to improve the lifespan of fresh produce. In fact, the brand challenges consumers to check celery after 14 days in a humidity controlled bin compared to the main compartment.

Check and Rotate

It is also crucial that you check and rotate your food items. Food waste is often a result of items being left at the back of a refrigerator shelf and forgotten. Before you head out grocery shopping, check the dates on the items in your refrigerator to ensure that they are still good to eat. If something is about to expire, you can buy other items needed to make a meal using this food.

When you come back from the store, don’t just shove everything into the refrigerator. Instead, take some time to rotate your items, ensuring that older items are brought to the front of the refrigerator, and your new items are placed near to the back. This will encourage you to use the older items first. The exception to this is if you have bought items with a short lifespan, which should be kept near the front.

Don’t Overcrowd

Finally, consider whether you’re overcrowding your refrigerator. Although it is more energy efficient to have a full refrigerator rather than it being empty, there is a fine line between full and overcrowded. Cold air needs to flow around and through the refrigerator to avoid warmer pockets that could cause food to spoil.

If your refrigerator is struggling to cope with keeping your food fresh and you’re considering an upgrade, the new Fisher & Paykel Freestanding Quad Door Refrigerator Freezer is a fantastic option. This impressive appliance features ActiveSmart technology to maintain the optimum temperatures to keep food fresher for longer. There is also a door dispenser to avoid excessive opening and closing of the refrigerator door and variable temperature zones, so you can find the perfect place to keep your items fresh.  The manufacturer is aggressively promoting their new product line up and is offering incentives  available at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center.