{"id":15376,"date":"2021-09-10T03:42:01","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T03:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/?p=15376"},"modified":"2021-09-10T03:42:28","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T03:42:28","slug":"things-in-your-refrigerator-you-should-toss-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/things-in-your-refrigerator-you-should-toss-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Things in Your Refrigerator You Should Toss Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Doing a weekly food purge saves room in your fridge. It can also save you from a stomachache or worse.\n\n\n\n</p><h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Foods without a lid \n\n\n\n</h2><p>Will you get sick if you use the uncovered can of tomato paste you opened days ago when making your pasta bolognese? Or could you be harming Fido if you neglect to put a lid on his half-empty can of dog food? Probably not\u2026but don\u2019t expect those products to have the same punch when you pull them out again for Dinner 2.0 (yours or your pup\u2019s). Think of your fridge as a giant food dehydrator\u2014anything directly exposed to air will quickly dry out and probably take all the flavor with it.\n\n\n\n</p><p>According to the USDA, products will retain better flavor if transferred to a glass or plastic storage container that can be properly sealed. This 20-piece set from Amazon is BPA-free, has more than 10,000 five-star reviews, and is fully see-through, so you can avoid excessive lid-popping that exposes food to even more air and spoilage.\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"467\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/no-lid-in-fridge.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15377\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/no-lid-in-fridge.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Moldy berries\n\n\n\n</h2><p>This may seem like a no-brainer, but how many times have you poked through that carton of blueberries or strawberries to remove the offenders and eat the rest? Not always a good idea. \u201cSure, you can pick out one or two of the offending berries, wash the rest in clean, cold water, and you should be fine,\u201d Schaffner says, but don\u2019t try to salvage individual berries by cutting away the spoiled portions. \u201cThrow out the entire bad strawberry\u2014even if it\u2019s half moldy, and make sure there are no other moldy ones around it.\u201d\n\n\n\n</p><p>To get the most bang for your buck, store fruit in an aerated container that elevates berries from any moisture that may have dripped down and regulates the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide to reduce spoilage.\u00a0\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"467\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/moldy-berries.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15378\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/moldy-berries.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Foods you\u2019ve double-dipped\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Pulled out the tuna salad and enjoyed a few forkfuls for lunch, then popped it back into the fridge? Tons of onion dip left after watching the big game with friends? Put thoughts of food waste aside and toss the lot\u2014they may be contaminated with pathogens. \u201cStaphylococcus aureus is commonly found in and around people\u2019s noses,\u201d Schaffner explains, \u201cand it could be transmitted to foods by sneezing or by cross-contamination from nose to hands to food.\u201d\n\n\n\n</p><p>A safer bet: Always keep food pristine by transferring individual portions with a clean serving spoon, and throw out the dip unless you\u2019ve had a food cop watching the bowl for all four quarters. To avoid waste, set out only half the dip to start, and keep the rest safely in the fridge until needed. Or hand out cool individual dip \u201ccaddies\u201d so guests can avoid contaminating the big bowl.\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"467\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/double-dip-fridge.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15379\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/double-dip-fridge.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>\u201cDead\u201d shellfish\n\n\n\n</h2><p>You may have purchased those clams, crabs, and mussels in the last 24 hours, but that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re safe to eat. In addition to making sure you buy them from a vendor who refrigerates seafood and\/or presents them on a thick bed of fresh ice, perform your own safety check once home: Discard ones with cracked or broken shells; do a \u201ctap\u201d test (live clams, oysters, and mussels will close when the shell is tapped); and look for leg movement in crabs and lobster. To keep seafood as safe as possible during transport home from the store, consider keeping an insulated tote in your car.\u00a0\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"467\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/shellfish-in-the-fridge.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15380\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/shellfish-in-the-fridge.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Homemade salad dressing\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Unlike commercially prepared salad dressings, which can be kept for one to three months after opening, homemade salad dressings (or ones you purchase fresh from a restaurant or deli) are far more perishable\u2014their shelf life is in the one- to two-week range. Craig keeps track of hers by using a permanent marker to label the container or bottle with the date of purchase and date of opening, but you can also use these handy premade labels, which dissolve in water so they won\u2019t ruin your storage containers. \u201cThis reduces food waste and helps me rotate and use refrigerated foods,\u201d Craig explains. \u201cIt\u2019s an easy habit to adopt and takes very little time.\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"467\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/salar-dressing.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15381\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/salar-dressing.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Cooked chicken or beef that\u2019s more than three days old\n\n\n\n</h2><p>\u201cMost harmful bacteria cannot grow at refrigeration temperatures, but spoilage organisms can,\u201d cautions Yavelak, who urges consumers to trust their \u201cgut\u201d instincts. \u201cMy rule of thumb is always to look at it first, then to smell it, and, if everything else seems fine, to finally taste it. This method will keep you from smelling or tasting something that may be unpleasant, as that can make some people sick to their stomach. However, getting an upset stomach after smelling or tasting spoiled food is likely not a food-borne illness caused by pathogens.\u201d\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"467\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/cooked-chicken.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15382\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/cooked-chicken.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Eggs in the door\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Your fancy fridge might come equipped with a convenient built-in egg rack in the door, but pull it out to make room for other items and place eggs on a fridge shelf instead, says Vlatka Lake, a marketing manager at the storage company Space Station. The frequent door opening exposes eggs to fluctuating temperatures and can cause them to rot faster, she explains. This elegant holder, which can house up to 21 eggs, keeps them protected and visible for longer storage.\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"467\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/eggs-in-door.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15383\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/eggs-in-door.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n\n</p><p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"</p><p>Doing a weekly food purge saves room in your fridge. It can also save you from a stomachache or worse. Foods without a lid Will you get sick if you use the uncovered can of tomato paste you opened days ago when making your pasta bolognese? Or could you be harming Fido if you neglect &hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[54,96,194,30,46,6,31],"class_list":["post-15376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tie-life-style","tag-clean-hack","tag-diy-home","tag-fridge-hack","tag-household-hacks","tag-life-hacks","tag-life-style","tag-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p></figure></div></figure></div></figure></div></figure></div></figure></div></figure></div></figure></div>