Guangdong is famous for its sultry and humid climate and high temperatures. Fresh foods are especially prone to spoilage in summer. Fruit and meals will always go rotten if left out overnight. Therefore, most people will regard the refrigerator as a fresh-keeping box during the hot summer, hoping anything can be maintained fresh as long as it is put in there.

[Photo/Newsgd.com]

But doing so will not only waste electricity, it may also accelerate the deterioration of certain foods. We sort out the following 7 common misunderstandings about using refrigerators at home.

1.Waiting until the leftovers are cold before putting them in the refrigerator

Many people are accustomed to putting leftover food in the refrigerator when they are completely cold, because they think the too hot things will damage the refrigerator. But actually, the cooling process will provide a great opportunity for multiplying bacteria, which can breed rapidly at a temperature of 4℃～60℃. As a result, the leftovers have not only become a culture dish for bacteria, but also contaminate any unsealed food in the refrigerator.

In fact, the hot food won't hurt your refrigerator, also won't waste too much electricity. The power consumption of putting hot dishes in a refrigerator is only equivalent to the power consumption of opening the refrigerator door for several times.

For your own health, please seal the leftover foods while they are hot and put them in the refrigerator as soon as possible. Surely the best preservation way is to put all the food in your stomach and have no leftovers!

[Photo/Xinhua]

2.Putting unripe tropical fruits in the refrigerator

Summer is a season to enjoy various fruits, especially tropical fruits. But it is unwise to stuff all your fruit in the refrigerator. Some tropical fruits, such as banana, durian, papaya, mango, avocado, are usually picked and sold when they are not fully ripe. If we put them directly in the refrigerator, the low temperature will inhibit the release of fruits’ ethylene, a component that helps the fruit to ripen. They may always remain raw in the refrigerator and cannot become soft and sweet. In addition, tropical fruits are more sensitive to low temperatures. After a long period of cold storage, the skin of the fruit tends to turn brown and grow black spots.

The best way to store fruits is to eat them as soon as possible at a room temperature. If you really want to eat chilled fruits, just put them in the refrigerator for a few hours in advance.

[Photo/Xinhua]

3.Putting unsealed coffee and tea leaves in the refrigerator

Tea leaves and instant coffee are dry foods with extremely low moisture content. Sealed tea and coffee are advised to be stored in refrigerator for longer preservation of their original flavour. But do not store opened tea and coffee in the refrigerator, because a loose seal can easily cause damp and mold to affect the ingredients. Other strange smells in the refrigerator will also be mixed into the coffee and affect their flavor.

4.Chocolate can keep longer in the refrigerator

In fact, putting in the refrigerator will affect the quality of chocolate. Chocolate’s melting point is more than 20℃. Refrigerator’s low temperature can easily change the form of fat crystals in the chocolate, resulting in a white, frosty surface and a rough taste.

Chocolate is suitable to be placed in the room with a temperature of 10-25℃. You can put chocolate in shady and cool rooms in summer.

5.Putting fruits and vegetables together

Many common fruits, such as apples, mangoes, bananas, avocadoes and peach, will continue to produce ethylene after they are picked. Although low temperature can inhibit the secretion of ethylene, a small amount of ethylene will still make vegetables spoil faster.

It is recommended to store fruits and vegetables in separate crispers.

6.Putting directly meat into the refrigerator

Meat and seafood are more likely to carry pathogenic bacteria. If you put the meat in the refrigerator without sealing it, it may cause cross-spread of bacteria and contaminate other foods in the refrigerator.

Please seal the meat with plastic wrap before putting it in the refrigerator.

[Photo/Xinhua]

7.Putting directly the cut fruit in the refrigerator

Most people are likely to put a large fruit in the refrigerator after they have cut the fruit but cannot finish it in one sitting. The most representative fruit is watermelon. However, the refrigerator is not a sterile environment but a complicated space with harmful bacteria. The cut fruit has a lot of water and sugar, which is a paradise for the breeding of bacteria, and will accelerate the spoilage of the fruit.

Therefore, please cover the surface of the cut fruit with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator as soon as possible.

[Photo/Xinhua]

Author| Ariel

Editor| Steven, Jerry