Delicious UK - (12)December 2020

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DEEP CLEAN Give the fridge interior a clean

with a bowl of very hot water, a tiny squirt

of washing-up liquid and a microfibre cloth, or

food-safe Antibacterial Kitchen Surface, Fridge &

Microwave Spray, £2.99 for 250ml, lakeland.co.uk.

THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF IT

Once you’ve finished your

fridge clear out, create order

• for food safety, if nothing
  else. There is nothing jolly
  about a Christmas bout of food
  poisoning. So you know exactly
  where to find everything:

TOP SHELF This is the place for

leftovers and prepped foods

such as ready meals, dips and

sauces, and also cooked meats.

MIDDLE SHELF Use it for dairy

such as unopened butter, milk,

yogurt and cheese. In my own

fridge, I have a Lazy Susan on

this shelf for condiments and

other small jars and bottles that

need to be refrigerated, so

nothing gets lost at the back.

BOTTOM SHELF This is usually

the coldest part of the fridge

and where you should keep

well-wrapped meat and fish,

on a plate in case there are any

drips. For meat I am planning

to eat the next day, I unwrap it,

put it in a roasting tray and

leave to dry out in the fridge

to ensure a better, crisper skin

when I cook it.

SALAD DRAWERS Dry air in fridges

• even in salad drawers, which
  are supposed to be more humid


• is harsh on leaves, berries,
  mushrooms and anything with
  a high water content. I use
  reusable Stayfresh Longer
  Vegetable Storage Bags from
  lakeland.co.uk, £6.99 for 20, for
  almost all fruit and vegetables
  I keep in the fridge and they
  make a real difference to
  freshness and longevity.
  DOOR SHELVES This is the
  warmest part of the fridge.
  Keep any open packs of butter
  and bottles of milk here, along
  with bottles of soft drink, beer,
  wine and mixers. To save space,
  only keep the drinks here you
  want to enjoy fairly soon. The
  rest you can keep elsewhere
  for now, where they won’t
  take up such valuable space.

FRESH HERBS

Wheneverpossible,I keep these

insmallglassesofwater in the

door of the fridge. They last for

ages this way and I’m more

likely to use them if I see them

as soon as I open the door.

CONTAIN YOURSELF

This is more for after the

Big Day, when it finally

sinks in quite how magnificently

you over-catered. Again (even

if only cooking for two).

O Stock up on clear containers. If

you can see what’s in them you’re

a thousand percent more likely to

eat it. That’s a scientific fact.*

O If you use oven-proof boxes, you

can put them straight into the

microwave or oven.

O Label everything. Bread sauce

can look remarkably like brandy

butter or horseradish. You think

you’ll remember but you won’t, until

that leftover turkey sandwich tastes

slightly odd – and not in a good way.

OSharpies are great for marking up

containers, or just use masking

tape and anyoldpen.

OAdd the date– y ’ll

be glad you did.

*It’s not, but

you know

what I mean.

BUY A FRIDGE

THERMOMETER

...if yours doesn’t already

have one. Your fridge

should be between 1°C

and 5°C, and this can

be a challengeif it’s

over-stuffed and/ory

are constantly opening

and closing the door.The

Masterclass Stainless

Steel Fridge/Freezer

Thermometer

is £10 from

johnlewis.com.

youll

you

g

e

IILLUSTRATIONS: STOCK/GETTY IMAGES

MAKE

SOME ROOM

These don’t

need to be

in the fridge:

OBread and

most un-iced

cakes

OCoffee

OEggs

OHoney and

maple syrup

OHot chilli

sauces

OJam

OKetchup and

brown sauce

OMustard

OPeanut butter

OPotatoes,

onions and

garlic

OSoy sauce

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 125