Refridgerator Refresher Course

If your fridge looks like this, then you have OCD and you're too skinny.

Since I've been laid up in the bed, I've been reading my Good Housekeeping magazines that I never get time to read. Here's a pretty good article on where to put food in your "fooderator" so they won't spoil too soon.

MEAT, POULTRY - Put anywhere except the door unless your "deli" bin has a temperature control. If so, set it on the coldest level and put items in there.

FRUIT - Stick these in a drawer separate from veggies. Got a humidity-control vent? Keep it partly open - moisture speeds up spoiling.

VEGGIES - These go in the crisper. Close the humidity-control vent, if you've got one. The damp air will be trapped inside and your veggies will absorb moisture which helps them stay fresh longer. (Kind of a catch-22 with the fruit, huh?)

MILK, EGGS, YOGURT - Put them anywhere but the door! The temp there gets too warm. (I didn't know that one!)

BUTTER - Store in the door because it's warmer - your butter will spread better.

The best temperature to prevent spoiling - set the main section of the fridge to 37 degrees - and consider 40 and above a danger zone. The freezer should stay at zero or a little lower.

Best way to avoid freezer burn - Keep air away from food. Freezer bags help and they'll also prevent odors from circulating in your fridge. When using storage containers, fill them almost to the top - that will protect leftovers from burn while giving food enough room to expand.

Best cleaning tips - Dust the condenser coils. They need to be cleaned every couple of months - more often if you have pets. Unplug the fridge, take off grate, then use a coil-cleaning brush or your vacuum's crevice tool. Or if you're like me, use a coat hanger with a toothbrush duct taped onto it and clean them once every couple of years. I'm kidding. I try to remember to swipe a brush underneath the fridge while I'm vacuuming, but I can't ever seem to find a brush small enough. And according to Papa Rooster, I have an obsession with cleaning brushes. I did really use the toothbrush on the wire hanger one time. Those coils get so nasty. I have no idea why.

Use warm, soapy water and a sponge to clean the inside of the fridge. Supposedly household cleansing sprays can harm plastic parts - then someone needs to make some spray that doesn't. If it can harm plastic, then it can harm all kinds of other crap too.