Right after shopping comes the most exciting, but also the most tedious step: put the products in the refrigerator. There is no question of neglecting this preservation ritual or doing it in a hurry. Your health is at stake! Smart and conscientious, it is therefore important to take your time to put everything in its place. For storage enthusiasts and the most organized people, it’s a real treat. For the less patient and the messier, it can quickly become an ordeal. For the latter, it can even be a real headache at times. Take for example, where do you usually put mayonnaise and cottage cheese? In the refrigerator door? Oops, very bad habit. We’ll explain why.
When we speak of the refrigerator door, we think directly of the temperature change that the device undergoes by opening and closing it throughout the day. This recurring gesture allows cold air to escape from inside and turn into hot air that harms certain foods stored in this door.
Why is it not advisable to store mayonnaise or cheese in the refrigerator door?
In truth, not only fermented milk and mayonnaise should not be on the refrigerator door. All other perishable products and milk or egg-based foods should be stored in a convenient place in the refrigerator. Modern appliances usually have a deli and milk drawer. This is where you should store ingredients such as mayonnaise, cottage cheese (such as ricotta), cream cheese, etc.
Note that all these foods spoil easily and become harmful to health. Anyone who has ever had the displeasure of opening a jar of sour milk or a moldy mayonnaise knows what we are talking about. Bacteria and molds can grow there and cause serious food infections in the consumer. But why is it actually not advisable to use the refrigerator door to store these foods?
Why avoid the refrigerator door to store dairy products?
Simply because the refrigerator door is the place that suffers the most from temperature fluctuations. For example, test with two cans of lemonade. Put one in the refrigerator and one directly in the door. Leave them there for a few hours while you use your kitchen normally. Upon inspection, you will notice that the can that was installed in the door of the refrigerator is much less fresh than the other. Moreover, opening and closing this door is not beneficial for the food, as it is constantly in contact with the external environment, which is loaded with harmful microorganisms. From now on, think carefully before storing your dairy products and perishables.
Other foods that should not be stored in the refrigerator door
Like dairy products in general, fruits and vegetables are some of the most delicate items to store. Be sure to store them preferably in the appropriate drawer and not on the door shelves. Beware, placing an open milk carton in the refrigerator door is also not a good idea, especially if it tends to wobble. It is a very delicate product that can get contaminated very easily. You can use these shelves to place drinks that you want to keep longer, sauces such as mustard and jams.
