Right here, we’ve consulted meals security consultants to share their insights on the best cleansing frequency and the best methods to maintain your freezer bacteria-free. When you’ve given it a deep clear, you’ll be able to breathe a sigh of aid, realizing that your meals will keep contemporary and your freezer will run effectively.
How lengthy does meals final within the freezer?
In keeping with the USDA, frozen meals will stay secure indefinitely if correctly frozen, however the size of time you retailer these meals within the freezer may have an effect on their high quality. Registered dietitian and meals security professional Carrie Gabriel, RD, tells us, “Meats like bacon, sausage, beef, and poultry are good within the freezer [for] a mean of three to 4 months. Soups and stews are good within the freezer [for] a mean of two to 3 months.”
The important thing right here is ensuring that the meals are correctly frozen within the first place. In keeping with Ashley Hawk, RD, a few of the tell-tale indicators that one thing has not been frozen accurately, and due to this fact, has doable indicators of contamination embrace:
- Items of meat turning grey or dropping their shade
- Brilliant greens wanting boring
- Meals feeling sticky
- Proof of spills
- Meals is partially thawed
Correct freezer storage requires sealing meals in an hermetic container and freezing it shortly. Usually, “it’s best to toss these items after six months, particularly if an merchandise has freezer burn or ice crystals surrounding it. It’s doubtless the style and texture of the meals shall be disagreeable,” Gabriel says.
How usually do you have to clear your freezer?
Whereas discarding outdated meals is one essential a part of sustaining a clear freezer, it’s additionally essential to continuously give the entire thing an excellent scrub. Seems, freezers aren’t simply magical ice packing containers that by no means want consideration—they really admire a little bit TLC. So how usually do we have to add this job to our to-do listing? “A weekly fast wipe down, involving cleansing the cabinets and corners to forestall micro organism buildup is right, however you actually solely want a deep clear every year,” Gabriel says.
Nonetheless, you could must deep clear your freezer extra usually. “For those who expertise energy outages or main meals spills. Positively verify your fridge handbook to see in case your mannequin requires extra common cleansing,” Gabriel explains.
Easy methods to clear a freezer correctly
So how precisely are you speculated to deep clear a freezer? Hawk walks us by this pretty easy, three-step course of.
1. Take away meals and cabinets
Begin by unplugging the freezer to cease it from operating. Take away all of the meals gadgets from the freezer, putting perishable gadgets in a cooler or one other freezer to maintain them chilly when you are cleansing. In case your freezer has a big buildup of ice, go away the door open and permit the ice to soften.
2. Clear with multipurpose cleaner spray
As soon as the ice has melted, wipe up the water with towels. Put together a cleansing resolution by mixing equal components of heat water and dish cleaning soap. Utilizing a sponge, completely wipe down all surfaces, together with cabinets, drawers, and the freezer partitions. After cleansing, rinse all surfaces with clear water, after which dry every little thing with a clear towel.
3. Toss outdated meals earlier than restocking
Earlier than turning the freezer again on, guarantee all surfaces are utterly dry to forestall new ice from forming. Plug the freezer again in and kind by your frozen gadgets, discarding something expired or freezer-burned. When restocking the meals, you should definitely label it with the date it was first frozen. It will enable you to preserve monitor of the meals’ freshness and scale back the overdue buildup of outdated gadgets.
