These areas will be covered more specifically in each area under About Your Food.
Storing foods is mostly common sense. You want to keep chemicals and other
things that can introduce hazards to your food. Examples of hazards: Dish
soap, dirt, bacteria, broken glass, window cleaner, perfumes, pests, pets,
standing water, aerosol spray etc. The "shelf life" is the ideal time for a food
product to maintain its food qualities under conditions such as ideal
temperatures and humidity.
1. Dry Goods- Such as flours cereals, cookies, chips etc should be held at 50 - 70 degrees with 52% - 62% humidity. They should be stored at minimum 6 inches off the floor and air able to circulate around them.
2. Dairy- Best storage temperature is between 35 - 40 degrees 70% - 90% humidity. Pasteurized milk and cream can be held up to 10 days where ultrapasteurized dairy products can be held up to 6 weeks. Cheeses and eggs will be handled more thoroughly in About Your Food.
3. Produce- Fresh herbs and produce are best stored at 36 - 42 degrees with a 70% -90% humidity. When humidity levels drop the refrigeration unit starts drawing moisture out of the vegetables making there cell wall structure become weak, losing their crispness.
4. Meats, Poultry, Seafood- Should be held between 33 - 36 degrees at 72% - 92% humidity. These should be kept away and below other refrigeration items because of the potentially bacteria carrying juices they seep. They should be thawed under refrigeration.
5. Freezer - The temperature of the freezer should be between -10 and 15 degrees. The closer to the freezing point you get the more potential you have of items continually thawing and freezing. This can drastically change the food qualities of something. The other contributor to changing food qualities is the lenght of time something spends in the freezer. Here are some guidelines for the maximum amount of time items should spend in the freezer.
Freezer Storage Timeline