It’s not easy to run and manage a kitchen. Stacking various kinds of food ingredients to offer three (maybe more) meals a day – 365 days a year – is essential in every household. But then, storing all the food comes with its own dos and don’ts. Be it raw food ingredients, cooked leftovers, or frozen foods, storage is an indispensable part of kitchen management. However, an improper storing practice may cause more harm than good. It is a known fact that if the food is not stored properly, different bacteria may develop causing foodborne illnesses. One can only be too careful while storing food, and there are some common mistakes that almost every one of us is guilty of making.  

Here Are 5 Common Food Storage Mistakes – How To Avoid Them: 

1. Using Plastic Containers 

Most people make a blunder by storing food for a long time in plastic containers. Health threats of plastic are not unknown. Yet, we ignore and use plastic containers which are easy to handle, easily available and cheaper to buy. Try to use glass or steel containers to keep your stored food healthier. 

 
2. Not Using Air-Tight Containers 

While there are many foods that can live a long life without air-tight containers, many foods go bad if the moisture from the air seeps in. Get hold of how to store a particular food. Cut fruits and vegetables, biscuits, namkeen, spices and more foods like these require air-tight containers to stay safe. 

(Also Read: 5 Best Airtight Containers To Buy For Your Kitchen Pantry)

^{Image credit: iStock}

3. Not Checking The Temperature 

You should know what to store in a refrigerator and what should go in a freezer. If cooked items are to be used after many days, it is better to store them in a freezer rather than a refrigerator. Same for frozen foods and ready-to-cook meals. FDA advises to keep the refrigerator temperature at or below 40 degrees F, and freezer temperature should be 0 degrees F. 

4. Saving Thawed Frozen foods 

We all tend to thaw a huge chunk of meat, or other frozen food, use a part of it, and store it in the freezer again. You should know that frozen food, once thawed, and refrozen, loses its potent qualities. 

(Also Read: Use These 5 Genius Tricks To Store Food In Freezer)

5. Reheating Food All Wrong 

This mistake we all can admit to committing. Do you often thaw frozen foods in a microwave instead of letting them sit at room temperature? Do you heat food in plastic containers instead of glass containers, in a microwave? You already know where you are going wrong.  

The upkeep of your health is in your hands. Try to avoid stale foods, and if you must store foods, do it properly.