How long can meat stay fresh in the refrigerator?

The invention of the refrigerator has really made a great contribution to mankind. It not only allows us to eat cold ice cream in summer, but also allows us to store food. A lot of leftover food would be a pity and a waste if thrown away. If we put them in the refrigerator, they will be stored for a long time without spoiling. There are certain skills in storing things in the refrigerator, and the time limit is also limited. Some foods cannot be preserved for too long. So how long can meat stay fresh in the refrigerator? Let's explain in detail.

When storing food, do not store it too full or too tight. Leave some space to facilitate cold air convection, reduce the load on the unit, extend its service life and save electricity. To maintain hygiene, raw and cooked food should not be mixed together. According to the food storage time and temperature requirements, make rational use of the space inside the box. Do not place food directly on the evaporator surface. Place it in a container to prevent it from freezing on the evaporator and making it difficult to remove.

Fresh fish, meat and other foods cannot be put into the refrigerator without being processed. Fresh fish and meat should be wrapped in plastic bags and stored in the freezer. Vegetables and fruits should be wiped dry of moisture on the outer surface, placed at the bottom of the box, and stored at a temperature above zero.

Meat should not be stored in the refrigerator for too long. The refrigeration temperature of a household refrigerator is generally -15°C, and the best refrigerator can only reach -20°C. If the storage temperature of meat does not reach below -30°C, the tissue will undergo dehydration or other changes. If it is refrigerated for a long time, the meat quality will easily change and become inedible. Therefore, meat should not be stored in the refrigerator for too long.

Frozen foods should not be stored after thawing. Frozen foods purchased from the market, such as meat, fish, chicken, duck, eggs, quick-frozen vegetables, etc., should be processed and eaten as soon as possible once thawed and should not be stored. If stored for too long, meat, fish, chicken, duck, etc. will not only deteriorate due to the recovery of bacteria and enzymes, but will also produce toxic histamine, which can cause food poisoning if eaten; if frozen vegetables are stored too long, not only will they change color, lose nutrients, and deteriorate in quality, but they will also easily rot and deteriorate and become inedible. When frozen meat, fish, chicken, duck, etc. are frozen, their tissue cells are damaged due to the effect of water crystallization. Once thawed, a large amount of protein will seep out of the damaged tissue cells, which becomes nutrients for bacterial reproduction. Experiments have shown that if fresh mackerel that has been frozen for one day is placed at 30℃ for 6 hours, its spoilage rate will be 100% faster than that of fresh fish; if the thawed egg yolk is placed at 18℃ for 2 hours, the number of bacteria will increase by about 2 times, and after 8 hours, the number of bacteria will increase by more than 50 times; if frozen fresh eggs are placed at 0-15℃ for more than 10 days, the egg membrane will become loose and the egg white will become thin due to the long period of cold and hot temperature changes, and the shell will stick, the yolk will fall apart, and even mold and stink, making them inedible; frozen vegetables should not be stored, especially on hot days, otherwise the green leafy vegetables will turn yellow quickly and the vitamin C will be easily destroyed. When vegetables are kept at 20℃, the loss of vitamin C due to decomposition is twice as much as when they are kept at 6-8℃.

There are some rules for food in and out of the refrigerator

1. Cooked food must be cooled thoroughly before entering the refrigerator. If food is not fully cooled and suddenly enters a low-temperature environment, the heat it brings in will cause water vapor condensation, which can promote the growth of mold and cause the entire food in the refrigerator to mold. (Reminder: Do not store unwashed raw eggs in the refrigerator. Bread should not be stored in the refrigerator.)

2. Cooked food taken out of the refrigerator must be put back into the pot. The temperature in the refrigerator can only inhibit the reproduction of microorganisms, but cannot kill them completely.

3. Food should not be put back into the refrigerator after being thawed. Repeated freezing will cause the loss of food structure and nutrients.

4. Frozen food should be thawed naturally at room temperature. It is not advisable to thaw food by flushing with tap water or pouring hot water.