The Refrigerator Mistakes That Are Costing You Money Every Month

The cost of food has been rising, yet we often hear about massive amounts of food being wasted, which is harmful not only to household finances but also to the environment.

Less than a century ago, refrigerators were a luxury only the wealthy could afford, and freezers didn’t become common in most households until the 1960s. However, people were more efficient in the past at using all the ingredients they bought and making the most of leftovers.

Misunderstanding Best Before vs. Use By Date: In 1971, a law required food producers to label packaged foods with a packing date and use-by date. This has changed over time, as few products are so sensitive that they require an exact use-by date. However, many consumers confuse the use-by date with the best-before date. Both producers and retailers tend to allow a wide margin when they set the “best before” date, as no one wants to risk selling spoiled food or causing illness.

How Temperature Affects Food Longevity: One key factor that greatly influences food preservation is temperature. Keeping your refrigerator at +4°C instead of +8°C can double the shelf life of many products. Conversely, keeping dairy products like milk and yogurt at room temperature for extended periods will reduce their shelf life. Make it a habit to check your fridge regularly and use up items before buying more.

Expert Tips for Becoming More Refrigerator-Smart:

1. Check Your Refrigerator’s Manual: Some refrigerators recommend storing the items that need the most cooling—like fresh meat, fish, and dairy—on the lower shelves, while vegetables should go at the top. Others suggest the opposite. The key is to maintain the right temperature, which should be around +4°C. This helps food stay fresh longer.
2. Think Before You Open the Fridge: Before you open the fridge, think about what you need, rather than opening the door and leaving it ajar for longer than necessary. This is especially important on warm days, as the temperature inside the fridge can rise quickly if the room is hot.
3. Keep Track of What’s in the Fridge: If something is nearing its expiration date, it’s better to cook it and freeze it for later or freeze it immediately to prevent wasting it.
4. Beware of Half-Filled Jars: It’s easy to end up with half-empty jars of ajvar relish, pickled onions, or anchovies pushed to the back of the fridge. Keep a list of what you have and stick it to the fridge door so you remember to use items like ajvar in soups, pickled onions with fried fish, and anchovies in salad dressings.
5. Organize Your Fridge: Group similar items together, like placing breakfast foods on one shelf and dinner ingredients on another, so you don’t waste time digging around to find what you need.
6. Tip: Take a few minutes now and then to go through your fridge to ensure that nothing is spoiling unnecessarily.
7. Store Produce in the Right Place: Some fruits and vegetables don’t do well in the fridge, and some will spoil faster when stored near certain foods. For example, tomatoes don’t like being chilled, and they can cause cucumbers to soften faster when stored together.
8. Store New Items at the Back: Place new groceries at the back of the fridge so you're more likely to use the older items first. This helps prevent you from using up the new milk while letting the older one expire.
9. Prevent Food from Spoiling Before It Does: Grate cheese rinds before they dry out and freeze them. Make soup from "sad" root vegetables and greens. Use up any leftover cream and freeze it in manageable portions.

Expert Cecilia Lundin’s Tips: Cecilia Lundin, a chef and food expert, offers advice on how to reduce food waste and save money by being smarter about food storage. Following these strategies not only helps reduce waste, but also ensures that your ingredients last longer, saving you both money and resources in the long run.

Understanding "Best Before" vs. "Use By" Dates:

• Best Before: This date indicates that the product will be at its best before the stated date, as long as the packaging remains unopened. However, most food lasts much longer if stored properly in the fridge. Use your senses—look, smell, and taste—before deciding to discard food.
• Use By Date: This is more serious, particularly for fresh poultry and ground meat. If it’s a use-by date, the product must be cooked by then, but it can be stored in the fridge for a few more days afterward or frozen.