Refrigerating food is a great way to keep it fresh for longer, but we need to follow some important tips while doing so to ensure that the food is fresh and healthy to eat. Improper storage techniques may result in the food items going stale, which can also lead to serious health complications. Listed here are some easy tips for proper refrigeration of food:

• Do not keep packed foods open
  Ready-to-eat foods like pasta, sandwiches, rolls, and burgers must be properly packed when in the refrigerator. If they are kept open, the food will dry out. Always remember to use proper airtight storage as it will prevent food from coming into contact with moisture inside the refrigerator. This safety and storage tip for refrigerating food would prevent your food from going stale or getting contaminated.
• Ensure that your fridge and freezer are cold
  The temperature of the refrigerator can be below 40°F, and your freezer should be below 0°F. If the temperature is more than that, the food will not be safe and may get spoiled. Always check the temperature with the appliance thermometer and maintain the ideal temperature for proper storage.
• Chill hot foods before refrigerating them
  Don’t refrigerate food directly after cooking. If you put hot food directly in the refrigerator, the temperature will go above the ideal level. The best method to opt for is to use an ice bath. Fill a large bowl with ice, place the food bowl on top of it, and stir it to cool safely. Once the food is cool, you can transfer it to a storage container and put it in the refrigerator. This is one of the lesser-known but most important safety and storage tips for refrigerating food. However, this should only be done if you are using a steel bowl and not a glass one.
• Label all the meals with a date
  Label the containers with the stored food. You may think that you will remember when you stored something, but labeling is necessary, especially for the food stored in the freezer as it is stored for longer. It is also necessary for leftover food as it needs to be consumed within three days after reheating. Labeling food containers helps you know what can be eaten and what needs to be thrown away.
• Leftovers must be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking
  The last safety and storage tip for refrigerating leftover food is to refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking. Hot foods outside are safe outside for only two hours and should be stored inside the refrigerator after that to prevent them from getting spoiled.

Many of us might also know many of these tips for refrigerating food properly, but they need to be kept in mind in daily life. Before refrigerating food, you must know the temperature they are to be stored at and the proper storage procedure. This makes refrigerating food an easy task to accomplish.