Moins de gaspillage alimentaire

Plus frais et plus savoureux plus longtemps : comment conserver les aliments.

Après avoir planifié vos achats, prendre le temps de stocker correctement vos aliments est décisif pour en préserver la fraîcheur. En triant vos achats une fois rentré chez vous, vous conserverez plus longtemps la fraîcheur de vos fruits et légumes, produits laitiers, pain, pâtes et viande. Certains aliments doivent être réfrigérés, tandis que d'autres doivent simplement être conservés à température ambiante. Nous avons rassemblé quelques conseils pour vous indiquer quand et comment conserver les aliments afin que tout reste frais le plus longtemps possible.

Pourquoi les aliments se gâtent-ils ?

Qu'ils soient chauds ou froids, humides ou secs, tous les aliments n'aiment pas les mêmes conditions. S'ils sont mal conservés, les aliments perdent leur saveur et se gâtent plus rapidement. Cela est dû aux influences et changements physiques, biochimiques, chimiques et microbiens auxquels les produits sont exposés. Les aliments peuvent également être endommagés par les parasites et la vermine.

L'altération microbienne est causée par des bactéries, des moisissures et des levures. Elles provoquent la pourriture, la fermentation ou le développement de moisissures dans les aliments et, parfois, le développement de substances pathogènes en conséquence. Ces processus, ainsi que la durée de conservation des aliments, sont principalement influencés par des conditions physiques telles que la chaleur, le froid et l'humidité.

En outre, les enzymes présents dans les aliments déclenchent des modifications biochimiques, telles que la dégradation des vitamines, des pigments et des arômes. Des facteurs externes tels que la lumière et l'air peuvent accélérer ce processus.

Hygiène, refroidissement et stockage : tout commence par les achats.

Avant de ramener vos courses à la maison et de commencer à les ranger au bon endroit, il est important de s'assurer que tout ce qui se trouve dans le supermarché est déjà hygiénique et refroidi. Points clés à surveiller:

Vérifiez que tous les emballages sont intacts.
Veillez à ce que les aliments réfrigérés soient maintenus au frais, par exemple à l'aide de sacs réfrigérants réutilisables, afin d'éviter que les germes ne se multiplient lorsque les produits se réchauffent.
Mettez les produits surgelés et périssables dans votre chariot qu'à la fin du magasin, juste avant de passer à la caisse.
Les produits mous et fragiles, tels que les œufs, les bananes et les raisins, ne doivent être mis sur le tapis qu'au dernier moment. Ils se trouveront ainsi sur le dessus de votre sac et ne seront pas écrasés par des articles plus lourds.
Après avoir terminé votre shopping et avant de trier vos achats à la maison, veillez à vous laver soigneusement les mains pour éviter la propagation des bactéries et des germes.
Gardez propres les zones de stockage telles que les étagères, les garde-manger et votre réfrigérateur. Essuyez-les régulièrement. Le meilleur moyen est d'utiliser de l'eau chaude avec un peu de détergent.

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Congeler efficacement : Comment conserver les aliments dans le congélateur

Si vous souhaitez conserver des aliments pendant une période particulièrement longue, votre congélateur, ou le compartiment congélateur de votre réfrigérateur, est la meilleure option. Grâce à la basse température et à l'activité réduite de l'eau, la reproduction des micro-organismes est considérablement réduite, voire éliminée. Veillez toutefois à nettoyer, laver et blanchir les fruits et légumes avant de les congeler. L'idéal est d'emballer les aliments de manière aussi hermétique que possible et en petites portions. Il est également utile d'étiqueter les sacs avec leur contenu et la date pour vous aider à garder le contrôle. Cependant, même les aliments congelés ne peuvent être conservés indéfiniment. Les fruits et légumes se conservent de 11 à 15 mois, le poisson et les viandes grasses de 6 à 9 mois, et le bœuf et la volaille peuvent être congelés pendant 9 à 12 mois.

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Réfrigérer correctement : Comment conserver les aliments dans le réfrigérateur

La plupart des aliments frais doivent être placés directement dans le réfrigérateur lorsque vous rentrez chez vous. Grâce à la basse température de 4 à 8°C du réfrigérateur, les produits périssables restent frais plus longtemps. En effet, la basse température ralentit le métabolisme cellulaire des aliments, empêche la croissance des micro-organismes et freine les altérations chimiques et enzymatiques. Le principe "FiFo" (first in, first out) peut vous aider à savoir ce qui est frais et ce qui ne l'est moins. En d'autres termes : Mettez les nouveaux aliments à l'arrière et les anciens à l'avant.

La bonne disposition dans votre réfrigérateur

Pour que les aliments restent frais le plus longtemps possible, vous devez les stocker sur la bonne étagère. Nous vous expliquons exactement où ranger dans le réfrigérateur.

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Porte du réfrigérateur

Ce qui doit se trouver dans la porte du réfrigérateur

La porte du réfrigérateur est l'une des zones les plus chaudes du réfrigérateur. La température y est généralement comprise entre 8 et 10 °C. Elle convient pour conserver les sauces prêtes à l'emploi, les jus de fruits, les boissons, les vinaigrettes, le lait, le beurre et les œufs.

Tiroir à légumes

Ce qui doit se trouver dans le tiroir à légumes

Comme son nom l'indique, le tiroir à légumes sert à conserver les légumes (et les fruits). Les tiroirs à légumes sont séparés du reste du réfrigérateur, généralement par une vitre, ce qui permet de maintenir la température à 9 °C environ. C'est parfait pour conserver les légumes, la salade et les différents types de fruits. Attention : les produits sensibles au froid, comme les fruits exotiques et les légumes à forte teneur en eau, ne doivent pas du tout être conservés au réfrigérateur.

Bottom shelf

What belongs on the bottom shelf

The temperature of the bottom shelf, just above the crisper drawer, is no higher than 2 to 3 °C. You should store easily perishable food on this shelf, such as meat, fish, poultry and deli salads.

Middle shelf

What belongs on the middle shelf

The middle shelf is usually about 5 °C, making it ideal for dairy products like yoghurt, milk, quark and cream. It’s also the perfect place for cheese and sausages.

Top shelf

What belongs on the top shelf

The top shelf of a fridge is comparatively warm. The temperature here is usually between 8 and 10 °C. You can store butter and jams at this mild temperature. Leftover food you intend to eat soon can also be kept here, as this area is perfect for preserving flavour.

Storing foods at room temperature in the cupboard or pantry

Pasta, rice, canned goods and the like don’t benefit from being stored in the fridge. Instead, it’s fine to store them in a cupboard at an average of 15 to 20 °C. It’s important that food is not exposed to direct sunlight or warmth, e.g. by being kept near a hob or oven. High temperatures and moist air generated when cooking have a negative impact on the storage life of even long-life products. When tidying your cupboards or pantry, remember: put new products at the back and bring older food to the front so that it gets used first. Once you open a packet, seal it securely or transfer the contents to a sealed container. Just like when freezing food, make sure to label containers with dates – so you don’t forget what’s inside.

Storing products in the right place: What food belongs where

Whether warm or cold, moist or dry, not all foods like the same conditions. If stored incorrectly, food will lose its flavour and spoil more quickly. Let’s look at the best place to store different foods so that they stay fresh for longer.

Bread & baked goods

Keeping bread fresh for longer

Keeping bread fresh means preventing it from drying out, such as by storing it in a bread bin or a stoneware container with a lid. Many people store bread in plastic bags. The disadvantage of this is that fresh bread from the baker very quickly turns soft when stored in airtight packaging. For this reason, it’s best to keep crisp baked goods you plan to eat soon unsealed – such as in the bag they came in from the baker.

However, drying out isn’t the only way bread can spoil. If the surroundings are too moist and air cannot circulate, water can accumulate and cause mould to develop, particularly in the case of sliced bread. Any crumbs lying around in a bread bin can also lead to mould growing. Remove crumbs every few days and wipe down the container with some diluted vinegar. In warm, humid weather, you can even keep bread in the fridge if necessary. This protects against mould, especially in the case of white bread. If in doubt, you can always freeze bread and bread rolls before defrosting them at a later date, ideally at room temperature.

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Fruit & vegetables

Apples, carrots, salad etc.: What belongs in the fridge and what doesn’t

Almost all vegetables can be stored in the fridge. Aubergines, tomatoes, potatoes and pumpkins are the only ones you shouldn’t keep cold. Fruit is a little more complicated. Some types of fruit only stay fresh and retain their vitamins when chilled. Others, however, are very sensitive to the cold. As a rule of thumb, you should chill indigenous fruits like apples, cherries and plums. Exotic fruits like mangos, bananas and citrus fruits don’t belong in the fridge. Exceptions to this rule are figs and kiwis, which are quite at home in your crisper drawer.

Over time, some fruits and vegetables develop a ripening gas called ethylene. This causes other fruit and vegetables nearby to age and spoil more quickly. The highest ethylene producers include apples, apricots, plums and tomatoes. For this reason, it’s best to keep them separate.

Dairy products

Yoghurt, butter and milk: How to keep dairy products fresh

Yoghurt, milk and butter should make their way from the supermarket to your fridge at home as soon as possible. Ideally, you should keep them well sealed and in their original packaging: Put butter on the top shelf of the fridge door, and keep yoghurt and milk in the middle of the fridge.

UHT milk only needs to go in the fridge once opened; it can keep at room temperature for several weeks beforehand. You should consume raw milk straight from the farm within 2 to 3 days at most. Pasteurised fresh milk often stays fresh for up to a week when kept sealed and for 2 to 3 days when opened. Due to its high fat content, you can freeze butter before defrosting it in the fridge door when you need it.

Cheese

Cheese is best stored well-ventilated and moist, but cream cheese likes it cool

With the exception of cream cheese, all types of cheese need to be able to breathe and so shouldn’t be kept in an airtight container. It’s best to keep pre-packaged cheese in its original packaging, in special cheese paper or sandwich paper, or in cheese preservers. This stops them from passing on their aroma and prevents edible mould from forming on hard cheese. Another option is cling film, but you should never use airtight plastic containers. Cheese is happiest on the middle shelf of the fridge. Cream cheese, however, should be stored in a much cooler area – on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Wedges of cheese can last up to three weeks in the fridge. Packaged sliced cheese and cream cheese soon dry out once opened and lose their flavour, so it’s best to eat them within a week of opening.

Pasta

The best way to store pasta, spaetzle and gnocchi

You can store dried pasta for up to a year. It’s important to store it at room temperature and keep it dry and well sealed. Why? Well, like other dried goods – such as flour, muesli and tea – dried pasta is particularly susceptible to pests, such as food moths.

Fresh dough-based products like pasta, spaetzle and gnocchi are extremely susceptible to germs. When well chilled, they will keep in the fridge for three or four days. Proper food preparation is a key factor in ensuring that food stays fresh for as long as possible. Simply make sure to cook pasta only until it is al dente – firm to the bite. Spätzle and gnocchi are ready as soon as they start to float to the surface. You can keep leftover pasta on the top shelf of the fridge, where it will stay fresh for one or two days. It’s best to keep cooked pasta in sealed containers so that it doesn’t become hard.

Meat

Things to remember when storing meat

Meat, poultry and sausages are foods that spoil very quickly. If at all possible, you should avoid breaking the cold chain or only do so for a very short time. The best way is to take a cool bag with you to the supermarket. At home, place meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge straight away, as this is the coolest part of the fridge.

If you buy meat in plastic packaging, you should replace this before putting it in the fridge. Remove the meat from the packaging, dab it dry with kitchen paper, wrap it in baking paper and place it in an airtight container to protect against germs. Beef can be stored for 3 to 4 days; veal and pork will keep for 2 to 3 days, but poultry only stays fresh for 1 or 2 days. Take care when it comes to minced meats – if possible, you should eat these on the day you buy them. Always defrost frozen meat in the fridge and remember that this can produce defrost water.

Fish

The best way to store fish

Fish is even more perishable than meat. As a result, it’s best to eat fish straight after you buy it. If you buy fresh fish from the fish counter, don’t leave it in its packaging: store it in a glass or porcelain container, cover it with cling film and ice, and store it in the fridge for 1 day at most.

Store pre-packaged fish from the deep-frozen section in your freezer and keep an eye on the best-before date! The smoking process helps smoked fish stay fresh for longer. You can keep this in your fridge, covered in cling film, for up to around 3 days. Always defrost frozen fish in the fridge and remember that this can produce defrost water.

Little hint: You don’t need to throw away food past its best-before date

Most food has a best-before date (BBD) on its packaging. However, food doesn’t automatically go bad just because this date has passed. This is the date until which the manufacturer guarantees typical product characteristics, such as taste, aroma, consistency and colour.
It’s important to distinguish between the best-before date and the use-by date for perishable foods such as raw fish, mince and fresh poultry. You should not eat products after their use-by date and should throw them away instead.
Take a look, have a taste, smell food for yourself: trust your senses! It’s often easy to tell whether food is still good enough to eat once its BBD has passed.

Did you know?

None of us would ever plan to throw away one-third of the food we buy. However, the statistics show that this is precisely the amount that ends up in the bin, unused. According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), this corresponds to 1.3 billion tonnes of discarded food globally each year. This is an inconceivable waste of food when you consider that there are 690 million people around the world who are starving.

Braun stands for durable products and sustainable design. We believe that, in the struggle to protect the environment and maintain our quality of life, both today and in the future, every action counts – no matter how small.

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