It’s time to spring clean your freezer, fridge and pantry
Marna Hicks of Washington takes frozen steaks from the freezer, but checks the day they were purchased before thawing them for dinner.
Marna Hicks of Washington checks expiration dates before open new packages of cheese.
Now that spring is officially here, you may be getting the itch to start spring cleaning. But there’s one area of your house you may not have thought about: your kitchen.
Who knows how long those spices have been in your cupboard? And how long has that leftover turkey been in your freezer? Jacqueline Ely is a registered dietitian with the Washington Health System Wilfred Cameron Wellness Center and recommends spring as the perfect opportunity to clean out your freezer, refrigerator and pantry.
“What better time than now?” she said. “With the change of seasons, you may be changing what you are eating, too, trying to get more fresh food. By cleaning your pantry and organizing your kitchen, it can eliminate waste, save money and give you foods that are full of nutrients and consumed in a timely manner.”
Ely said though items like spices may not make you sick if used past the expiration date, they may change flavor.
When it comes to frozen food, Ely said, “Food does lose nutritional value the longer it sits in your freezer. You’re going to lose a lot of those water-soluble vitamins after even a few weeks or a month.” While frozen food can stay safely edible for many months, the quality starts to suffer after two to three months.
Monongahela Valley Hospital registered dietitian and clinical nutrition manager Michele Pfarr warned, “You’ll start to get those ice crystals on there. The texture will change and so will the taste.” Frozen food will also start to pick up flavors and odors from other food stored with it.
Marna Hicks of Washington tries to be vigilant about reading expiration dates and leaving leftovers in her refrigerator.
“I would throw something out that’s over five days old,” she said, although she does admit, “I’ve still got turkey broth from Thanksgiving frozen.” Hicks said she doesn’t take time to label refrigerator leftovers with dates but does label freezer food.
“We go to Sam’s Club and get our meat,” she says. “When we break it up and put it in the freezer we date it so we know. And we don’t go back until we eat those – we don’t overbuy.”
Pfarr gives a good rule to remember. “When in doubt, throw it out,” she says. “If you’re uncertain, the best thing to do is toss it.”
She added that most of us tend to not pay attention to condiments or spices as often as meat or produce since they can sit in the back of a cupboard or pantry or the refrigerator and escape our view. A good tip is to put seldom-used spices in the freezer to keep their flavor fresh longer.
Always check expiration dates and consider sticking labels on your food to remind you when you cooked those leftovers in the fridge, when you opened that bottle of ketchup or when you bought that shaker of cinnamon.
When cleaning your refrigerator, remember food texture starts to degrade because of the formation of bacteria. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends using items like homemade chicken or beef stock within seven days or else freezing it.
“Label the date that you made that food and use leftovers within three to four days. If not, pitch it,” Ely said.
And you know the old saying that one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch? It’s true. Pfarr said. “Fruits tend to release a chemical that makes things ripen faster, so you definitely don’t want to store your fruits and vegetables together.”
If you need some inspiration to get started, remember that March is National Nutrition Month and marks a good time to spring clean your kitchen and make a healthy lifestyle change.
“Foods that are out in the open and that you see every time you walk through the kitchen are the ones you’re going to use most,” said Ely. “It shouldn’t be the candy dish. Have a basket of apples right on the table. The same in your refrigerator; you shouldn’t have the vegetables hidden away. Make the healthiest food easiest to see.”
And don’t forget to include your kitchen or dining room table in your spring cleaning. Instead of using it as a place for keys, books, cellphones and mail, clean off the clutter to make an inviting place for a sit-down meal instead of eating in front of the television or on the run.