The fridge door is the worst place to store milk (Image: Getty)
If your milk always seems to go off before the use-by date, the problem might not be the product but instead where you are storing it. It might seem convenient to pop your milk into the fridge door, but that spot is actually the worst part of the fridge to keep food and dairy products, according to one expert.
While the fridge door feels like a natural spot, it’s actually the warmest part of your fridge due to constant opening and closing. Dr. Helen Onyeaka, an Associate Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, specialising in microbiology and sustainable food systems, revealed where you should really be keeping your milk.
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According to the expert, who worked alongside retailer Currys, milk is best placed in the middle shelf as it “require consistent cold temperatures.”
However, always make sure the milk container’s lid is securely fastened before placing it in the fridge. This is crucial to prevent leaks, especially when the bottle is moved around or jostled.
Other foods to be stored on the middle shelf are cheese and yogurt. Meanwhile, the expert suggests storing condiments, sauces and drinks in the fridge door as they can all handle the fluctuating temperatures.
Dr Onyeaka added: “To ensure food safety and minimise contamination risks, proper organisation and storage are essential.”
Milk should be stored in the middle shelf (Image: Getty)
Where should you store food in the fridge?
Top shelf: Store ready-to-eat foods such as leftovers, cooked meals, and packaged dairy products. This reduces the risk of contamination from raw foods below.
Middle shelf: Suitable for dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt, as these require consistent cold temperatures.
Bottom shelf: This is the coldest area, ideal for raw meat, poultry, and fish. Always store these items in sealed, leak-proof containers to prevent raw juices from contaminating other foods.
Crisper drawers: Designed for fruits and vegetables. Keep fruits and vegetables in separate drawers to prevent ethylene gas emitted by fruits from speeding up vegetable spoilage.
Fridge door: The warmest area, suitable for condiments, sauces, and beverages.
It comes as a recent study by Currys found that 61% said they didn’t know that it’s not recommended that dairy products, such as milk, are stored in the fridge door.
The study involved a survey of 2,000 Brits, asking them about their fridge habits and revealed some concerning trends.
The study found that over 1 in 5 (23%) of Brits didn’t know that the ideal fridge temperature should be 0-5 °C, which is the official recommendation of the Food Standards Agency. What’s more, 42% admit to not checking their fridge temperature regularly, meaning that potentially millions in the UK are putting themselves at risk of food poisoning.
Additionally, 22% of Brits also didn’t know that raw meat should be kept on the lowest shelf in the fridge, and a third admit to eating meat from the fridge without being 100% sure it was safe to consume.
In this case men, are nearly twice as likely to do so as women, with 41% of men eating meat they didn’t know was safe, compared to just 26% of women.
The study also asked UK residents to share their preferred location to store certain consumable items, some of which cause debates.
Despite the label on tomato ketchups (such as Heinz) stating that once opened it should be “refrigerated and consumed within eight weeks”, 40% of Brits store theirs in a cupboard instead.
The food people are most confused about when it comes to proper storage turned out to be eggs. The survey revealed that 43% of Brits store their eggs outside of the fridge, with 27% storing them straight on the countertop and 16% choosing to keep them in the cupboard.
According to the Food Standards Agency, people should: “Store eggs in a cool, dry place, ideally in the fridge and keep them apart from other foods.”
As the temperature of the kitchen varied depending on weather, and if cooking appliances were being used, storing eggs on the counter could be putting their quality at risk.