Should I set the humidity on low or high ?
This is usually just a switch for a mullion heater that prevents condensation from building on the outside of the fridge between the doors. It has nothing to do with humidity inside the refrigerator. If your house is humid as not running an air conditioner, set the switch to high.
The first step in proper storage is making
sure your refrigerator is at the proper temperature. You will want to make sure
your fridge is somewhere between 34 degrees and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If your
fridge goes above 40 degrees, your food will spoil more quickly, but if the
temperature is too low, the vegetables in your drawer will freeze.
Often,
crisper drawers will have a mechanism to regulate how much moisture flows into
and out of the drawer. Depending upon which vegetables you are storing, set the
drawer to either let moisture out for drier veggies or keep moisture in for
vegetables that need the humidity. Having a fridge with multiple crisper
drawers is helpful in storing vegetables based upon their humidity needs.
Vegetables tend to be very sensitive to
ethylene, a substance that comes from most fruits and a select number of
vegetables. Because of this, storing fruits and vegetables separately is
advised. Ethylene exposure is responsible for carrots turning bitter, the
yellowing of certain green vegetables and lettuce turning brown. In addition to
absorbing ethylene, some vegetables also absorb odors from other veggies. For
example, the odor of apples is absorbed by carrots, cabbages and onions. If
odor absorption occurs, it can affect the taste of the vegetable. Add a box of baking soda to the crisper
drawer to help with odor absorption. After about two weeks, you'll want to
shake out the top layer of the baking soda to maximize freshness.
Some vegetables benefit from being stored in
a bag in the refrigerator rather than being out of a bag. These vegetables,
such as artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and eggplant, should be
placed in the crisper bin in perforated plastic or paper bags so that they can
maintain moisture. However, some vegetables like lettuce don't do well with
lots of moisture; for this reason, you should not wash your vegetables before
storing, but before eating instead. With carrots, beets, radishes and parsnips, removing
their tops prior to storage will help them keep longer. Similarly, the head of
celery stalks should be covered before storing.
162 views
Usually answered in minutes!
×