Wine
Heat is the enemy of wine. Good wine, bad wine, white wine, red wine – the ideal temperature for wine storage is 12.5 degrees Celsuis, which is much, much chillier than the top of your fridge. Storage temps approaching 23.8 degrees can affect wine (for the worse) after just one week, while short spikes above 29.4 degrees for just 30 minutes or less can do major damage to wine’s aroma, flavour and colour.
The cold temps of the fridge aren’t great for long-term storage either, and no matter where you store it, wine takes up a lot of room. It’s natural to look to the top of the fridge, especially if you have a wine rack and no place to put it. But resist the urge to stick it up there, and find a cool, dark place instead.
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Spices
Like wine, spices need proper storage to maintain peak freshness and flavour. Unlike wine, spices do not get better with age. At best, you have about one to four years to use them (whole spices last a little longer than ground), and some start to lose potency even sooner. Storing spices atop the fridge, as you’ve probably guessed by now, isn’t a great plan. Instead, find a spice storage solution that keeps herbs and spices fresh and fragrant.
Is there a safe way to use over-the-fridge storage?
Yes! According to Edwards, the best and safest way to use this space is to add a kitchen cabinet over your fridge (not resting on it). “This preserves that crucial ventilation and also ensures that items don’t shift and move closer to the edge every time you open or close the fridge,” she explains. Always anchor cabinets or shelves to the wall for your safety.
If that’s not an option and you have no choice but to store something up there, make sure the item is not flammable, cannot fall off and doesn’t restrict airflow, Flynn says. Fridges usually need an inch of free space on top to allow them to breathe properly, he says, but check the manufacturer guidelines for specific distances.
Next, check out 20 foods you should never store in the fridge.
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Source: rd.com
