There are different cold zones in the refrigerator, ranging from 0 to 8 degrees. The bottom is the coldest and the top is the warmest. The food must also be allocated accordingly. The refrigerator door is an exception, as it is warmest there at 10 to 15 degrees. So much for the basic principle. This is fundamentally important to understand why food should have its specific place. We reveal the most common mistakes!

Filling the fridge: How to make the best use of space

Putting the fridge away properly: everyone makes these 5 mistakes

Mistake no. 1 Meat and fish are not stored at the bottom

As just mentioned, the bottom shelf in the fridge is the coldest. The temperature there is 0 to 2 degrees. Therefore, highly perishable foods such as meat or fish should definitely be stored there. The temperature is crucial for the shelf life!

Mistake no. 2 All vegetables go in the crisper

Pretty much everyone knows that fruit and vegetables belong in the crisper. Temperatures of around 6-8 degrees prevail there, ideal conditions for vitamin-preserving storage. However, some foods do not belong in the fridge because they are sensitive to the cold or lose their flavor. These include, for example

• bananas
• tomatoes
• potatoes

Mistake no. 3: Cooked food is placed on the bottom shelf

Because the bottom of the fridge is the coldest, many people think that cooked food should also be stored there. The opposite is true: they can be stored on the top shelf because they are processed and therefore do not spoil as quickly.

Mistake no. 4 Dairy products are stored too cold

The same applies to dairy products such as cheese or yogurt - they don't need to be kept too cool and are therefore stored on the middle shelf. The temperature there is 5 to 6 degrees, depending of course on how the fridge is set. However, the cold zones and the principle remain the same. Milk cartons and bottles go in the fridge door.

Mistake no. 5 Jam and opened tinned food are stored in the fridge door

It is best to put such opened food on the top shelf, as it is too warm in the fridge door. However, they do not need to be kept too cool either, which is why they are ideally placed at the top together with cooked food.

Coconut blueberry tart from the fridge