Why You Shouldn't Store Meat In The Refrigerator Door

When picking and choosing ingredients for a dish, there are a whole host of factors for you to consider. One factor that falls to the side often — but most definitely should not — is fridge compartment space. Refrigerators are designed to hold specific foods in specific locations, and misplacing something in your fridge could land you with some horrid smells and perhaps even compromised health. Wouldn't you much rather spend your time thinking about delicious dishes to make rather than determining if your ground beef has spoiled or if your steak has gone bad?

One easy rule of thumb to follow and remember is to not store animal products in the fridge door at all. This includes everything from eggs to steaks; the fridge door is not a good environment to keep your meat. According to Eating Well, because the fridge door is regularly opened and closed, it exposes foods in the door compartments to constant temperature changes. As a result, foods in the door compartment are more susceptible to spoiling. Bacteria and all manner of nasty microbes that you do not want in your stomach thrive in warmer environments (which is the whole reason why fridges are so effective at keeping food fresh in the first place), so the temperature fluctuations are no good for your meat.

FoodsGuy recommends storing meat on the bottom shelf of your fridge, as they are the best at retaining non-fluctuating temperatures. Some refrigerators are also designed with compartments specifically meant to store meat, so make sure to take advantage of those. Not only will this keep the meat from cooling down and heating up too much, but it will also help prevent cross-contamination from meat juices or liquids from reaching other foods. A crisper drawer at the bottom of your fridge is also a good storage spot, according to Kitchn. If you don't have one or can't give up the space, you can also use a clear plastic bin to separate your meat from the rest of the items in your fridge. 

Instead of keeping your meats in the fridge door, try and reserve this spot for drinks that don't spoil and for things like condiments or other foods with long shelf lives instead.