Correct storage keeps food safe and stops waste. In the fridge, storage order matters: raw meat and fish go below ready-to-eat food. Every prepared item needs a clear label, and stock is used oldest first, known as FIFO (first in, first out).
Why it matters
Poor storage causes cross-contamination, spoiled food and wasted money. A clear label tells the next person what something is and whether it is still safe.
Key ideas
Fridge storage order
Put ready-to-eat and cooked food on top and raw meat, poultry and fish at the bottom, all covered, with space for air.
What a label shows
It usually shows the product name, date made or opened, use-by date and your initials. Some kitchens use colour-coded day labels.
Use-by and best-before
Use-by is about safety, so never use food after it. Best-before is about quality, so follow your kitchen's policy.
Step by step
- 1
Cool hot food quickly before chilling it.
- 2
Put food in a clean, covered container.
- 3
Label the container itself, not the lid.
- 4
Store it on the correct shelf.
- 5
Place new items behind older ones.
Do
- Check dates whenever you take something out.
- Keep fridge and freezer doors closed.
- Tell the chef about items close to their use-by date.
Common mistakes
- Don't overfill fridges; cold air must circulate.
- Don't store food in opened tins.
- Don't leave anything unlabelled "just for now".
The situation
You find an unlabelled tub of sauce in the walk-in, and nobody knows when it was made.
What a professional does
You don't taste it or guess. You show the chef, who will usually bin it because its age cannot be confirmed. Then you check nearby shelves for others.
Useful phrases
“Chef, there's an unlabelled sauce in the walk-in. Shall I bin it?”
“Which label colour are we on today?”
Pro tip
Keep a marker pen and labels in your pocket so you can label food straight away.
Quick check
Where does raw chicken go if the fridge also holds cooked ham?
Think about it, then show the answer
Below the ham, covered, so raw juices cannot drip onto it.