How to Store Raw Meat in the Refrigerator

Raw meat is a food that can rot if not handled properly. This is a trivial matter but many do not know how to store raw meat properly.

When it comes to raw meat, there are two kinds of people. Some people usually handle it and some feel disgusted and feel that it is inappropriate to handle the raw meat problem.

This is because raw meat must be handled by someone who understands how to handle raw meat. Otherwise, the meat will become a problem and will rot in storage. Storing raw meat must be careful, it is known that raw meat contains bacteria, and this can cause food poisoning and disease. Well, that’s why cooking meat must be at a certain temperature so that the food you eat is no longer infected with bad bacteria.

It also has to do with how you store raw meat in the refrigerator. In our opinion, storing raw meat should place it on the bottom shelf. This is so that no juice or other food is exposed to the melted water from raw meat. If it’s at the very bottom, then the rest of the food in the fridge will be safe from splashing raw meat.

Actually, storing raw meat in the refrigerator is simple, but there are some things you need to consider before storing raw meat in the refrigerator.

Storing Raw Meat in Refrigerator (Step by Step)

Storing raw meat is very easy and simple. When you buy meat at a butcher shop or grocery store, you take the meat home in a pack or bag, then when you get home, you put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Is this all? What else should you know?

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Maybe some questions you want to know the answers to. Is there another safe place to save raw meat besides the refrigerator, do you have a special place in the refrigerator? How long does raw meat last in the refrigerator? and Can raw meat in the refrigerator be opened before the time of use?

Ok, storing raw meat in the refrigerator, there are a few things you should pay attention to.

When putting meat in the refrigerator, you certainly don’t want your food and vegetables there to be exposed to liquid from the meat. So, like it or not, you have to store raw meat on the bottom shelf in your refrigerator.

With this storage method, you may have to clean your refrigerator if it comes into contact with meat, but your food is safe from liquid meat because other foods are on the top shelf. That’s the reason why meat should be on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

But if you have to keep it at the top. You should use a special container to place the meat so that no liquid comes out and causes dirt on other foods.

Why does it have to be on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator?

Indeed, there are no special rules in this regard, but raw meat must be stored carefully because it easily affects other foods in the refrigerator. So, careful storage is important, and storing on the bottom shelf is one of your precautions in storing raw meat.

Maybe you’ve heard the word “cross-contamination”, this is what we avoid when we put and store a lot of food in the refrigerator such as chicken, bread, fish, raw meat, and others.

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When storing raw meat, you certainly don’t want this raw meat juice to hit whatever is in your refrigerator. Well, the best place to save raw meat in the refrigerator to prevent cross-contamination is on the bottom shelf.

The bottom shelf is the perfect place for this, let raw meat be stored specifically at the bottom of the refrigerator so it doesn’t contaminate other foods with it.

How long does raw meat last in the refrigerator?

Each meat will have a different shelf life in the refrigerator. For example, if you have ground beef, lamb or beef, this will last a long time in the refrigerator. However, in general, raw meat lasts for 5 days in the refrigerator (without freezing). There are several different variations of raw meat. You might have steak or ground hamburger or chicken or lamb. This list really could go on and on. Not every meat is exactly the same but the rule of thumb is up to 5 days.

See the table below to find out how long meat lasts in the refrigerator. For comparison, we also added information about how long meat lasts in the freezer (frozen meat).

So, as you can see in the table above, the storage time for raw meat varies depending on the type of meat. Seafood is usually very limited for storage. Fatty fish have their own shelf life, and so do shellfish. If stored in the refrigerator (not in the freezer) it will only last for 3 days.

Seafood is more susceptible to bacterial contamination and development. But it’s different with beef or other red meat.

Beef or pork has a stable time to storage in the refrigerator or freezer. This applies to various types of meat, whether ground, grilled, steak and others. The overall time frame is the same.

While raw meats related to poultry such as chicken meat, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, all have a shorter shelf life than red meat. Chicken and seafood are foods that have the potential for cross-contamination.

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How to make raw meat last longer in the refrigerator?

The important thing you should know is the temperature of the refrigerator. The refrigerator temperature is not the same, it depends on where you set the temperature. Use a stable, cooler temperature. If you want to store raw meat in the refrigerator, then check that the temperature in the refrigerator is between 38-40 F.

This temperature is important because it slows the spread of bacteria, thereby reducing the risk of possible cross-contamination. Indeed, there is something that can stop bacteria, but by setting the temperature like that it will make the bacteria not spread quickly and can protect your food as a whole and this will last a long time, because what causes your food to change is the air temperature and bacteria

Some refrigerators have a thermometer, so you can easily check the temperature. If not, you can use a kitchen thermometer or a candy thermometer.

To regulate the temperature of the refrigerator with a tool that is not included in the refrigerator, you must store a glass of water in the refrigerator. Leave the water for 8 hours. Then put the thermometer into the water in the glass. If the refrigerator temperature is not as recommended, then reset the temperature so that foods such as raw meat can be safe when you store them in the refrigerator.