What would we do in the UAE without our fridges? Even during the cooler months the temperature is high enough to spoil food quickly, and now that the weather is heating up, the fridge is even more a vital part of living here. When buying, don't stint: a cheap fridge is a false economy, as I learnt to my cost when the bottom-range fridge we had bought broke down twice, resulting in hundreds of dirhams worth of food having to be thrown away. Buy the best you can afford and the biggest you have room for.
Many items of food that you would not think of refrigerating in cooler climes must be refrigerated here - most fruit and vegetables, jams and chocolate, to name a few. Try not to overcrowd the fridge, or the air that cools it will not be able to circulate. The ideal temperature is 1 to 3C, certainly no more than 4C. It's a good idea to buy a fridge thermometer (from Spinneys or Lulu). Stock the fridge in an orderly fashion. Meat, fish and poultry should go in the coldest area (either the meat compartment or at the bottom of the fridge above the salad drawers). Don't leave meat in its plastic wrapping because it cannot breathe and goes slimy. Remove it and wrap in greaseproof paper, then put on a plate to prevent drips. Ensure that raw and cooked meat are kept apart, because raw food can contaminate cooked food and cause food poisoning.
Fruit and vegetables belong in salad drawers. Store in plastic bags until needed and don't wash anything until you need it - it keeps longer that way. Dairy food should go in the coldest part of the fridge (at the bottom and the back). Do not buy more butter than you need because it quickly goes rancid here. Make sure all dairy food is covered or wrapped and keep it away from raw meat and poultry.
Note that some strong-smelling foods can taint other foods in the fridge: broccoli, cooked poultry, ground coffee, shelled hard-boiled eggs, onions, garlic, melons, strawberries and strong cheeses are particular culprits. Make sure they are well wrapped to avoid having them impose themselves on everything else in there. Conversely, there are some foods for which refrigeration does more harm than good. These include bananas (they go black), bread (it goes stale), mushrooms (they dry out), olive oil (it goes thick and cloudy) and potatoes (they start sprouting at low temperatures).
The Housewife's Handbook by Rachel Simhon (Bloomsbury) is available on www.amazon.com
