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USING YOUR CRISPER DRAWER TO HELP KEEP PRODUCE FRESH
Properly utilizing your refrigerator's crisper drawers is one of the easiest ways to keep your produce fresh and flavourful and reduce food waste. While the general rule is to separate ethylene-emitting fruits from wilting greens, it’s recommended to always defer to a product’s specific storage instructions, expiration dates, or handling tips on your produce's store packaging.
Keep reading to learn helpful tips on how to use and easily adjust your drawer settings for optimal freshness.
WHAT ARE CRISPER DRAWERS?
A crisper drawer, also referred to as a humidity drawer, is a bin in your refrigerator with varying levels of humidity. Its purpose is to help maintain the freshness and extend the life of produce.
Crisper drawers function by regulating airflow. Adjusting the setting simply controls how fast the moisture from your produce escapes. A high-humidity setting seals in the air, while a low-humidity setting opens a small vent to let air circulate freely.
Most crispers are equipped with adjustable sliders to control the settings and regulate airflow to and from the bin. You can simply slide the meter to set airflow to a higher or lower humidity level based on what will be stored in the crisper.
Select crispers provide produce labels on the sliders. By following the labels, you know whether to increase or decrease humidity based on the produce in the crisper.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FRESH DRAWER AND A CRISPER DRAWER
Some refrigerators have both a crisper drawer and a fresh drawer, and each offers a way to meet specific storage needs.
A crisper drawer with high humidity settings restricts airflow to help keep in moisture, meaning it’s well-suited for high-moisture produce, like leafy greens. A fresh drawer, on the other hand, is adept at maintaining a colder temperature without freezing, making it suitable for raw meat, fish and poultry.
Read this article to get more refrigerator organization tips.
HOW DOES A CRISPER DRAWER FUNCTION?
Humidity in the crisper drawer is generated by the items you store inside it. Because of this, crisper drawers work by controlling the airflow that travels through them. By adjusting the settings, you control the rate of humidity by increasing or decreasing the airflow in the drawer.
Most crisper drawers have convenient sliders to easily change the ventilation and moisture settings within the bin. To set it to low humidity, which lets air and moisture escape freely, use the slider to open the vents. For high humidity, adjust the slider to close the vents.
If your refrigerator is designed with two crispers, dedicate one to high-humidity storage and the other to low-humidity storage.
Read these articles to discover how refrigerators function and to learn about refrigerator and freezer temperature settings.
DO CRISPER DRAWERS MAINTAIN THE FRESHNESS OF PRODUCE?
With adequate storage and the proper humidity settings, crisper drawers can help maintain the freshness and extend the life of produce.
Some other benefits include:
Less food waste
Saving money
Enjoying fresh-tasting produce
Typically, crisper drawers work optimally when they are about ⅔ full, as this allows breathing room for fruits and vegetables. For easy cleaning, line the bottom of crisper drawers with paper towels.
Read this article to explore more refrigerator cleaning tips and learn best practices.
SHOP MAYTAG® FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATORS WITH CRISPER DRAWERS
Maytag® French door refrigerators come with several features that help keep your food organized and fresh. Select models, such as this Maytag® 36-Inch Wide French Door Refrigerator with PowerCold® Feature, are designed with impressive features, such as Humidity-Controlled FreshLock™ Crispers, which help keep your greens tasting great and your fruits full of flavour. Select models offer a Temperature-Controlled Wide-N-Fresh™ Deli Drawer, which is the ideal size for storing large party platters and deli trays for your next dinner party.
| HIGH-HUMIDITY | LOW-HUMIDITY |
|---|---|
| High-humidity (closed) crispers are typically the best for thin-skinned vegetables, such as lettuce, broccoli and leafy greens, which can wilt easily. | Low-humidity (opened) crispers are often best for ethylene-emitting fruits, such as apples, melons and other pitted fruits,which tend to be prone to spoiling early. |
WHAT TO STORE IN YOUR CRISPER DRAWER
Understanding how to properly sort produce in your crisper drawers can help maintain or even extend freshness by matching produce with its preferred humidity conditions. Typically, high-moisture, ethylene-sensitive vegetables, such as cucumbers and lettuce, can stay crisp longer in a high-humidity drawer because of the restricted airflow. Fruits and thicker-skinned produce that emit ethylene are typically better in a low-humidity environment, which lets moisture and gas escape.
Explore which foods should not be stored in the refrigerator before your next grocery shop.
LOW-HUMIDITY CRISPER STORAGE
Produce that can spoil early should be stored in a low-humidity (opened) crisper drawer to let moisture and air freely circulate from the bin.
Remember, as these fruits ripen, ethylene gas is naturally released. To combat this, isolate ethylene-emitting fruits in the low-humidity drawer, as this will allow the gas to escape and minimize over-ripening and spoilage.
Furthermore, make sure to separate pitted fruits from ethylene-sensitive fruits when storing to help prevent quick spoiling.
WHAT IS SAFE TO STORE IN A LOW-HUMIDITY CRISPER DRAWER
Melons
Mushrooms
Apples
Avocados
Pears
HIGH-HUMIDITY CRISPER STORAGE
Vegetables prone to wilting and ethylene-sensitive produce should be stored inside a high-humidity (closed) crisper drawer. This keeps the moisture and air in the drawer, preventing it from escaping and resulting in the preservation of your produce’s crispness.
WHAT TO STORE IN A HIGH-HUMIDITY CRISPER DRAWER
Cucumbers
Fresh herbs
Leafy greens
Broccoli
Maytag® refrigerators
Built strong to hold in the cold
Maytag® refrigerators are designed to help keep your perishables in their ideal climate
OTHER WAYS TO ADJUST CRISPER DRAWER HUMIDITY
Placing a box of baking soda on a shelf has been proven to help absorb moisture in the refrigerator, potentially reducing humidity. Additionally, it can also help reduce odours, but you must be prudent about replacing the baking soda monthly.
Another way to help air circulate in your fridge is to store food in containers with tight-fitting lids and avoid overcrowding.
Other methods to encourage humidity and airflow include:
Only open the door when needed: When fridge doors are left open for too long, warm, humid air can enter the appliance and contribute to excess moisture buildup. Being careful about how often you open the doors can help maintain steadier conditions in your refrigerator’s interior.
Keeping crisper drawers properly filled: Arrange items in the drawers so that air can circulate through the produce. This will help the drawer’s humidity features function effectively instead of trapping excess moisture.
Now that you know how to use your crisper drawers effectively to help maintain the crispness and freshness of produce, you can enjoy the delicious, refreshing convenience of fresh, long-lasting fruits and vegetables.
SHOP MAYTAG® REFRIGERATORS TO HELP KEEP FOOD FRESH
Explore the collection of Maytag® refrigerator models to find the best option for your home. In addition to crisper drawers, select Maytag® refrigerators come with the PowerCold® feature, which chills the appliance quickly to help keep its contents cool, even when your family is constantly browsing with the door open. Discover more refrigerators from Maytag brand that can help preserve your food’s freshness and make sure you’re ready to start cooking dinner.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MAYTAG® REFRIGERATORS
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