Do your fruits and vegetables seem to lose their freshness despite being refrigerated? Your crisper drawers are designed to keep food fresh, but without proper use, it’s hard to take advantage of their benefits. From produce organization to proper settings, the team at Appliance Genie has created your ultimate guide to what food goes in crisper drawers.
How to Determine What Food
Goes in Crisper Drawers
Crisper drawers typically have individual settings that adjust the level of humidity in each drawer. Storing specific produce at certain settings will keep it fresher for longer periods of time. We’ll discuss what those settings are, why they’re helpful, and what food goes in crisper drawers. Lastly, we’ll troubleshoot the common problem of food freezing in the crisper drawer so you can avoid this outcome.
The Right Crisper Drawer Settings
What should crisper drawers be set at to keep produce fresh? The best way to decide what food goes in crisper drawers is to keep one drawer at a high humidity setting and the other at a low humidity level.
Selecting a high humidity setting closes off the drawer’s air vents so that no moisture escapes and there is less airflow. A low humidity setting leaves those vents open, allowing for maximum airflow and less moisture.
Crisper drawer settings are easy to adjust using each drawer’s sliding lever. Lowering the lever typically creates a low humidity setting while adjusting it higher creates a high humidity environment.
Organizing Food in Crisper Drawers
Now that each drawer has its specific settings, where do you put produce in the refrigerator drawers so it stays fresh? Usually, items that rot easily should be reserved for the low-humidity drawer. These items typically produce an ethylene gas as they age. Providing an opportunity for the gas to be vented will keep this produce fresher, longer.
Items prone to wilting should be stored in the high humidity drawer. These items are also sensitive to ethylene gas from other produce, causing them to rot faster if they’re stored together. Can you put meat in refrigerator crisper drawers? You can, as long as it’s stored in a separate drawer from produce to avoid cross-contamination.
Here are some examples of what foods go in crisper drawers to optimize their individual freshness:
Low Humidity Crisper Drawer:
- Avocados
- Mangoes
- Melons
- Pears
- Peaches
High Humidity Crisper Drawer
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Leafy greens
- Strawberries
Food Freezing in Crisper Drawers
Just when you think you have produce storage mastered, you may notice food freezing in the crisper drawer. These troubleshooting tips can help resolve this common problem and keep produce fresh:
Check your refrigerator temperature: if your refrigerator temperature is higher than 34°F it may cause the crisper drawer fans to run too frequently. This can create a drawer environment that’s too cold, freezing food. Keeping the refrigerator at 34°F will keep the crisper drawers from overcooling.
Keep the refrigerator door closed: your refrigerator can best maintain its temperature when the doors are closed. Doors that are opened frequently or for long periods of time may prompt crisper drawer fans to run too frequently, freezing food.
Clean the condenser coils: dirty condenser coils can lead to temperature imbalances that result in overly cold condenser drawers. Cleaning the coils will better enable the refrigerator to maintain a consistent temperature.
