The benefits of storing your ingredients properly

Working with fresh, well-packaged ingredients stored at the right temperature is essential. In doing so, first and foremost you reduce the health risks for your consumers, while also limiting food waste. Products which have their natural characteristics preserved give you more control over the quality of your production and allow you to increase productivity.

Positive cold storage: the golden rules

Positive cold storage, i.e. in a refrigerator at between 0 and 4°C (at the coldest point), allows you to preserve the qualities of your fresh foodstuffs and products for a length of time which varies depending the nature and degree of preparation (raw material, semi-finished product, finished product). Whatever the product, the following recommendations apply.

Take into account the information indicated on packaged products: use by date, best before date, supplier’s storage conditions (temperature, storage).

• Do not break the cold chain by keeping interruptions to a minimum.
• Do not refreeze food that has already been defrosted.
• Store raw and cooked foods separately.
• Indicate the date on which your preparations were made on containers.
• Check the temperature of your refrigerator regularly.

Tips for storing…

• Eggs and dairy products: raw egg-based preparations such as chocolate mousse or mayonnaise can be kept for 24 hours.
• Fresh cream and raw milk can be kept for up to 3 days at a maximum of 6°C.
• Butter can be kept for 3 to 6 weeks in the fridge.
• Pastry fillings and cream products: pastries made with cream or choux pastry such as millefeuilles and éclairs can be kept for 48 hours at a maximum of 7°C (at room temperature, pastries made with crème pâtissière can be kept for 12 hours).
• Allow 10 days shelf life for pre-prepared fillings such as ganache, frangipane or praline.
• Meat and meat-based fillings: raw meat and minced meat will keep for 2 days at 2°C, while cooked meat preparations can be kept well packaged for up to 3 or 4 days at a maximum of 4°C.
• Fish and shellfish: fresh fish and raw seafood can be kept for up to 2 days in the coldest part of the fridge, at between 0 and 2°C. Cooked fish, shellfish and molluscs can be stored for 3 to 4 days.
• Fruit, vegetables and fruit-based fillings: whole fresh vegetables and fruit retain all their qualities in a cool place for 3 to 4 days. For chopped fruit and vegetables, use within 24 hours, checking appearance and colour. Fruit salads can be kept for up to 48 hours in a suitable container.