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Thinking about spring cleaning? You may also want to look in your fridge.

The refrigerator is one of the most important pieces of equipment in the kitchen. Without it, our food would spoil and could make us sick.

Refrigerators should be set to maintain a temperature between 34 and 40 degrees F to preserve our foods. Setting the refrigerator temperature too low will cause your refrigerator to work overtime and could also freeze some of your foods.

Here are a few tips for giving your refrigerator a spring clean:

Clean surfaces thoroughly with warm, soapy water; then rinse. Avoid using solvent cleaning agents, abrasives and all cleansers that may impart taste to food or ice cubes, or cause damage to the interior finish of your refrigerator

Clean the exterior. Keep your refrigerator free of dust and lint. Clean the condenser coil several times a year with a brush or vacuum cleaner to remove dirt, lint or other accumulations to ensure efficiency and maintain proper temperature.

Store leftovers safely. Throw out perishable foods that have spoiled and no longer can be eaten. Leftovers like meatloaf, pizza or casseroles shouldn’t be left in the refrigerator more than four days. Refrigerate raw poultry and ground meats for no more than one to two days.

Don’t store perishable foods in the door. Eggs should be stored in the carton on a shelf. The temperature of the storage bins in the door fluctuates more than the temperature in the cabinet. Keep the door closed as much as possible.

Freshen up! To keep the refrigerator smelling fresh and help eliminate odors, place an opened box of baking soda on a shelf.

Scrub vegetables with clean vegetable brush under running water and chop, dice or slice

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Note: Any of these vegetables will work great: carrots, celery, broccoli, green pepper, red pepper, cucumber, onion and many more!

In a small saucepan, make dressing by combining vinegar, water, sugar, vegetable oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dill weed and dried parsley. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and cool.

Combine pasta and vegetables in a large bowl. Pour cooled dressing mixture over pasta and vegetables. Stir well.

Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories 260, total fat 13g, saturated fat 1.5g, cholesterol 0mg, sodium 90mg, total carbohydrates 33g, dietary fiber 2g, sugars 12g, protein 4g, vitamin a 100%, vitamin c 30%, calcium 4%, iron 4%.

Cami Wells is an Extension Educator for Nebraska Extension in Hall County. Contact her at 308-385-5088 or at cwells2@unl.edu. Visit the Hall County website at www.hall.unl.edu

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