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USING YOUR CRISPER DRAWER TO HELP KEEP PRODUCE FRESH
Your refrigerator’s crisper drawers can help reduce waste and maintain fresh, long-lasting produce for you and your family. Learn about crisper humidity levels and how to properly store fruits and vegetables in your crisper drawers for optimal results.
WHAT IS A CRISPER DRAWER?
A crisper drawer, also known as a humidity drawer, is a bin in your refrigerator that has different levels of humidity for the purposes of helping to preserve freshness and extending the life of your fruits and vegetables.
When the humidity control is set to high, the drawer limits air circulation, allowing moisture to stay inside the crisper and help reduce dehydration of stored produce. With the setting on low, the drawer allows more air movement, releasing excess moisture through a vent and creating a drier environment inside the bin.
Most crispers have convenient adjustable settings that essentially regulate airflow to and from the bin. This allows you to simply slide the meter to adjust airflow for higher or lower humidity. Some refrigerator crispers even have produce labels on the sliders for added convenience for your storage needs.
FRESH DRAWER VS. CRISPER DRAWER: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
You may have both a crisper drawer and a fresh drawer in your refrigerator, each designed for different storage needs. A crisper drawer with high humidity settings limits airflow to help retain moisture, making it well-suited for leafy greens and other high-moisture produce. A fresh drawer, by contrast, is designed to maintain a colder temperature without freezing, which makes it ideal for storing raw fish, meat and poultry.
Learn more about refrigerator organization tips.
HOW DOES A CRISPER DRAWER WORK?
Refrigerator crisper drawers function by controlling the airflow through the drawer. Note: Humidity in the crisper drawer is generated by whatever you store inside it. Adjusting the settings controls the rate of humidity removal by allowing more or less airflow through the drawer. For example, when a crisper is set to “high humidity,” airflow is essentially cut off from the bin, allowing produce to be stored in a controlled environment without losing moisture.
A crisper drawer set to “low humidity” allows air and moisture to escape freely through a small vent or opening, exposing the contents to more air.
If your refrigerator has two crispers, it is often useful to dedicate one to high-humidity storage and one to low-humidity storage for convenient, flexible storage.
Learn more about how refrigerators function.
DO REFRIGERATOR CRISPER DRAWERS KEEP PRODUCE FRESH?
With proper storage and humidity settings, refrigerator storage drawers can help extend the life of your fruits and vegetables, allowing you to reduce waste, save money and enjoy fresh-tasting produce in the process.
Generally, crisper drawers function best when they are about ⅔ full to allow breathing room for your produce. To avoid an unwanted mess, consider lining the bottom of your crisper drawers with paper towels for fast, convenient cleaning.
Learn more refrigerator cleaning tips and best practices.
HOW DO I ADJUST MY REFRIGERATOR CRISPER DRAWER?
Most refrigerator crisper drawers come with convenient sliders to allow you to easily adjust the ventilation and moisture settings. For low humidity, move the slider to open the vents to circulate air and moisture for storing produce such as most stone fruits. For high humidity, move the slider to close the vents to trap air and moisture for items like crisp vegetables. Refrigerator models may vary, so check your owner’s manual for more details on how your specific crisper drawers or bins function.
For more tips to help keep your food fresh, learn about refrigerator and freezer temperature settings.
SHOP MAYTAG® FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATORS WITH CRISPER DRAWERS
Maytag® French door refrigerators are available with several features that help make it simple to keep your food fresh and organized. Select models, such as this Maytag® 36-Inch Wide French Door Refrigerator with PowerCold® Feature, come with Humidity-Controlled FreshLock™ Crispers to help keep your greens tasting great and your fruits full of flavor. Some other models feature a Temperature-Controlled Wide-N-Fresh™ Deli Drawer. Complete with temperature controls, the Wide-N-Fresh™ Deli Drawer is the ideal size for large party platters and deli trays.
| LOW-HUMIDITY | HIGH-HUMIDITY |
|---|---|
| Low-humidity (opened) crispers are generally best for ethylene-emitting fruits prone to rotting, such as apples, pears, melons and other pitted fruits. | High-humidity (closed) crispers are generally best for thin-skinned vegetables that are prone to wilting, such as lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers and leafy greens. |
WHAT DO YOU PUT IN THE CRISPER DRAWER?
Knowing how to properly sort produce in your refrigerator’s crisper drawers can help extend freshness by matching foods with the humidity conditions they prefer. Generally, high-moisture, ethylene-sensitive vegetables, such as cucumbers and leafy greens, stay crisp longer in a high-humidity drawer where airflow is restricted. Fruits and thicker-skinned produce, such as pears, apples and other pitted fruits, which emit ethylene, are generally better in a low-humidity drawer that allows moisture and gas to escape.
LOW-HUMIDITY CRISPER STORAGE
Produce that is prone to rotting should be stored in a low-humidity (opened) crisper drawer. This allows the moisture and air to freely circulate from the bin.
Be mindful that as these fruits ripen, ethylene gas is naturally released. It is recommended to isolate ethylene-emitting fruits in the low-humidity drawer to allow the gas to escape to prevent over-ripening and quick rotting.
Additionally, make sure to store pitted fruits separately from ethylene-sensitive fruits, like strawberries, to help prevent quick spoiling.
WHAT TO STORE IN A LOW-HUMIDITY CRISPER DRAWER
Apples
Avocados
Pears
Melons
- Mushrooms
HIGH-HUMIDITY CRISPER STORAGE
Ethylene-sensitive produce and vegetables that are prone to wilting should be stored in a high-humidity (closed) crisper drawer. This traps the moisture and air in the bin and prevents it from escaping, helping to preserve the crispness of your produce.
WHAT TO STORE IN A HIGH-HUMIDITY CRISPER DRAWER
Leafy greens
Cucumbers
Fresh herbs
- Broccoli
Maytag® refrigerators
Built strong to hold in the cold
Maytag® refrigerators are designed to help keep your perishables in their ideal climate
HOW DO I ADJUST MY REFRIGERATOR CRISPER DRAWER?
Most refrigerator crisper drawers come with convenient sliders to allow you to easily adjust the ventilation and moisture settings. For low humidity, move the slider to open the vents to circulate air and moisture for storing most stone fruits. For high humidity, move the slider to close the vents to trap air and moisture for crisp vegetables. Check your user manual for more details on your exact model.
For more tips to keep your food fresh, learn about refrigerator and freezer temperature settings.
HOW TO ADJUST REFRIGERATOR HUMIDITY SETTINGS
Keeping a box of baking soda on a shelf can help absorb moisture in the refrigerator, potentially reducing humidity. This also helps to reduce odors, but be mindful to replace the box on a monthly basis for optimal results.
Storing food in containers with tight-fitting lids and avoiding overcrowding may also help the air circulate freely inside your refrigerator.
In addition to those habits, you can support humidity and airflow by:
Keeping crisper drawers appropriately filled: Items should be arranged so air can circulate around produce, which helps the drawer’s humidity features work effectively rather than trapping excess moisture.
Minimizing door openings: Warm, humid air entering the refrigerator can contribute to excess moisture buildup, so reducing how often you open the door helps maintain steadier conditions inside.
Don’t let your groceries go to waste. Now that you know how to take advantage of your crisper drawers to help preserve produce, you can enjoy the convenience and peace of mind of fresh, long-lasting fruits and vegetables for you and your family.
SHOP MAYTAG® REFRIGERATORS TO HELP KEEP YOUR FOOD FRESH
Discover a variety of Maytag® refrigerator models to find the right one for your home. In addition to crisper drawers, select Maytag® refrigerators are built with the PowerCold® feature, which chills the appliance down quickly to help keep everything cool, even if the whole family’s been browsing with the door open. Explore more refrigerators from Maytag brand to help keep your foods fresh and ready for busy mealtimes.
