CNET: “If it’s been a while since you’ve cooked a meal at home, you may be wondering if the food in your refrigerator is still edible. And while we do recommend a regular fridge purge to clean out any food that’s gone bad, it’s important to know how to preserve the life of foods like milk, eggs, fruit, vegetables and meat.  There are some surefire methods for prolonging the shelf life of your fridge food, including keeping perishable dairy items in the coldest part of the fridge and using a surprisingly simple kitchen staple to prevent lettuce rot. The FDA recommends keeping refrigerated foods at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the Mayo Clinic says that after four days, the risk of harmful bacteria increases. If something smells or looks off, it isn’t worth the risk so go ahead and toss it. We’ll tell you how to make your food last longer, even though it’s still a good idea to perform the sniff and feel test before eating anything that’s been sitting in the fridge for a while. While you’re here, check out these 28 ways to cut household costs and the best temperature to set your thermostat to during winter. This story was recently updated…” [Note – In 2019, an enormous 35% of all food in the United States went unsold or uneaten. That’s $408 billion worth of food – roughly 2% of U.S. GDP]