What to store in a Liebherr BioFresh drawer comes down to this: the best things to put in it are the foods that spoil fastest: fresh meat, fish, poultry, dairy, leafy greens, berries and most other produce. BioFresh runs just above freezing, with humidity set for the kind of food you store, so it keeps these items fresh for noticeably longer than the main fridge compartment. A few foods do better elsewhere, and knowing which is the difference between a drawer that earns its space and one that wastes it.
What foods last longest in a Liebherr BioFresh drawer?
BioFresh helps most with food that spoils in days rather than weeks. Raw meat, poultry and fish are the clearest winners: the lower temperature slows bacteria, so a steak bought on Saturday is still good for a midweek dinner. Deli meats, soft cheeses and dairy gain days too. Leafy greens, herbs, berries, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms stay crisp for much longer in a humid drawer than in a normal crisper. The gain you notice is less waste, because the food you buy for the week is still good at the end of it.
For the technology behind these results, read our guide on how BioFresh works. If you are not sure whether a compartment on your model is BioFresh or a standard crisper, check the manual or the model string with our model number decoder.
How do you choose between the dry and the humid drawer?
Many BioFresh cabinets give you a choice of humidity, either through a slider on the drawer or through two separate drawers. The rule is simple. Foods that spoil by drying out, such as leafy greens, herbs, mushrooms and most vegetables, belong in the humid setting. Foods that spoil in damp air, such as meat, fish, cheese and dairy, belong in the dry setting. Putting lettuce in a dry drawer wilts it within a day, and putting raw fish in a humid one speeds the slime that makes it unpleasant.
If your model has a single drawer with no humidity control, use the temperature as the benefit and keep meat and produce in separate bags. Our EasyFresh vs BioFresh comparison explains what the other, simpler drawer type does, in case you have both.
Which foods should stay out of the cold drawer?
Some foods are damaged by temperatures near freezing, and BioFresh is colder than a normal fridge compartment. Bananas turn brown and soft, tomatoes lose flavor and turn mealy, unripe avocados and mangoes stall and never ripen properly, and pineapple and whole melons can develop pitting. Keep these on the counter until ripe, then move them to the main fridge shelf if they need to last longer. Eggs, condiments and drinks have no reason to be in BioFresh and will only take space from food that benefits.
Fully cooked leftovers also do not need the drawer, but they gain a little extra life there if space allows. Keep them covered and separate from raw items so nothing drips onto them.
How should you pack the drawer?
Pack the drawer so air can move and so raw foods cannot contaminate anything else. Put raw meat and fish on a plate or in a sealed container to catch juices, and place them at the bottom or in a separate drawer from ready-to-eat items. Store produce loose or in perforated bags, because a sealed plastic bag traps moisture and speeds rot. Leave a little gap between items instead of packing the drawer to the brim, and make sure it closes fully; a drawer left slightly open changes the humidity and the temperature.
Do not wash produce before storing it unless you will use it within a day. Water on leaves and berries shortens their life even in a cold drawer. Pat dry whatever is damp from the store.
Does BioFresh need special care?
It needs a little more cleaning than an ordinary drawer, because it holds raw meat and fish. Wipe it out with warm soapy water every few weeks, and clean spills at once. Our guide on cleaning a BioFresh drawer shows how to remove it and what to avoid. Check that the seal at the back of the drawer is free of food, and leave the humidity setting alone unless you change what you store.
If you see frost or water inside the drawer, do not ignore it. A thin film is normal, but ice usually means something is touching the back wall or the door is not sealing. Our condensation guide explains what is normal.
What temperature should BioFresh be set to?
Leave it at the factory setting unless the manual tells you otherwise. The drawer is designed to work just above freezing, and raising it to be safe defeats its purpose, while lowering it risks freezing delicate food. Check the main fridge temperature too, since the whole system works together. Our temperature settings guide lists sensible starting points for each compartment.
