During the cold winter months, the balcony or terrace is popularly used as a place to store food pots. Maybe you use them as another refrigerator before the holidays. At first glance, this idea seems to have only advantages, but such an action can also have negative consequences.

Towards the end of the year, many people start to miss a place in their traditional refrigerators, as they prepare additional food for stock (for example, for Christmas or New Year’s parties).

In such situations, naturally, additional appliances are not purchased because few people can afford it and space is limited. Instead, people often put some products from the refrigerator outside on the balcony or terrace to save space in their homes. But can you really use the terrace or balcony as a natural refrigerator for pots of food?

Is it possible to store food on the balcony or terrace in winter? It’s a risky practice

Storing food on a balcony or terrace in winter is a risky practice. Especially at the beginning of winter, when temperatures still fluctuate strongly (up to tens of degrees per day). The temperature does not change in the refrigerator. Otherwise, it’s outdoors where conditions can change like a kaleidoscope.

  • When it gets significantly warmer outside in winter, food quickly loses its quality and can spoil due to the rapid growth of harmful microorganisms. Then it is not difficult to get food poisoning.

For this reason, if you decide, for example, before the holidays, to leave some of your pots on the balcony or terrace, you have to constantly monitor the temperature to keep it constant.

Not just food poisoning. Eating on the balcony or terrace can attract uninvited guests

Among the negative consequences of storage food outside in winter can be included not only in food poisoning.

  • Food displayed outside the window will also attract uninvited guests in the form of animals, especially birds and insects, which are looking for food in winter.

If you don’t want little intruders to eat or contaminate your food, better secure your food. Covering them will also help protect food from rain and snowfall, which are not heavy in winter.

Which foods can be placed on the balcony or terrace in winter, and which should not be left there?

It is very risky to store products outside that require constant cooling.

This includes:

  • milk
  • eggs
  • sausages
  • raw meat

Not recommended for storage nor soups whipped with cream.

On the other hand, you can place bread and some cakes without cream on the balcony or terrace (as long as they are eaten quickly), as well as products that do not always need to be kept in the refrigerator. This includes vegetables and fruits.

Slovaks make this mistake when straining pasta all the time