We organize storage areas like our closets, drawers, and garages, but the refrigerator tends to be neglected. Of all the spaces to keep organized, though, the refrigerator is the only one thatโs time sensitive.
Waste 360ย reported the average American household throws away about 103 pounds of food every year, and three out of four Americans attributed their food waste to disorganizationโas in,ย โthey forget itโs [the food] in their fridge, or it gets lost among the clutter.โย Slowing the rate at which we discard food requires arranging our fridges beyond the average storage norms, so hereโs how to maximize your fridgeโs layout to improve functionality and prevent excess food waste.
Know where to put certain foods for longer shelf life
Different areas of the fridge designate storage for certain foods. The crisper is for fruits and vegetables, but most fridges donโt tell you where to put the meat orย store the milk.ย Where you put your foodย can be the difference between a weekโs worth of produce and dayโs worth.
Each shelf has a purpose
Shelvesย are at varying distances from the cooling mechanism in your fridge. Because of this, storing certain items in the bottom, top,ย or middle shelves preserves the food differently. Information experts atย The Hubย have provided a guide to storage designated by shelf.
Store snacks, leftovers, and other items that get consumed quickly (that could also go bad quickly) on the top shelf. The middle shelves are for dairy, cheeses, cooked meats, and leftovers. The midsection tends to be on the cooler end, so store your milk and eggs here, and theyโll keep longer.If your milk doesnโt fit in the middle section, you can easily rearrange the shelving to accommodate your needs.Items that contain bacteria need to be kept separate to avoid cross-contaminationโstore these items on the last shelf. The bottom shelf is perfect for raw meat and fish,ย and should be wrapped or stored in sealed containers. The drawers are for your fruits and vegetables. (Though they can beย too moist for mushrooms.)
Theย door of your fridgeย is one of theย warmestย places, soย itโs best to store the least perishable foods there like condiments, pickles, and jams.
Donโt store all your produce in the same drawer
We rarely think strategically about where we put our fresh produce in relation to each otherโthe fruits and veggies go in the crisper and thatโs that. This is a common mistake, though.
Theย release of ethylene gasย is what causes a fruit or vegetable to ripen. If certain fruits produce more than others, they can accelerate the ripening process,ย causing the food to go bad sooner. For this reason, youโll want to store items like apples, cabbage, mushrooms, and mangoes away from each other.ย Insiderย offers a handyย list of produce that should and shouldnโt be stored together.
Buy fridge containers to increase visibility and function
Everything in your fridge needs a designated space, and buying baskets and bins will help you categorize your items and give more space. If you love to keep cans of beer, seltzer, or soda, invest in aย can holder. This container allows you to stack cans storing more while taking up less shelf space. Each type of item should have its own compartment.
If you are new to organizing and donโt know where to start, get yourself aย starter kit.ย A container kit is a road map to establishing an organized food storage system in your household. These kits come with stackable containers for your deli meats and your eggs, baskets for your bread, smaller containers for your fruits inside your fridge drawers, and more.
Kits can be pretty pricey, anywhere fromย $163 to $243, but itโs worth it to save $103 worth of spoiled produce. If youโre on a tight budget,ย cheap containersย from your bargain or dollar store can do the trick, it might just call for some creative stacking. In the end, youโll get to enjoy your food rather than discovering rotten groceries hidden in the back behind the milk.
