Food keeps fresher for longer when stored correctly in your fridge. Here’s a guide to what goes where in the fridge, and the results may surprise you. These fridge organising tips prove that if you’ve been storing the milk in the fridge door, you’ve been doing it all wrong.
The first thing you might wish to ask yourself: Is it time to clean your fridge? Our fridge-cleaning tips make the process a breeze. Once you’re done, let’s get your food and condiments back in their proper place.
Top shelf
Store foods that don’t need to be cooked or have a short shelf life on the top section of your fridge. This includes ready-to-eat foods such as deli meats, dips and leftovers. It makes them easy to remember and locate.
Eat me
Simplyss.com recommends keeping a clear box or container on the top shelf of your fridge labelled ‘Eat me first!’, making it easier to store and identify foods close to their use-by so there’s less risk of wastage.
Middle shelf
Contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t keep your milk in the fridge door. Dairy should be grouped together on the middle shelves.
The door
The door is the warmest part of the fridge. Foods prone to growing bacteria should never be stored there. Instead, store foods that have a high sugar content or contain preservatives there. This included sauces, condiments, jam and juice.
Use an egg carton to store condiments
Use a portion of an egg carton in a shelf door in your fridge to hold condiments and sauces that should be held upside down for easy access. Simply rest them nose down in the grooves of the egg carton to avoid mess and the hassle of having to shake bottles.
Lazy Susan
Believe it or not but you can get lazy Susans for your fridge. We’re all familiar with the experience of pulling a well and truly expired jar of what may have been chutney out from the back of the fridge and not remembering when it was hidden away there. A lazy Susan allows you to easily see all the foods you have, avoiding wastage and saving money.
Use organisers
File organisers aren’t only useful for sorting documents. Using clear file organisers to sort and store foods in the fridge is a cheap way to group similar foods and take advantage of the higher shelves.
Bottom shelf
Use the bottom shelf of your fridge to store raw meat and fish. Keeping them organised and wrapped in cling wrap or foil will help to prevent the leakage of blood or moisture, which could contaminate other foods.
The crisper
Use the crisper – usually the lowest drawer of your fridge – to store fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s normal for moisture, loose leaves or peels to come off over time. To make cleaning out your fridge easy, line the bottom of your fruit and vegetable drawer with paper towel and replace it every two weeks. This box will often be humidity controlled. Learning how the humidity controls in your fridge work can help you to keep food fresher for longer.
Use drawer dividers
Adjustable drawer dividers, usually used for clothing drawers, can be used to separate sections in the crisper section of your fridge. This can make it easy to divide certain types of fruits and vegetables. It’s best to group fruits together and keep greens such as spinach or lettuce in another section.
Were you aware of these fridge organising tips? Do you have any other tips? Why not share them in the comments section below?
Read also: Eight foods you’ll be surprised shouldn’t go in the fridge
