Do you have the habit of being a bit sloppy when you fill the fridge after you get home from the grocery store, stuffing in just about anything you can tuck in? Organizing your fridge shelves will help you remember what foods and drinks are still there and what's missing. Food will also last a long time if you store it in the right places, so you don't have to throw away stale food as often. You'll save money and time finding the right place for meat, vegetables and fruit, dairy products and sauces, by using clever ideas to keep your food organized and fresh.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Organizing Shelves
Step 1. Put the fruit in a rack with low humidity
Fruit is best stored when it is not too exposed to moisture. Most refrigerators have special shelves that have a lower humidity than other shelves and drawers. Sometimes it is labeled “low humidity”, and sometimes it is labeled crisper. This is the place where fruit should be stored, from apples to bananas to grapes.
- However, if you want to eat fruit immediately, you need to store it on the top shelf. For example, fresh berries will spoil faster than apples, so you shouldn't store them in the fridge. crispers'. Keep cardboard boxes filled with food in the middle or top shelf, where you will see them and easily reach them before they start to shrink.
- Vegetables and fruit stored in the crisper need to be placed in loose or open plastic bags. Do not put fruit in a tightly closed plastic bag, as this can cause most types of fruit to rot more quickly.
- Vegetables and fruit stored in the crisper should be placed in a loose or open plastic bag. Do not put fruit in a tightly closed plastic bag, as this can cause most types of fruit to rot more quickly.
Step 2. Store vegetables in a drawer with high humidity
Some vegetables benefit from extra moisture. – that's why you can see water splashes on the vegetables and fruit section of the grocery store. Most refrigerators have a drawer labeled “high humidity y”, usually right next to the low humidity drawer. Store all vegetables either in loose or open plastic to keep them fresh.
- However, if you store salads or cut vegetables, they will rot faster than whole vegetables. Therefore, you should store it on the middle or top shelf so that you can easily see it and use it immediately.
- To make vegetables last longer, do not wash them before storing. Wet vegetables increase the chances of bacteria growing so they start to rot. Humidity is a good factor, but you shouldn't let your vegetables get wet. If A needs to wash them, dry all the vegetables before storing.
Step 3. Store the meat in the coldest part of the refrigerator
Whether it's when you need to store chicken breast, steak, sausage, or turkey, it should be stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Often these foods are stored at the back of the bottom shelf, although some refrigerators have a special drawer for meat. If you store meat on the top shelf, it will likely spoil faster.
- Make sure meat is kept separate from all other foodstuffs in the refrigerator. Meat should be wrapped in plastic and stored in the lowest possible position, so that any liquid that comes out will not drip and contaminate other food.
- Clean the area where you store meat more often than the rest of the refrigerator.
Step 4. Also store milk and eggs on the coldest shelf
Many people keep milk and eggs in the refrigerator door for easy access. However, the refrigerator door is the warmest part, so storing it there will make the freshness of the eggs disappear faster.
- It's better to keep the eggs in the box than to transfer them to the egg container inside the refrigerator door, unless you're going to use the eggs right away.
- Cream, buttermilk (thicker than liquid milk, slightly sour taste), yogurt, and similar products should also be stored on a cool shelf.
Step 5. Store cured meats and cheeses in the short meat drawer
If you have cured meats, cream cheese, and any type of cheese, store them in the short meat drawer, which is usually removed by sliding off the middle or top shelf. This drawer is also a good place to store bacon (cured pork), sausages, and other processed meats. This drawer is slightly cooler than the rest of the fridge, though not as cold as the back of the bottom shelf. Clean these drawers regularly like cleaning the meat storage section.
Step 6. Store sauces and drinks in the refrigerator door
Sauces usually contain a lot of salt, vinegar, and other preservatives that can keep them from going stale, so it's okay to store them in the warmest part of the refrigerator, the door. Drinks also tend to last longer than food. Determine the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to store larger, heavier items such as orange juice, beer, or soda. Keep sweet sauces like jams, jellies, and syrups on another shelf and savory sauces like mustard and soy sauce on the last shelf.
- Even though butter is a dairy product, it's okay to store it in the butter storage section of the refrigerator door. Butter does not need to be kept cold like milk.
- If you're a sauce lover, it's easy to mix it with expired foods. Check the section regularly and remove anything that is expired or low on use.
Step 7. Store leftovers and ready-to-eat foods on the top and middle shelves
Cooked food is either stored on the top or middle shelf. Use the top and middle shelves to store foods that don't need to be kept especially cold: cooked baby food, pizza, dipping sauces and regular sauces, tortillas, and so on.
The top or middle shelf can be a great place to store a jug of water, medications that need to be kept cold, and other things that need to be cool, but don't break easily
Part 2 of 3: Keeping the Refrigerator Clean
Step 1. Try using a refrigerator basket
Using baskets to organize food is a great way to keep everything separate and within easy reach. You can buy baskets to keep on the shelves and assign each basket to each different type of food. Label the basket so you know what's inside. For example, if you buy a lot of cheese, you can provide a separate basket for just the cheese
Baskets that are the right size to be placed on the refrigerator door shelf are also available. Using a basket is a helpful way to keep the sauce from splattering. When something spills, you can take the basket out and clean it
Step 2. Use lazy Susan
This trick is very useful, so it is surprising that the refrigerator does not come with a lazy Susan. Place the lazy Susan (a plastic rack that rotates) on the middle or top shelf of the refrigerator. Put things that are prone to being forgotten like leftovers on lazy Susan. This reduces the frequent occurrence of when you find leftovers that have been stored in the back of the refrigerator for months.
It's also a good way to make sure you're using salad ingredients, chopped vegetables, fruit, and other things that tend to go bad faster. Consider using lazy Susan to store food you want to use immediately
Step 3. Consider lining the shelves for easy cleaning
Using shelf mats can protect food from being contaminated and easier to clean. For example, if you need to store meat on a shelf above the vegetable and fruit drawer, then a plastic mat under the meat will prevent the liquid from dripping onto the vegetables and fruit. Remove the shelf base and replace it with a clean one once or twice a week.
Step 4. Clean the refrigerator frequently
Don't allow expired food or moldy leftovers to clog up the refrigerator. In the end, you'll just be tucking fresh food in where it's still empty, forgetting what you still have. Every week, check your refrigerator and get rid of anything you don't use.
Step 5. Do not store perishable foods and drinks in the refrigerator
Use the refrigerator to cool perishable foods and store food and drinks such as bottled water, canned soda, extra sauces and perishable foods and drinks in the kitchen. This will create more space for foods that really require cold temperatures. Transfer perishable foods and drinks to the refrigerator when you need them.
Part 3 of 3: Setting Up the Freezer
Step 1. Label any food before storing it
If you're one of those people who likes to make large casseroles or soups to freeze in portions for later, make sure you label different foods with names and dates. That way, your food won't be stuck in anonymous bags and freezer burn because you don't remember storing it months ago. Keeping the freezer organized with foods that are labeled will really help you to use up all the food stored there.
Step 2. Put the foods that have been stored the longest in the back
Make sure you know how long they've been in the freezer, then put the longest-kept foods in the back or bottom of the freezer. Foods that need to be used up more quickly should be kept at the front, so you can see them and use them.
- For example, frozen vegetables, fruit, meat, etc. may be stored for months or longer, so they should be stored in the back of other foods. This will prevent the food from heating up every time you open the freezer.
- Ice cream, popsicles, ice cube molds, and other foods that are consumed immediately should be stored near the front of the freezer.
Step 3. Use proper storage methods to prevent freezer burn
Frozen foods are less likely to go bad, but freezer burn can still spoil the taste and texture, making them inedible. In addition to setting the freezer so that the foods that have been stored the longest in the back, you should also use proper storage methods in the freezer to protect food from being exposed to air and moisture. Use freezer bags or airtight containers to store all food. Use double bags for foods that need to be kept in the freezer for more than a few weeks.
Storing food in fragile plastic bags can't prevent freezer burn. Use a thick bag specifically for freezers
Tips
- Include related foods: meat, dairy products, fruit, and vegetables.
- Remember, most refrigerator shelves can be adjusted and moved. You can move or move the shelves if you need a different arrangement.
- Arrange food in the neatest way; Put the most frequently eaten foods in the front and the least eaten foods at the back.
