An overcrowded and disorganized refrigerator is nothing but trouble and a higher risk of wasting food. We suggest what to do to make your fridge more organized.
1. an empty fridge is bad - an overfilled one even worse
The problem of food waste is a widespread phenomenon - we waste tons of food every year. An overcrowded refrigerator often inflates these indicators. Products covered with a layer of new ones just brought from the store languish in corners, making us forget about them completely. When we find some delicious yogurt weeks later, it is most often no longer fit for consumption.
And if yourrefrigerator is almost empty, you might consider stocking it with a couple of bottles of water, which, when cooled, helps the device maintain a low temperature.
Taking all products out of the fridge is a good first step
© Gareth Hubbard
2 A tidy inventory
The first step to making a tidy fridge is to pull all the products out of it, checking their expiration dates. Then, of course, we need to clean each shelf very thoroughly, preferably taking out all the compartments and washing them thoroughly under water. A little dishwashing liquid is enough. To get rid of the unpleasant smell, just sprinkle baking soda on a plate and leave it inside the refrigerator overnight.
Fruits and vegetables can affect each other adversely
© Brooke Cagle
3. different shelves different temperatures
The refrigerator has warmer and colder areas. We should take this into account when we sort food when we return from shopping. Let's see what is best to store in different parts of the refrigerator:
Door
Many people may be surprised by this information, but keeping milk in the refrigerator door is not the best idea. This is the warmest part of the refrigerator. Here we can put jams or, for example, mayonnaise, which is rich in vinegar, which prolongs its freshness. Items prone to spoilage, such as eggs and milk, are best stored on the middle shelf, not on the door.
Top shelf
This is also one of the warmer places. Avoid keeping fresh meat here. We can use this space for leftover lunches, take-out dishes - simply products we need to eat first.
Middle shelf
This part of the refrigerator is best for storing dairy products.
Lower shelf
On the bottom shelf it is worth placing meat or fish. Not only is this the coolest place in the refrigerator, so there is less risk of spoilage, but we also don't have to worry about accidental leakage of liquids onto the rest of the food, which causes odor or contamination. If we want to keep things clean, we can place a tray here to hold the products. Such a solution even better protects against dirt.
Drawers
In almost every refrigerator there is a drawer for vegetables and fruits at the bottom, sometimes it is even compartmentalized. The first reason why these products should not be mixed together is the ethylene given off by fruit, which can cause vegetables to spoil prematurely. The vegetable drawer should be calibrated for high-humidity produce (green vegetables wilt more slowly when there is moisture), and the fruit drawer inversely set for low humidity (fruit rots more slowly in low humidity). The exception to this rule is strawberries. Like vegetables, they like moisture (though not too much, so don't wash them before storing) and can't tolerate ethylene.
Storage containers will help organize your refrigerator
© Elloproducts
Good organization - the key to success
As we have written before - good organization and use of containers makes it very easy to function at home. The same applies to our refrigerators. It's a good idea to see which products interact unfavorably and separate them from each other, for example, citrus doesn't mix well with ethylene-producing fruits. It is a good idea to invest in some transparent containers. These are very helpful for segregation. We can sign each one with the expiration date or the type of products stored.
It is also an interesting idea to line the shelves and drawers of the refrigerator with paper towels or kitchen cloths. Thanks to this procedure, we will not have to deep clean the refrigerator often.
