Easy, actionable ideas to organize your refrigerator that will make your produce last longer, taste better and give your fridge a makeover!
I don’t know about you but I simply LOVE photos of well-organized refrigerators.
Every time I see them on Pinterest or on a makeover show, I simply cannot get over the colors, the use of space and plain clever beauty of some fridges and get full of energy and motivation to get my own refrigerator is some form of presentable shape.
It is a working process, by nature keeping a fridge tidy is never a job that is ‘done’, however, over the course of the years I have mastered some tricks that make out fridge look better while keeping our produce safe and easy to access.
Here are some important safety rules and hacks for a perfectly organized fridge.
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How to organize your fridge: why location matters
When you are looking at organizing your fridge you mainly need to keep in mind one rule: different parts of the refrigerator have different temperatures.
This is true for multi-piece appliances with both a fridge and a freezer but it is also true for simple fridges, even small ones.
The top shelf of your refrigerator and its door are its warmest parts. These areas are the most exposed to the opening/closing action of the door and should host the least perishable foods.
The central shelves of the fridge are those with the steadier temperature.
The fruit and vegetable drawers are designed to have different levels of moisture so they are not interchangeable! If you keep your veggies in the veggie drawer and fruit in the fruit drawer, instead of mixing as matching (I know, we did that too!), you should see a nice improvement in the lifespan of your grocery shop.
Fridge organization 101: where to put what
Fridge door – condiments and sodas do well in this area. They are not overly perishable and are therefore suitable to this warmer area of the fridge.
Upper shelf – choose it for foods that will be eaten raw or will not need cooking such as leftover. A position on the top shelf ensures nothing can spill on them, minimizing the risk of contamination.
Middle shelves – milk, eggs, dairy products, fresh juices. This is one of the areas of the fridge with the most consistent temperature and is good for animal products such as cheese, butter and yogurt.
Lower shelf – usually the coldest part of the fridge, this is the perfect place to store meat and fish. To help preservation and avoid potentially dangerous spillages (and unpleasant smells) it is preferable to keep your meat and fish wrapped/covered and places on a dish or tray to collect possible spilling juices.
Fridge drawers – not all fridges have two drawers but those that usually specify which is for veggies and which for fruit. As mentioned above, this is because vegetable and fruit have different moisture need and good refrigerators are able to cater for both. Drawers are also a good place to store herbs.
Fridge storage solutions
If you follow us you may know already that we love boxes and baskets to help organize the home and this applies to refrigerator store too!
Clever containers are excellent to preserve food and they are an eye-pleasing way to get all organized and easy to reach. Always opt for see-through containers so you don’t forget what you have!
Some we love are:
- Fridge Proof Glass containers – ideally, opt for those that can go fridge-to-oven (super handy!)
- Sealed lid containers (different sizes)
- Screw top containers (we love these for onions and chopped vegetables in general)
- Dishwasher safe trays for meat and fish
We are confident these tips will help you make your fridge look amazing. Happy homemaking!
