Organize Your Refrigerator Like You Are a Damn Adult
We organize storage areas such as wardrobes, drawers and garages, but the refrigerator is usually ignored. Of all the spaces that need to be kept tidy, however, only the refrigerator is time sensitive.
According to Waste 360, the average American household throws away about 103 pounds of food each year, and three out of four Americans attribute their food waste to disorganization – for example, “they forget it’s [food] in their refrigerator or it gets lost among them.” mess “. To slow down the rate at which we throw away food, our refrigerators need to be positioned above average storage rates, so here’s how to maximize the volume of your refrigerator to improve its functionality and prevent excess food waste.
Know where to put certain foods to extend their shelf life.
Different areas of the refrigerator are dedicated to storing certain foods. It’s meant for fruits and vegetables, but most refrigerators don’t tell you where to put meat or store milk. Where you put your food can be the difference between a week’s produce and a day’s value.
Each shelf has a purpose
The shelves are at different distances from the cooling mechanism in the refrigerator. For this reason, storing certain items on the bottom, top or middle shelf will save food in different ways. The Hub information experts have provided guidance on shelf-designated storage.
Store snacks, leftovers, and other foods that are quickly consumed (which can also go bad quickly) on the top shelf. The middle shelves are for dairy products, cheeses, cold meats and leftovers. The middle section is usually on the cooler end, so store milk and eggs here for longer. If your milk doesn’t fit in the middle, you can easily rearrange the shelves to suit your needs. contain bacteria, they must be stored separately to avoid cross contamination – keep these items on the last shelf. The bottom shelf is ideal for raw meat and fish and should be packed or stored in airtight containers. The boxes are for your fruits and vegetables. (They might be too wet for mushrooms, though.)
The refrigerator door is one of the warmest places, so it is best to store the least perishable foods there, such as condiments, pickles and jams.
Do not store all products in one drawer
We rarely think strategically about where we put our fresh produce in relation to each other – fruits and vegetables are put into fresher produce, and that’s it. However, this is a common mistake.
The release of ethylene gas is what causes the ripening of fruits or vegetables. If some fruits produce more than others, they can speed up the ripening process, causing food to spoil earlier. For this reason, you need to keep items such as apples, cabbage, mushrooms, and mangoes away from each other. Insider offers a handy list of foods that should and shouldn’t be kept together.
Buy reefer containers to improve visibility and functionality
Everything in your refrigerator needs dedicated space, and buying baskets and baskets can help you categorize items and free up more space. If you like storing beer, seltzer, or soda cans, get a can holder. This container allows cans to be stacked with each other, while taking up less shelf space. Each type of thing should have its own compartment.
If you’re new to an organization and don’t know where to start, buy yourself a starter kit . A set of containers is a roadmap for creating an organized food storage system in your home. These sets include stackable deli and egg bins, bread baskets, small fruit bins inside refrigerator drawers, and more.
Kits can be quite expensive, ranging from $ 163 to $ 243 , but well worth it to save $ 103 on spoiled products. If you’re on a tight budget, cheap containers from your low-cost or dollar store might help, it might just require some creative styling. In the end, you will enjoy eating rather than discovering rotten foods hidden behind milk.