How to Clean up the Refrigerator Without a Million Plastic Containers
My fridge can’t hold the organizational hopes and dreams that I have as a home cook and Better Than Bouillon hoarder. But the winter is long (and I had a lot of pickles), so I began to order containers, containers and more containers, as close as possible to the characteristics of my refrigerator. There were mustard and eggs, many cans, various wrapped proteins and, finally, cheese. I obediently put everything in the bins and back in the fridge, and then stepped back in awe at how organized and clean it looked until I turned around and saw things still on the counter that didn’t fit.
I realized that my fridge didn’t look perfect because I live in a house with regular sized appliances, shop weekly, and don’t have the fridge that the rich and famous have. Baskets minimize active space rather than maximize it. My refrigerator is 21 inches deep. However, there are no 21-inch containers. By default, I was losing space from the start. In addition, pre-cutting and peeling fruits and vegetables to make them look presentable and then placing them in neat containers was also ineffective. When giving away a whole container of blueberries or celery, I always ended up with extra space that I didn’t use, or extra food that didn’t fit.
How to Organize Your Refrigerator Efficiently with Plastic Containers
What really worked was that I ditched the cheese drawer for a deeper drawer and left the drawer for all my proteins for a week. The giant rocking stack of styrofoam and wax paper was gone, I was able to quickly get what I needed without losing any space because I could put them in the trash can. Not for nothing, but it also meant that any leak was contained away from the rest of the refrigerator.
Stacked lazy Susan has been a game changer for my Better Than Bouillon collection and my endless pickles. Lazy Susan doesn’t seem to take up much space, and because it pivots in place, it was easier for me to reach all of my cans. If you put Lazy Susan at the front of the fridge, you will lose active space behind her, so I put her at the back. By removing the eggs in front of them, I have easy access to Lazy Susan and rotate her the way I want: it’s still the best solution.
Long, narrow baskets that run from front to back and pull out were great for this top shelf with random items in every fridge. It was only a shallow container, but I could slide the whole thing out to get to what I needed and then slide it back.
Prettier is no more organized
At some point, I realized that I was carefully placing my eggs in a plastic basket that takes up twice as much space as an egg carton. I looked around and came to a startling truth: Companies are really good at designing packaging that saves space, is easy to identify and protects products. A plastic bucket is unlikely to beat him.
Soda cans already come in a box designed for efficient dispensing. Blueberries come in a breathable blueberry sized container. And both of these things can be stacked: the space most often lost in your fridge is upright, so getting things in a stackable format is key, but it doesn’t have to be the same to be effective. Use different containers that food comes in and empty containers when food cannot be stacked.