Use the FIFO Method to Better Organize Your Pantry and Refrigerator.
Constantly finding expired food in the backs of cabinets and corners of the refrigerator is a sign that you have an inefficient kitchen. Fortunately, this is easy to fix. Ditch your old food storage methods—it’s time to rethink your kitchen organization. And there is no better system than FIFO.
What is FIFO food storage method?
FIFO stands for First In, First Out, and that’s exactly what it sounds like. In fact, you probably remember your mom yelling at you for not finishing the first box of cereal before starting a new one. This ensures that old items are used before new ones. To keep this trend going, old items should be the first thing you see when you open your refrigerator or pantry. That’s why grocery stores put the oldest items at the front of the shelf, while in professional kitchens everything is expired and stored with the label facing out.
How to store using the FIFO principle?
For some home cooks, FIFO is synonymous with labeling everything in your refrigerator . While it’s a great system for keeping track of leftovers and reducing food waste , it offers much more than just refrigerator management.
Your entire kitchen can and should be organized according to the main FIFO principle: “If you don’t see it, you won’t use it.” Keep this in mind when reorganizing, and your kitchen will be easier to use, no matter how cramped or inefficient it may be. And since FIFO is all about using what you have, you can do it without buying a single thing.
The specifics of a FIFO conversion will be different for every kitchen, but the end goal is universal: arrange things in the kitchen so that you can see as much of it as possible. There are four main ways to do this, starting with your container situation.
Optimize your pantry
Pantry clutter is the enemy of the FIFO system, so unfortunately this is where you should start. You might think the solution is to spend a ton of money on identical glass jars – what’s easier to see than glass? – but this is not necessary. Organizing your pantry so that everything (or almost everything) is always visible is easier with containers of the same shape and different sizes.
A chaotic jumble of mismatched Tupperware won’t do either. Sort through your food containers, save identical sets and throw out disposable ones. Then fill in the blanks, starting with what you already have. Repurposed food packaging is great for pantry storage, especially if you’re loyal to a certain brand and have a ton of the same containers. (I have a lot of glass jars in my pantry that once held Adam’s peanut butter and Bonnet Maman jam.) If you need to buy new ones, soup containers are ideal for small-volume storage since they come in a variety of sizes, but have universal covers.
If you’re buying bulk foods, skip the overpriced “bulk storage” containers on Amazon and head straight to the hardware or restaurant store. I buy flour 50 pounds at a time and nothing beats a five gallon plastic bucket with a screw top . They cost less than $20 at the hardware store and last forever. However, buckets take up a lot of space and cannot be stacked. If you’re short on space, look for Cambro containers at restaurant stores . They are smaller and more expensive than plastic buckets, but come in both square and round shapes and can be stacked securely.
Label everything
Labeling perishables is a feature of any FIFO system, and for good reason. Clear labels tell you at a glance what’s inside the container and how old it is; Without them, FIFO would not exist.
If you’re already in the habit of labeling the contents of your refrigerator and freezer, great, but don’t stop there. Most items in your kitchen can and should be labeled. The obvious use case is bulk pantry items in opaque containers, but labeling DIY cleaning products, fermentation projects on countertops and even pantry shelves will make your kitchen easier to use. No more losing track of your starters or wondering which shelf to put your coconut milk on; you can look at the label and continue working. Just make sure these labels are facing outwards. Find a label maker if you prefer, but masking tape and a Sharpie will work too.
Consolidate, consolidate, consolidate
Shortcuts are great, but they can’t help you if you can’t see them. This is especially true in the refrigerator: if last night’s food gets buried in a graveyard of half-empty soup containers, it’ll expire before you even remember it’s there.
Consolidation is the second secret step after food labeling. It’s simple: just transfer the contents of large containers into smaller ones as you use them. (Universal lids are especially convenient here because you can downsize without having to buy a new lid.) Ruthlessly consolidating leftovers and pantries frees up precious storage space so you can actually see what you’re working with. It also makes it easy to know when you really need to open a new package, as well as when certain items are running low.
Bonus Round: Take inventory.
The last head of FIFO conducts an inventory . To be honest, I don’t take inventory of my kitchen and don’t plan to, but I do cook for myself and one other adult. If you’re feeding a large family, keeping a detailed inventory can make your life easier.
Taking inventory is keeping track of what you have so you know what to buy and when to buy it. If you’ve never done this before, start small. Choose one kitchen area—pantry, refrigerator, or freezer—and write down the name of each item, quantity, and expiration date. (Spreadsheets, paper lists, dry erase boards, and even the notes app on your phone have their pros and cons, so use what feels natural.) Update the list as you use up something. When you sit down to make your shopping list, check your inventory to see what you really need and what can wait. There is no perfect system, so experiment until you find what works.
If this all sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is. Running a kitchen is a huge job; doing this on top of your regular work quickly gets boring, even if you love to cook. Installing a FIFO will not eliminate the tireless chore of daily cooking and cleaning, but it will make the kitchen easier to use.