The holiday season is upon us. Guests and family members will be dropping by for treats and good cheer, and your fridge will be abundantly stocked with provisions for baking, cooking and boozing.
It’s virtually inevitable that some of these people will be opening your refrigerator, especially if you chill the beer there. A fridge is much like a closet for food and beverages; it’s embarrassing when others go through it and it’s disorganized. Not only will they have trouble finding things, but they’ll probably just add to the chaos as they sift through your food.
Let’s get your refrigerator ready for the holiday season with six hacks for cleaning and organizing your fridge.
The Anatomy of the Fridge
Refrigerators have advanced to offer more compartments and space than ever. It’s also important to note that they have different temperature zones. Essentially, some spots are colder than others.
For example, you don’t want to put milk in the door of the fridge because it’s warmer than the lower shelves, which could make it go bad faster. No bueno. Also, you want to put your meat, poultry, and seafood on the bottom shelf because it’s the coldest. Plus, you can prevent any meat juices from spilling onto your food, which you’ll then have to throw away. Again, no bueno.
It’s important to have a food stocking game plan especially if plan on updating your fridge. Fortunately, the latest refrigerator such as this French Door by LG, have provided customizable shelving to help your effectively use the space.
Here is the ultimate guide to storing your food:
The Hacks
Lazy Susan
That’s right, put a lazy Susan in your fridge. This is perfect if you have a lot of condiments. I’m obsessed with hot sauce, and it’s scattered along my fridge door. But putting it on a lazy Susan on the top shelf would make choosing the best spicy sauce much easier. Just spin and select, kind of like Wheel of Fortune.
So, who are you calling lazy? It’s brilliant. It should be renamed smart Susan.
Condiments upside down
This is another great hack, to place your condiments upside down on top of an egg carton. I get annoyed that a bunch of water squirts out of my ketchup and mustard bottle. But this trick can let your condiments feel like it’s a new pack every time.
Store groceries properly
It’s easy to just dump your lettuce in the fridge by the bunch, but a little prep can go a long way. For your romaine lettuce, wash it, put it into a salad spinner, and place it in a Ziploc bag. Make sure to wrap it in paper towel so that it absorbs any dabbles of water. This will help keep your lettuce crisp and make it last longer. Plus, it’ll be stacked nicely in your fridge.
Love herbs? I do. But they dry up so quickly in my refrigerator and then I get sad because I can’t enjoy basil for the rest of the week. That’s why I’m excited about using the Prepara Herb Savour. It has a refillable water well to ensure refrigerated herbs stay hydrated, with a cover to keep them fresh for a long time.
Now there won’t be any more limp vegetables in your fridge; they’ll stay healthy until consumed. Make sure to eat your veggies!
Magazine Holders
Use magazine holders to organize your freezer. These dividers are fantastic; I use it in my cabinets to hold my saran wrap, aluminum foil, parchment paper, etc. It keeps it nicely organize. For the freezer it can help keep all the popsicles and ice cream stored in one area. Or place your frozen vegetables, poultry, etc.
How do you keep your fridge organized? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
