How to Properly Organize Food in Your Fridge – Our Guide
Did you know that organizing your fridge properly saves you on other fridge related-costs? For instance, if you want to save on the electricity cost of running your standard fridge or mini-fridge, you want to make sure the food items are stored properly and efficiently preserved. This is done by simply putting where things should go. But where do these things go exactly?
This article details the parts of a fridge and guides you through the proper organization of the food you store inside. It also gives you the chance to improve your daily living cost by showing you how to use your fridge as you were meant to. You’ll no longer have to worry about throwing out misplaced food and inefficient energy consumption. You may even finally correctly answer the question: “how much does a fridge cost to run?”
What are the Parts of your Home Fridge?
Before you start going into fridge reorganization mode, you need to first identify the different parts of your fridge. Of course, not all fridges are built the same way. They may have the basics like a freezer and shelves, but there are models with vastly different parts like a mini-fridge or a fridge freezer without a water dispenser.
Make sure you know which part is which before putting the food where it should go. For example, standard fridges often have all the parts listed below, while more specialized fridges like mini-fridges, may have some parts missing. When in doubt, look through your fridge’s product manual or do some research online.
Where to Store Food in the Fridge?
After determining the basic parts of your fridge, it’s finally time to get to organizing it. Ideally, you want to start with mostly a fresh stock of groceries or food items to avoid having to clean up any melting or defrosted food items. Think of it like starting with a clean slate. Take note of the following parts of the fridge and place them exactly where they need to go:
- The Fridge Doors: This pertains to the little shelves on the back of opened fridge doors. Usually, you can find the egg tray or ice dispenser in this section. This is also the most accessible and warmest part of the fridge, so most of the ready-to-drink items and condiments are stored here.
- The Fridge Shelves: These are the main parts of your fridge that are usually visible when you open the door. There are usually three or four shelves depending on the size of your fridge. These shelves are usually classified as the upper, middle, and lower shelves. Refer to the list below to know the systematic way to utilize them.
- Upper Shelf: This shelf holds all the priority food items that you need to consume. The point here is to keep the food at eye-level so that you can easily grab and go things like leftovers, beverages, and midnight snacks. Keep that in mind so that you can avoid food spillage inside.
- Middle Shelf: This shelf has the most consistent freezing temperature as it is the central part of the machine. You can keep perishables here but only those that have a low risk of easily spoiling. For instance, you can put eggs or deli meats on the middle shelf. You can also put some dairy products here like most cheeses and yogurt.
- Lower Shelf: This shelf is where most of the frozen foods or foods that need to be kept really cold go. This pertains to most dairy products and meats. This is also to avoid meat strains or drips of blood from spoiling the other food located on the higher shelves.
- The Fridge Drawers or Crisper: These are either located on top or at the very bottom, but the key here is they are usually labeled. Therefore, it’s easier to remember what needs to be stored in the drawers. Usually, this is where the foods that can easily be spoiled, especially if not kept in low-humidity, go. This pertains to your vegetables and fruits.
Conclusion
Properly organizing your refrigerator definitely helps you budget on your food and electricity consumption. The savings here are big, so make sure that you and your family use your fridge properly by following this guide!
Want to learn more about your fridge? We have all your fridge and mini-fridge information and guides. Learn how to use your fridge properly by checking out our other articles.