How To Organize Your Fridge
Do you find yourself spending too much time rummaging through your fridge looking for what you need? Learning how to organize your fridge can make a drastic difference, helping you save money, and time, while making your life easier. In this blog, we will discuss how to organize your fridge, and explain how an organized fridge can help save you time.
Top benefits of organizing your fridge
An organized fridge saves you time
When when wondering how to organize your fridge, one of the most important things is to ensure that everything has a designated place. Group similar items together and use clear containers and labels to keep everything organized. This will make it easier to find what you need when you need it, reducing the time you spend searching for specific items.
An organized fridge prevents food from spoiling
An organized fridge can also help you reduce food waste. When everything is properly labeled and stored, you will know exactly what you have and how long it has been in your fridge. This can help you use up items before they spoil, reducing the amount of food that ends up in the trash. By reducing food waste, you will not only save money but also time by not having to go to the grocery store as often.
An organized fridge makes it easy to eat healthy
An organized fridge can make it easier to eat healthy by providing quick and easy access to nutritious foods. When your fridge is organized, you can easily see what healthy options you have available, making it more likely that you will choose them. For example, if you have a designated shelf for fruits and vegetables, you will be more likely to grab an apple or carrot stick for a snack, rather than reaching for a less healthy option. Additionally, when you have everything organized, meal planning becomes easier, allowing you to plan and prepare healthy meals ahead of time. Overall, an organized fridge can help support healthy eating habits by making healthy options more accessible and easier to choose from.
Fridge organization tips
While organizing your entire fridge may seem daunting at first, it’s actually easier than you think! Here are some fridge organization tips to help you get started:
Start With A Clean Slate
Before you start organizing your fridge, it’s important to give it a good cleaning. Remove all the food and shelving and wipe down the interior with a mixture of warm water and dish soap. Rinse with clean water and dry the interior thoroughly before putting everything back in. This will make the process of organizing your fridge smooth and simple, by not having to work around the items in your fridge.
Read our post about 12 kitchen hacks for organization, cleaning, and storage.
Group Similar Items Together
Another good thing to know when learning how to organize your fridge is to group similar items together. This can help you find what you need more easily and reduce the time you spend searching for specific items. For example, you might group all of your dairy products together on one shelf, all the meats on another shelf, and all of your fruits and vegetables in a designated drawer. Use baskets or clear containers to keep everything organized and easy to find.
Label Everything
Labeling all of the foods in your fridge with a name and date is a great way to keep a loose inventory of everything in your fridge, and when it was put in there. Masking tape, labels, or dry-erase markers are the best ways to label foods in your fridge. Labeling the food in your fridge will help you reduce food waste by ensuring food is consumed before it spoils.
First In, First Out (FIFO)
First in, first out, or FIFO, is one of the fridge organization tips used in every restaurant or commercial kitchen. It means that the first thing that goes into the fridge, should be the first thing used. For example, if you bought lettuce on Monday, but your spouse also bought lettuce on Wednesday, the lettuce purchased on Monday should be used first so that it has less of a chance of spoiling before you use it.
How to organize your fridge
Fridge door organization
Having a good fridge door organization can help you get the most out of your available fridge space. Fridge doors are great for condiments and sauces that can withstand more temperature fluctuation because they will be exposed to more frequent temperature changes when the door is opened or closed.
Fridge drawer organization
Fridge drawer organization will largely come down to your personal preferences and lifestyle, but either way, drawers are your friend when it comes to organization.
Crisper drawers
Crisper drawers are designed to keep fruits and vegetables fresh for a longer time. Crisper drawers are great for fridge produce organization because they provide a dedicated place to keep greens, fruits, and vegetables. They also provide an ideal environment for fresh herbs.
Read our guide on how to keep produce fresh.
Other drawers
Utilizing the other drawers in your fridge are great when first learning how to organize your fridge. A dedicated drawer for cheeses, drinks, or meat can help to reduce the clutter in your refrigerator and keep it tidy and organized.
Fridge shelf organization
When it comes to fridge shelf organization, the general rule of thumb is to have ready-to-eat items at the top, and food with the longest cooking time at the bottom.
Top Shelves
Top shelves are best used for ready-to-eat foods like produce, leftovers, and other cooked foods. Keeping these items on the top shelf helps to avoid cross-contamination and foodborne illness.
Bottom Shelves
The bottom shelves in your fridge is best for meat. A general rule to follow is to have foods like chicken with the highest cooking temperature (165 degrees F) at the bottom, with foods with lower cooking temperatures like beef (145 degrees F) toward the top.
Fridge Produce Organization
Properly organizing the produce in your fridge can help keep it fresh for a longer time and reduce food waste. To do this, designate a specific area in your fridge for fruits and vegetables and keep them separate from the rest of your items. Crisper drawers are an ideal place to store produce, as they provide a controlled environment with adjustable humidity levels
Keep Your Fridge Clean And Organized With Meal Kit Delivery
Meal delivery services are a great way to keep your refrigerator organized. With a meal kit like Gobble, fresh ingredients are mailed to your home every week and arrive prepared and portioned. Whether you are trying to eat lean and clean, or more interested in our classic plan, meal delivery from Gobble is a great way to keep your fridge clean, organized, and minimize food waste.
