How To: Organize Your Refrigerator

10.17.18

How To: Organize Your Refrigerator

Do you spend a lot of time looking for food items in your fridge? Does it seem like your foods go bad sooner than they should? It may be the way you’re storing your food in your refrigerator. Where you choose to keep your foods in the refrigerator has more to do with keeping your contents fresh than it does with preparing for your next meal (though fresh foods obviously help!). Depending on a food’s component, it actually does matter whether you store it on the upper shelves, the lower shelves, a drawer, or the door. This basic guide to organizing your fridge will help you reduce spoilage and keep foods fresher for longer.

Upper Shelf

Basic science tells us heat rises and cold air falls. Therefore, the upper shelves will naturally be warmer than the bottom ones. While you may find it more convenient to keep certain products on the top shelf for easy access, such as milk or eggs, these items will actually do better on the lower shelves. The top shelf should be reserved for items that don’t require cooking before eating, such as deli meats, herbs, and leftovers.

Lower Shelf

As we just mentioned above about basic science and temperatures, the lower shelves will naturally be the coolest place in the refrigerator. It is the best place for raw meats, eggs, and dairy products. If you ever need to store open-packaged meats, the bottom shelf is the best option so accidental spillage won’t ruin many other foods. In order to keep the lower shelf as cool as possible, it’s good to leave space between food products. Refrigerators are able to stay cold by blowing air throughout it. Packing foods together too tightly prohibits this airflow and allows for pockets of inconsistent temperatures (whereas freezers work better being packed).

Drawers

Those crisper drawers at the bottom of your refrigerator are designed specifically for foods that do best with controlled humidity, namely fruits and vegetables. Crisper drawers are adjustable with a few clicks between low and high; low for completely open and high for completely closed. Since fruits and vegetables release ethylene to help them ripen faster, keeping them in low-humidity will keep them fresher for longer since the gases can escape. Things that wilt will do best in high-humidity so the moisture can keep the greens crisper. Lastly, these drawers work best when they’re at least two-thirds full.

Door Storage

The door is closest to the outside and experiences the most exposure to room temperature so it’s also the warmest part of the fridge. Since condiments are usually high on natural preservatives like salt and vinegar, they will do just fine in the door. Drinks also keep longer than most foods and will do fine in the door, such as orange juice and soda (but not milk!).

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