Keeping a Well Organized Refrigerator for Efficient Food Storage

When we were teenagers, we would often hear my mom nagging us about storing food properly in the ref.  She was very particular about where things should be placed inside the refrigerator and we would often bungle it up in our haste to put away grocery stuff or left over food.  It is only now that I am managing my own household that I came to realize the importance of maintaining a clean and well organized ref.

Cleanliness is always essential in protecting the health of the family.  A clean ref means there are lesser chances of food contamination and spoilage.  Organizing your refrigerator can help you minimize the occurrence of mess and spillage inside and makes it easier for everyone to find what they need by simply scanning the refrigerator.  Here are some ref organizing ideas that can help your store food efficiently.

1. Read and follow the labels.  Most of the refrigerator models available nowadays have labels on what to put in their compartments like crisper, egg slots, butter pocket, utility shelves and bottle holders.  You simply have to follow the labels for proper storage.
2. As for the refrigerator shelves,  reserve the top shelf for ready to eat items like bread or pastries, left-overs, bread spreads like jam, peanut butter, mayo etc. The middle shelf may be used for such items as well in case they don’t fit the top shelf.  Middle shelves are normally allocated for raw meat that us being marinated or defrosted.  This will ensure that any accidental drip or spillage will not get into your ready to eat and cooked food items.
3. The crisper is reserved for vegetables and fresh produce. Make sure that the hard and heavy vegetables are placed in the bottom and the soft ones like tomato or leafy ones like lettuce stay on top to prevent crushing.

Make sure that the food items are thoroughly cleaned before placing them inside the ref.  There should be no exposed food inside the refrigerator to cause unwanted odors, make use of airtight containers or airtight plastic wrappers when storing leftovers and other food stuff.

These tips are quite easy to follow if everybody in the house would practice them.  I sure hope that I won’t experience the same frustration that my mom had with us when we were kids when it comes to maintaining a well organized refrigerator.