Tips For Organizing Your Fridge Larder
A fridge larder is an excellent way to store produce that’s past its best. It also lets you run a smaller fridge and save money on your energy bill!
It’s an ideal location to store items such breads, cheeses, and eggs. Fresh herbs are another option which benefit from low humidity.
Keep It In Order
A fridge’s larder can help reduce food waste and makes it easier to find items while cooking. The refrigerator, as with any other space in your home can get overcrowded and out of control. Here are a few suggestions to keep your fridge organized and running smoothly.
Take Inventory
The most important part of organizing your fridge is taking inventory, according to Holly Blakey, a professional organizer at Breathing Room. “Take everything out and check the expiration dates. Clean all surfaces.” Get rid of expired foods or throw them away and get rid of any food items that aren’t intended to be consumed before they go bad.
Blakey suggests that you place the most frequently used items in the front of your fridge. Then, put those items that aren’t frequently used in the bottom and back of your refrigerator.
Organize Your Freezer
If you have a freezer in your chest arrange it using clear storage bins that will help you easily locate foods. Clearly label each bin and group similar items together. Put condiments in one container and sodas in a different, and cheese sticks in the third. You can also make use of a lazy Susan for condiments and other commonly used items to prevent them from being lost in the back of your.
In a side-by-side fridge, store foods that require the coldest temperatures in the back and warmer foods toward the front. The lower shelf is great for milk, yogurt cream, refrigerators butter and cream (it won’t melt). The crisper drawers are ideal for spilled produce.
Drawer dividers can make your fridge more functional and are easy to install. They’ll prevent your vegetables and fruits from rolling around, preventing them from rotting before you are able to use them. They’ll also keep your drawers neat and tidy. To prolong the life of tender herbs, keep them in water. Mason jars that are filled with an inch of liquid are ideal for. Alternately, you can purchase an herb saver that you can put in your fridge.
Keep it Visible
Keep your fridge well organized to help you choose healthy foods and stay content throughout the day. Make sure that all containers for food are clear so that you can see the contents. This will let you know how many days are left until the expiration dates, and prevent you from storing food past its prime.
Start your fridge larder off with a deep clean by scrubbering the shelves, drawers and racks with warm water and dish soap. Then give your refrigerator an excellent clean-up to rid it of any gross spills and crumbs that may have accumulated over the course of time.
Make sure that your fridge is clean and dry. Start with the cheese and deli drawer — this is where you should store your cheeses, meats leftovers, dairy items and other food items. Then move to the produce drawer which should be reserved for leafy greens as they tend to fade quickly. Keep it filled to three-fourths for maximum freshness.
The pantry drawer in some refrigerators is a great place to store storage of large bags of frozen vegetables and other bulky food items. This drawer can be used to store condiments such as ketchup and mustard, as well as nut-butters, and other canned products. Do not store any milk in this area however, as it could go bad quickly due to the fluctuating temperatures within the refrigerator door.
The back of your refrigerator should be reserved for condiments, salad dressings, and other jarred foods that will last for longer. Consider using a riser in order to raise the jars so they are easier to read. This will save you from having to open and close the lid a few times, which will prolong the longevity of your condiments.
Label each bin with the help of a marker or stickers that can be easily read. This will help your family members to easily recognize the contents of each bin and make it easier for you to find what you’re looking for. Labeling your bins is a great way to clear your kitchen and reduce the amount of waste that you create.
Keep Cool
A well-stocked fridge larder will keep foods at the right temperature to avoid spoilage and also slow down the growth of bacterial. Larders can be incorporated into existing cabinetry or stand on their own. They are usually placed on the north-facing side of the house to reduce sun exposure. They could also be equipped with additional insulation or ventilation to stop heat from getting into the food storage area. They have walls that are thicker and have fewer windows. They generally are situated on the north-facing side of your home to reduce heat transfer.
A larder should include one drawer for meat and one for vegetables and fruits, each with a particular setting that can be programmed to the proper temperature. This will ensure that burgers and chicken will be cooked to perfection, and that the salad greens won’t become excessively wilted. You can also set the larder drawer to low-humidity for any fruit or vegetable that release a lot of moisture, like tomatoes or cucumbers.
Other drawers in the fridge can hold items like cheese — fresh, cream and hard -wrapped in paper, greaseproof or clingfilm to preserve it for a longer time. Other items that can be stored in the refrigerator’s door include beverages as well as non-perishable condiments (like ketchup), water and eggs. Milk should not be kept in the refrigerator doors however, as these shelves tend to be warmer and more unstable than drawers in other drawers.
For a sleek look, corralling small bottles of food and snacks can help make them more visible and useful when family members are searching for food items while on the move. Labeling bins or shelves to show which food items should be eaten first is also helpful, especially if your family members don’t know how to read labels!
A larder is also an ideal storage space for leftovers, as well as various food-safe plastic and glass storage containers, which are ideal for smaller portions of food items. These containers are ideal to save time and money while shopping. If you have a tidy and organized fridge, with a designated space for these items, it will make it easier to stay on top of your grocery budget.
Keep it Fresh
The best tips for organizing your fridge reduce food waste by helping your good-for-you groceries last longer. Some smart strategies help ensure that fresh food items are kept at the right temperature and help to find what you have in your fridge and where it is.
Crisper drawers are included in the majority of refrigerators. They alter the flow of air and increase humidity, thus extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. But it’s important to use them correctly. If you mix greens and fruit, for instance the ethylene created by the latter can cause the former to wilt and then spoil quickly. Separating produce types and storing them in the appropriate drawers is also crucial.
Door shelves are often the most warm part of the fridge. They should be reserved for food items that don’t need extra cold or special storage conditions like jam, chutneys, jars of jam salad dressings, long-life juices (anything purchased in bulk and with the same use-by date). The top shelf can be used to store beverages such as milk and water, which can be stored in a upright position.
Refrigerator drawers can be tricky to keep sorted with things that are bouncing around and mixed up There are easy tricks to help. Consider investing in a set of refrigerator drawer separators. This will keep your food items separate and prevent them from squishing together. The ability to organize by size is helpful. Produce of similar heights can be stored together. Don’t put items that aren’t the same height in the same drawer.
A thermometer is a essential item to have in your fridge. It’s an inexpensive, easy-to-use tool that will ensure the fridge is at the optimal temperature so your food stays at its safest and freshest.
Don’t forget to keep a stash of plastic grocery bags in your refrigerator for storing food items that don’t come in its own container. The moisture in the bag keeps vegetables from turning brown. For herbs that usually go through a slow decline in the course of a day they can be kept fresher for longer by washing them before putting them in a glass of water. This is just as effective as a plastic sack in conserving moisture.