Fridge organisation tips – how to sort, store and chill for convenience
A happy household is when you have a fridge that is sorted and filled with delicious goodies to snack on or having prep done for impending mealtimes. The responsibility of feeding the family (and their friends!) seems to become a little easier when the fridge is prepped and primed for use!
Henley Design’s Interior Design Consultant, Brigitte Gantonas, looks at the avalanche of nifty storage products on offer, that will not only make your fridge look fantastic, but it will also cut down on the waste, so you are not left with sad zucchinis at the back of the fridge.
Shelving themes
With several shelves in the fridge, it is good to think about theming each shelf. The top shelf could be allocated to food that does not require cooking such as deli meats and leftovers, while the next shelf could be dedicated to all your dairy products such as cheese, butter and yoghurt. Then of course you have the crisper, usually found at the base of the fridge, to house all your fruit and vegetables.
Door shelves are also valuable fridge real estate. Jars such as condiments, jams and sauces are usually the go-to products heading for that area – just make sure you close the jars properly and that sauces such as mustards and tomato sauce are the right way up to avoid spillage!
If you are thawing out meat, chicken or fish, find an area in the fridge that is separate to other food items, to avoid cross contamination.
The joy of trays and containers
Deciding to put all food in different trays and containers will make a world of difference to the neatness and organisation level of your fridge.
Having cut up fruit, labelled and placed in containers in the fridge will make snack time for kids so much easier and avoid having teenagers staring at the opened fridge for minutes on end with no outcome.
Easy to clean and simple to stack, fridge containers such as Kmart's and Howards Storage World's array of fridge storage options will help set up the fridge to be used more efficiently and reduce food waste. The rotating kitchen organiser is such a clever way for prying eyes to have access to all.
Get busy with labelling
Don’t assume as the fridge organiser your other family members know where you have placed everything.
The easy solution is to label everything – and yes, we mean everything!
From the pre-cut fruit, various cheeses, to the cold meats (perhaps put a date when you stocked it) as well as lollies and desserts. And perhaps if you have your favourite chocolate that you don’t want anyone else to scavenge, we give you permission to label that container ‘brussel sprouts’!
Fridge mats are your mates
We have all done it where you haven’t secured a bottle of juice or soft drink and decided to lay it down on its side to only discover its entire sticky contents dripping from the top shelf to the bottom. Consider lining the shelves with mats so when a mess is made, simply remove and replace.
The other must-have fridge hack are fridge mats which keep your fruit and vegetables in the fridge fresher for longer. These little beauties encourage air circulation under the fruit and veggies to prevent mould and absorb excess liquid. Say goodbye to sad, floppy bunches of parsley and hello fresh, crunchy veg and zero wastage!
