If you are like many homeowners, you probably keep your fridge clean and toss out expired condiments. Once your fridge is sparking clean, it is time to put everything back together. Knowing how to organise your fridge is important to ensure any products are safe for consumption. Keep reading to know some tips on how to properly organise your refrigerateur items and where to put things:
Do It Like the Pros
When organising a fridge, do it the way professional kitchens and restaurants do since they focus on food safety. They organise items based on the temperature they have to be cooked to. Items that do not have to be cooked to be safely eaten such as prepared foods or leftovers should be placed at the top. The rest of the items must be organised downwards based on the temperature they need to be cooked to. Foods that must be cooked to the highest temperature such as chicken must be placed at the bottom. This approach prevents cross-contamination from taking place.
Steps in Organising your Fridge
The same principles can be used when organising items inside your fridge. Leftovers, ready-to-eat foods, and drinks must be placed in the upper shelves. The lower shelves should house the raw ingredients slated for cooked dishes. Because the fridge door is the unit’s warmest part, only condiments must be placed there. Avoid putting eggs or milk in the door because they need to be placed in a colder area. Also, it is important to keep in mind that drawers are designed to hold products at certain humidity which makes them perfect for storing fruits and vegetables. However, drawers are usually at the bottom of the refrigerator so fresh veggies can get contaminated if the meat is placed on the shelf above. For fridges with two drawers, it is best to use one of them only for vegetables and the other for the raw meat (lowest drawer). The drawer that stores the meat should be cleaned often.
Invest in Glass and Plastic Containers
These containers need to be those that stack easily and are see-through so you can easily find what you need. Go for square or rectangular containers because they are more space-efficient. The remains of half-used containers must be transferred to smaller containers to have more space in the fridge. Consider pressing a piece of plastic wrap directly on the food’s surface to help in holding it longer.