Organise Your Fridge

Simple storage tips to keep your foods fresher and fridge neater.

1. Arrange items according to height. If the family-size jar of pasta sauce blocks your new tub of yoghurt, you'll probably forget the yoghurt's there. That's a tub of spoilt yoghurt and money down the drain.
2. Keep it cold. Each time the door is open and warm air rushes in, it takes some time before the temperature is stable again. A three-quarters filled fridge is better than a full one - with an overpacked fridge air cannot circulate properly.
3. Store washed, dry veggies in airtight plastic or ziplock bags or container. Leave crisper drawer slightly open to prevent moisture bulid-up. Fruits can be kept on the lower shelves instead of the crisper for easy access.
4. Group similar foods together, eg canned drinks on one shelf, or different cheese in one box. If you have kids, create a snack box for each child (and place on a low shelf) - it'll prevent little hands from rummaging other shelves to look for fave foods.
5. In the freezer, divide raw foods like meat into individual sealed portions and take out just that out just that one portion before cooking.
6. Store leftover food in lidded containers to prevent it drying out and to keep the smell and flavour from permeating other items. It's worth investing in quality containers and airtight bags to avoid unnecessary spills and retain the food's freshness. Use transparent ones for easy reference.
7. Check your fridge every two days and throw out stale items - when in doubt, toss it! Do this also before each trip to the grocery store.

tip!
Tired of washing a mug everytime someone in the family takes a sip of water? Put lidded beverage cups (each with water, juice or any fave drink) in the fridge - one of each member of the family - to sip from throughout the day. This way, you'll only need to wash once at the end of the day.



Extracted from Simply Her / April 2005