8 Tips on Organising Your Fridge

Organising your fridge will be simple when you know where certain foodstuff goes.

The top shelf is for items ready to go, such as deli meats. Middle/lower shelves are for dairy items like cheese, butter, and yoghurt. The bottom shelf is for raw food. The drawer is for salad items and vegetables. Door shelves for condiments, bottled juices, and milk

You might want to pop some leftovers into the fridge but have some raw meat in there, too. Always place cooked food on the highest shelf with raw, uncooked food on the very bottom shelf. Raw food shouldn’t be placed on the top because it could drip or leak onto items below. This could begin to make your kitchen smell.

Not only is this essential for hygiene purposes, but it’s a good opportunity to take a good look at which food items are in your fridge and check the dates on them as you’re moving everything around to clean.

Check the expiry date on your meat and organise it in your fridge accordingly (such as storing meat based on the earliest expiry date closer to hand, so it’s used first). Always stick by the dates and don’t rely on a sniff test if the date has passed – meats that smell okay can still make you ill.

Did you know your fridge needs to be regularly thawed? This is to avoid a buildup of ice, so if you spot any gathering at the back of your fridge, it could be time for a thaw.

Fresh items, like herbs and salads, need to be kept in the salad drawer (which should be done when organising your fridge) and away from the very back of the fridge. This is because the back of the fridge is the coldest area, so delicate foods could freeze and become ruined.

Jars of foodstuff, once opened, like jam, should then be placed in the fridge with the lid back on. Cooked food should be stored while covered, such as with cling film, while you should seal meat or fish items as tightly as you can.

If you want to store leftovers, let them turn cold on the side before putting them in the fridge. Placing hot food straight into the fridge can change the temperature in there and lead to food spoiling in the kitchen.