How to organise your fridge for less waste and more space
The kitchen is one of the hardest-working spaces in the home, so it can become easily cluttered. The fridge is one often-overlooked area that could usually do with some help.
A crammed fridge can mean food gets pushed to the back and forgotten, until it needs to be thrown away. That’s especially concerning when you learn that the UK creates an estimated 10.7 million tonnes of food waste per year, at a cost of over £22 billion.
Overly stuffed shelves make it trickier to see what you've got hiding away, so it’s harder to plan meals that make the most of your ingredients. As a result, you're more likely to go out and buy more.
Luckily, there are plenty of fridge organisers available, so you can tackle food waste and keep the space tidier.
The best ways to organise your fridge
Using clear containers means you can stack food neatly while still being able to see what you have. Pulling out a container box and taking what you need is much easier than rooting around your shelves and dislodging precariously stored items.
Keeping food in containers can also make cleaning easier — as everything is kept off the shelves directly, there should be fewer spills or smears. Clipping additional drawers to the bottom of shelves can also create valuable additional space.
There are lots of easy ways to keep foods with a short shelf life fresher for longer (like fruit and vegetables).
Airtight silicone pods are handy for avocado, tomato and onion halves, helping to keep them fresh and stop pungent smells from escaping. Similarly, slice boxes are designed to stop cheese and cold meats from oxidising or drying out once you’ve opened the packet.
Lining your salad drawer with a food mat can also help to keep fruit and veg fresh. Its porous base helps air to circulate effectively, keeping food cool and making it less likely to rot prematurely. It can be used to line your fruit bowl too — just cut it to size.
Reusable beeswax wraps are great for leftovers and a greener alternative to unrecyclable cling film. They can be used as a lid to cover most food, including fruits, cheese and bread, although they aren’t suitable for raw meat.
You Might Also Like