Refrigerator Theory: What's Your Strategy?

by James Oliver Cury
on 07/07/08 at 03:10 PM

Fridge2 I'd like to discuss a fundamental food issue for all fridge owners: What to put where.

Are there any philosophical treatises on refrigerator organization? My wife and I are finally ready to remove the shrink wrap, toss the Styrofoam dividers, and add real groceries to our new Whirlpool French-door fridge. But before we begin, I need to know what goes where. Yes, some items have obvious homes: frozen foods in the freezer, produce in the crisper. Duh. But what about leftovers? Right-side door, left-side door, center shelf, or somewhere else? Do I get one side and she gets another side, or do we place all Mexican ingredients, say, on the left side?

You know what happens if you fail to implement a system: Food chaos. Oldest stuff moves to the back as newer items get crammed in. Boxes balance precariously on top of one another. Spills happen. And you end up ordering in just to avoid the search for those veggies you bought last week.

So, dear Epi-Log reader, what's your refrigerator theory? How does it work? Did you discuss it formally or did it emerge over time? For a visual look at "what's in your fridge?" check out this flickr group pool. I especially like the way this guy labels what's where (that's his  photo above too).

Bonus: 5 tips on refrigerator organization, after the jump.

5 Fridge Organization Tips

1. On Humidity: Set the humidity higher for vegetables than for fruits. If you can't adjust the settings, you can leave the drawer slightly open for celery, lettuce and other moisture-craving items.

2. On Freezing: Write down the use-by date on items destined for the freezer. Keep a pen on or near the fridge.

3. On Containers: Use clear containers whenever possible. The result: no more mystery meals hiding in the corner. Keep lids on everything or else the odors will overwhelm all other foods inside.

4. On Filling It Up: Don't. The fridge won't cool as well as it should if it's packed with items. Leave at least one-inch spaces between items. Apparently, it's ok to jam the freezer though.

5. On Drinks: Place bottles and jugs in the side doors. They can handle the weight. Transfer 1/2 bottles of wine into smaller containers to save room and reduce oxidization.

Tagged with: Kitchen, Reflections
04:02:18 PM on

I don't know what kind of refrigerator you're talking about with right doors and left doors, but I have the standard refrigerator with a freezer at the top and two wire shelves and the shelf that is the top of the crisper. I keep the milk and tall things on the top shelf, ketchup and condiments on the door and eggs on the second shelf and vegetables on the shelf of the crisper as they don't all fit in the crisper. I think that most people don't have the kind of luxury fridges to which you refer in your post and must make do with putting all things that need to be kept cold in a small space.

11:52:23 AM on

I second not putting anything in the crisper unless it can survive unattended for weeks-- beer, garlic, etc.

I don't buy a condiment (or anything) unless I can think of three ways to use it, or a way to use it up. I tend to buy basic stuff and mix it together. I can do just about anything with a can of tomato sauce. I can make peanut sauce from peanut butter and soy sauce. I can mix stuff with regular mustard to make it exciting mustard. I can make salad dressing that's oil and vinegar based, but I might buy ranch. Pickles never survive the day anyway :-)

01:34:28 PM on

I've found that it helps to keep like items in low-sided plastic containers. One for all the cheeses, one for jellies, one for pickles, etc. It's easier to pull the container out and grab what you need than to rummage through the mine fields.

07:12:18 AM on

I am looking forward to others' feedback. My fridge always starts out organized, but always seems to deteriorate into madness (with three teenagers getting in and out, I am not sure what I expect!) And how do you keep condiments from taking over (5 kinds of mustard, 3 kinds of pickles, etc.)

10:45:08 AM on

I LOVE this post! I'm so compulsive about my fridge. Glad to see others share my compulsion. (Or, as I'd like to think of it, simply proper fridge management.) I plan all my meals for the week to avoid waste, do 1 weekly shopping trip on saturday, and purge anything old before I put in the new groceries. This in and of itself pretty much takes care of things, but here are some other thoughts:

condiments such as mustard, pickles, jams, etc. in the door because they're the least perishable. cheese & butter are also fine in the door because they're not super perishable.

veggies in the crisper or toward the fronts of the shelves--be wary putting delicate veggies on the very top or toward the back of the fridge as they can freeze.

leftovers toward the fronts of the shelves so we don't forget about them.

meats & fish on the bottom shelf so they don't leak on other things. I also like to put a paper towel under them.

My top shelf is the tallest, so that's where I put tall things like milk, soy milk, juice, wine, and beer. Wine and beer are also fine in the door, or in the crisper if they fit.

I put dairy products like eggs, sour cream, yogurt, etc., on the shorter middle shelves where they stay nice and cold and nothing's likely to fall on them.

09:30:27 AM on

Excellent advice and strategies. I guess I'll move the milk away from the door. And certainly keep meats on a low shelf. Thanks gang!

02:41:00 AM on

oh and also! square storage containers only. my life is so much easier now that i have a bunch of square ziploc containers in two sizes that share the same lids... it makes saving food SO much easier.

02:38:53 AM on

i'm super-forgetful and pretty disorganized, and i've always been one of those people who's throwing out furry leftovers and moldy veggies... but recently i've been trying to save $$ and waste less, so here are the things that help me...

1) most important: an uncrowded fridge so that i can see from front to back, top to bottom. because if i can't see something, more than likely i forget that it's there! this requires disciple at the grocery store and saying no to those impulse buys. and for me, buying less food than i think i will need.

2) leftovers and any other food that is about to go bad, is placed on the TOP shelf in the front so it catches my eye first. all the special stuff that i might actually remember i have, goes on the middle shelf. milk goes on the bottom shelf, not on the door, along with less perishable items. NOTHING goes in the drawers. it's like taking the speed train to rottenville! backs of shelves are for non-perishables. (mayo... pb...)

3) leftovers in the freezer HAVE to be labeled, or else they become ice sculptures. i finally put a permanent marker and some mailing labels next to my fridge so that i don't have an excuse.

4) no fruit (including tomatoes) in the fridge, and ditto for onions and garlic.

5) like many, my small condiments go in the door where the eggy things are. cheese goes there too so i don't forget about it. (and it's kind of condimenty. sometimes.) as do bibs and bobs of flavorful things (half an onion, half a lemon etc).

12:07:52 AM on

I learned a lot about proper food storage from working in the food industry. For example, any fresh or thawing red meats should always be stored at the bottom of the refrigerator in order to prevent contamination. Chicken should be stored above meat, and fish above chicken. It all coresponds to the proper cooking times. Also, the fridge is always coldest at the back and warmer on the door, since it is always being opened. Therefore you should never store eggs or dairy products on the door. Instead, I keep them on the top shelf so they stay fresher longer. I also plan my meals out a week at a time then post the list on the frigde. I prefer square clear water and air proof containers (such as lock n lock) because the fridge is square and that fits best. There are other little tips like using ethylene bags (which pull away the carbon dioxide) to prevent veges from going bad too fast. Finally, I think the key is to buy what you need and take advantage of your freezer.

11:39:51 PM on

We keep beer in our crisper drawer. It's nice and chilly down there. The veggies usually get eaten right away, so the situation works out fine. We only buy what we need, and leftovers are made into soup and frozen (labeled and dated, stacked in single serve plastic containers). I have to admit that we have an astounding condiment collection stored in the refridge door.

08:51:25 PM on

I'm SO neurotic about my fridge. But I do as another does and plan all my family's meals for the week so I only buy what I need. I keep condiments on the middle two shelves on the door, water, wine and juices on the bottom shelf on the door and butter and eggs on the top one. then on the bottom shelf of the fridge there is usually herbs in a glass of water, soy milk and regular milk and a big bowl of fruit. Middle is cheeses, fresh veggies, and whatever meat or fish is thawing for dinner. Top is leftovers and anything that might be going to work for breakfast or lunch.

07:33:28 PM on

I also wanted to comment not all produce has to go in the refrigerator. For instance at the moment I have apricots, bananas, tomatoes and cherries in a decorative platter on my table. I would NEVER refrigerate tomatoes. It absolutely ruins them.

07:30:07 PM on

I plan all my meals each week so I know what I need for each meal and I hardly ever have things go bad that way. I like to keep things like tubs of butter and opened blocks of cheese on the top drawer then on the middle two drawers I put pre-pared lunches for the week. If they aren't immediately in plain view hubby can't see them. He has refrigerator blindness. I also put any items that are intended for breakfast on the middle two shelves for the same reason. On the bottom shelf goes a pitcher of iced tea, milk, orange juice and any meat that is thawing for the night's dinner. The top drawer contains my veggies and the bottom drawer which is the coldest has unopened blocks of cheese or hummus. All the condiments go in the door. The top is butter and eggs, then mustards, ketchup and hot sauce, the next has my Asian condiments and pickles then the bottom larger shelf has vodka or the bottle of wine that will go with dinner. I think most important to an uncluttered refrigerator is just to only buy what you need.

07:01:39 PM on

this may not be the advice you're looking for but... vegetables go into the rotter drawer until they get floppy and then they're thrown away and leftovers are shoved to the back until the point at which we can no longer cram fresh food into the fridge - and then it's time for hubby to empty the thing and run it all down to the dumpsters.

If we're lucky, this coordinates well with the garbage man's visit. we're not always lucky.

07:01:35 PM on



05:10:27 PM on

I definitely advocate labeling everything that goes into the freezer, especially if it's wrapped in concealing aluminum foil. I like to label items with exactly what is in there, the quantity, and the date it went into the freezer.

Also, I've heard that the door of the fridge doesn't keep items as cold as the rest of the fridge so you should avoid putting items like milk on the door.

05:01:32 PM on

--use "bain marie"-type containers (from rest supply store) for storing. They are taller, but have a smaller footprint than say, a mixing bowl.
--mark the date purchased on all those little weird condiment jars...that way you won't go crazy trying to remember just when you bought that kumquat chutney.
--just buy less stuff in general, then you won't have too much junk in the fridge to begin with.
--put the raw meat/fish on the bottom shelf.
--be disciplined and purge once a week or so.

03:56:03 PM on

Oh, that reminds me: We thought about covering our old fridge with that chalkboard-like paint. Some people like to use round containers for some foods and square ones for others too.

03:43:18 PM on

I can't offer a refrigerator tip, but my latest thing has helped me keep on top of frozen foods. I attached a dry erase board to my freezer (it's a chest freezer, but I imagine this works well regardless), and use it to keep track of what's been stored away - that way, I always know what might be lurking in the back or bottom that would help me make dinner in a pinch.

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