Storage Wars
The Fridge Organizing Tool You're Not Using (But Should)
Hint: If it's good for the pantry, it's good for the fridge.
Photo by Laura Metlzer Photography for Rachel Rosenthal, Rachel and Company

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18 Comments
D.E.
February 14, 2021
The plastic storage containers in #3 and that are by mDesign are excellent. I have been buying mDesign containers for years. I just ordered the one featured here as I need that size to store all my lemons.
Rachelm
February 12, 2021
Lazy Susans, that's what I use to corral all the small jars. I've got two of them on the top shelf, holding all the jams and sauces. Lifesavers.
AntoniaJames
February 11, 2021
We have an under-counter wine fridge that we use for all cold beverages. (It's designed to accommodate cans and beer bottles as well as wine bottles.)
It's wonderfully convenient as it frees up a certain amount of space in the fridge, while reducing the traffic in and out of the fridge. ;o)
It's wonderfully convenient as it frees up a certain amount of space in the fridge, while reducing the traffic in and out of the fridge. ;o)
tia
February 11, 2021
Hah! I keep beverages in the fridge because otherwise it's half empty and a full fridge is an efficient fridge. I live alone and use my freezer a lot so there's almost always empty space in the fridge.
christynbj
February 11, 2021
I have started using some bins to corral "like" items (2 lazy susans (one sweet, one savory for condiments and jams, etc, a bin for sliced cheese and lunch meats, a bin for thawing raw meats - definitely a saver for if/when the leak!) But I struggle with the idea of actual baskets in the fridge. I've used cookie sheets in the past, or other washable items- things always spilled when I had kids in the house. I'm fortunate though, to speak to another's comments- that my KITCHEN fridge only contains fresh ingredients, condiments, and milk, etc. All leftovers and beverages go into a smaller refrigerator in the pantry. Anyone in my family knows that anything in that pantry fridge is "fair game."
christynbj
February 11, 2021
I have started using some bins to corral "like" items (2 lazy susans (one sweet, one savory for condiments and jams, etc, a bin for sliced cheese and lunch meats, a bin for thawing raw meats - definitely a saver for if/when the leak!) But I struggle with the idea of actual baskets in the fridge. I've used cookie sheets in the past, or other washable items- things always spilled when I had kids in the house. I'm fortunate though, to speak to another's comments- that my KITCHEN fridge only contains fresh ingredients, condiments and milk etc. All leftovers and beverages go into a smaller refrigerator in the pantry. Anyone in my family knows that anything in that pantry fridge is "fair game."
tia
February 11, 2021
I did something like this at the beginning of 2020 but the most useful thing I did was stick two sheets of dry erase film on the fridge doors. One is for the fridge and it has an inventory, with date purchased, for all the perishable stuff (not condiments, or I'd have no room for anything else). I have the sheet zoned in the same way as the fridge, so I can easily tell where something is supposed to be. I did the same thing with the freezer on the other sheet, but I left the dates off since frozen stuff lasts so long. It's been very useful. I added a small section for things I've run out of, too.
It's not the nicest looking solution but it has helped me reduce my food waste. Especially for stuff that isn't direct line-of-sight (I'm looking at you, weird low fridge drawer).
It's not the nicest looking solution but it has helped me reduce my food waste. Especially for stuff that isn't direct line-of-sight (I'm looking at you, weird low fridge drawer).
AntoniaJames
February 11, 2021
As with so many areas of organization, I've found it's not what kind of boxes or other corralling methods in the place you want to keep tidy that matters, it's what's in your head. I know everything that is in my fridge, and when I'm going to use it, and how. I don't shop for new food, unless I unexpectedly run out of something early (have I really used a whole large bunch of parsley since Friday?!) until I've used up nearly all the fresh food I have.
This works because I plan all of our meals at least 7 - 10 days out, and shop accordingly. I keep a running "Note" accessible on all my devices with menus for every night (with links to recipes right there) and to-do's in the kitchen every evening. I organize prep tasks - keeping like things together works for activities, too! -- to leverage work one evening for a related meal later in the week. I have no food waste, other than scraps that can't be used for some purpose. I keep an up to date inventory of my freezer, and use that constantly while planning menus. The FIFO method rules.
One of my favorite ways to manage bulky items like greens is to quickly blanch greens that will eventually be cooked, as soon as I bring them into the kitchen - be that from the garden, the farmers' market, or the store. If doing several types of greens, I don't change the water, but blanch the mildest tasting ones first, and greens like kale last. Blanching reduces volume dramatically,, while saving me time on weeknights. I wash a week's worth of lettuce, arugula, etc., and store it in very large Rubbermaid brand boxes lined and topped with paper towels. And then I make darn sure that we eat it, while it's still appealing, planning my meals with shelf life in mind.
(Last summer and fall, I froze dozens of bunches of kale from my garden, squeezing out the water to compress them into 1/4 cup blocks frozen in silicone cube trays. I'm still working through that supply now. When I lived in the Bay Area, I did the same thing, but throughout the year when kale at the farmers' markets was at its best.)
If this seems like "too much," I should say that I've been managing my kitchen like this for years, all while running a busy, quite interesting law practice, and getting more exercise many days than most people get in a week. (I moved to Boulder County for the cycling.) It's the small investment of planning time, and other methods noted above, that make that possible. ;o)
This works because I plan all of our meals at least 7 - 10 days out, and shop accordingly. I keep a running "Note" accessible on all my devices with menus for every night (with links to recipes right there) and to-do's in the kitchen every evening. I organize prep tasks - keeping like things together works for activities, too! -- to leverage work one evening for a related meal later in the week. I have no food waste, other than scraps that can't be used for some purpose. I keep an up to date inventory of my freezer, and use that constantly while planning menus. The FIFO method rules.
One of my favorite ways to manage bulky items like greens is to quickly blanch greens that will eventually be cooked, as soon as I bring them into the kitchen - be that from the garden, the farmers' market, or the store. If doing several types of greens, I don't change the water, but blanch the mildest tasting ones first, and greens like kale last. Blanching reduces volume dramatically,, while saving me time on weeknights. I wash a week's worth of lettuce, arugula, etc., and store it in very large Rubbermaid brand boxes lined and topped with paper towels. And then I make darn sure that we eat it, while it's still appealing, planning my meals with shelf life in mind.
(Last summer and fall, I froze dozens of bunches of kale from my garden, squeezing out the water to compress them into 1/4 cup blocks frozen in silicone cube trays. I'm still working through that supply now. When I lived in the Bay Area, I did the same thing, but throughout the year when kale at the farmers' markets was at its best.)
If this seems like "too much," I should say that I've been managing my kitchen like this for years, all while running a busy, quite interesting law practice, and getting more exercise many days than most people get in a week. (I moved to Boulder County for the cycling.) It's the small investment of planning time, and other methods noted above, that make that possible. ;o)
Nancy
February 11, 2021
AJ - I do something similar to your planning on a smaller scale (cooking for one person, guests before covid, food gifts after onset when safe). But my tracking and planning is Macgyvered. Do you use one software, and if yes which?
AntoniaJames
February 11, 2021
All current action / planning lists are in the Notes App on my iPhone and shared across several Apple devices. I have about a dozen folders set up. In my "This Week" folder, which is the first subfolder at the top, I have files for: "Recipes to Try in 2021," "February (or whatever month it is) Menus"; "Keepers" (notes kept on new recipes I want to use again); "Recipes Tried in 2021" (with notes on each, including substitutions, quantities, relevant times for recipes I've adapted for the Instant Pot, ideas for next time, etc.); Groceries (shopping list, organized by store); my "Daily To-Do" list for food prep tasks, wrapping and freezing items, such as the focaccia I made the night before, small cleaning chores I shouldn't forget, etc.; "Kitchen Goals for 2021" (reviewed every week, for ongoing implementation); and "Freezer Inventory". All prior months' menus are in that folder, too, for easy reference.
Google Drive is my workhorse for all of my documents, created in Google Docs (mostly, recipes, but also larger planning documents, such as my more involved project management documents related to holiday meals, holiday baking etc.), The search functionality in the Drive, courtesy of Google, is, has been, and always will be the best search tool on the planet. I give nearly all recipes I will use again their own TinyUrl and sharing rights, to make the lists on my Notes app more workable. Outdated lists from the Notes App are copied to Google Docs for future reference.
As with all project management, to key is regular reviews and updates on what's happened, what needs to happen, when it will happen, etc. All of the lists that run this machine are reviewed and updated frequently, usually during pockets of downtime. ;o)
Google Drive is my workhorse for all of my documents, created in Google Docs (mostly, recipes, but also larger planning documents, such as my more involved project management documents related to holiday meals, holiday baking etc.), The search functionality in the Drive, courtesy of Google, is, has been, and always will be the best search tool on the planet. I give nearly all recipes I will use again their own TinyUrl and sharing rights, to make the lists on my Notes app more workable. Outdated lists from the Notes App are copied to Google Docs for future reference.
As with all project management, to key is regular reviews and updates on what's happened, what needs to happen, when it will happen, etc. All of the lists that run this machine are reviewed and updated frequently, usually during pockets of downtime. ;o)
Nancy
February 11, 2021
AJ - thanks I'll look at Google Drive now and Notes App when/if I swatch from Android. Yes, agree, regular update & reviews are key...but it's so lovely to have ingredients and parts of recipes in the shute, waiting to be used....N
Bar49
February 11, 2021
So many bins, no place to put prepared/cooked food. Does not really work. My fridge has two vegetable bins which are sufficient and I use meat/cheese drawer for fruit. Other stuff goes on shelves. Jars etc on shelves in inside of door.
Arati M.
February 11, 2021
That sounds like it works for you, so that's wonderful! I find the bins work to corral my bottles and jars. I have one narrow one and one wide one, and one divided bin for my freezer. The rest of the space, as you say, is reserved for my cooked/prepared food.
Jordan R.
February 11, 2021
I'm pro-bins (I use them in my cupboards and a few in my own fridge) but the "organized fridge" pictures never feel realistic to me. My fridge does not contain nothing but prepped veggies, LaCroix, and two forms of sauerkraut. I need a bin that organizes half a lime, a giant bundle of CSA Swiss chard, six jars of jam that are somehow all different shapes/sizes, and a half-eaten cake.
Arati M.
February 11, 2021
I hear you on that Jordan. My MO is to take the best of the ideas, and make those work for your situation (and where possible reuse/repurpose what you have). I have to say though, that the bins idea was a why-didn't-I-think-of-that moment for me.
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