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.
Welcome to Storage Wars, a new series about the best ways to store, well, everything. From how to keep produce orderly in the fridge (or not), to ways to get your oddball nooks and crannies shipshape; and yes, how to organize all those unwieldy containers once and for all—we've got you covered.
This past year, my fridge has been through tumultuous times, swinging between desert island-empty and world-is-ending-full. I’ve used the lean times to clean it out: wiping down shelves, removing expired foods, and airing it out (an open packet of baking soda really does wonders for odors!). But then, in the blink of a blizzard, it’d be full again.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from having a very full fridge, it’s that it quickly descends into chaos. And food waste.
Some of the best tips I’ve learned from working at Food52 are around how to extend the life of food in my fridge (lower shelves for dairy and eggs! Separate ethylene-producing fruits and veggies from ethylene-sensitive ones!). But there's a separate problem that has long plagued my fridge—a complete lack of order. The biggest culprits (and victims)? My condiments, chutneys, and spreads, teeny containers of takeaway sauces, mason jars of pickled veggies, and that bottle of mold from who-knows-when stuck in the back.
My freezer reported similar scenes of chaos: packs of samosa, waffles, and black bean burgers collapsing on each other.
On the verge of giving up, I turned to the corners of the internet (Instagram and Pinterest, of course) that order-seekers go to for a shot of hope, and there staring at me was the solution to my sorting woes: BINS. Yes, bins. The kind that go in your pantry, below the sink, and on your bathroom ledge. But also belong in your fridge.
I rushed out an email to organizing pro, Rachel Rosenthal: "Was I missing a trick," I asked? Short answer, yes—and she’s been on it all along: "It’s actually one of my number one go-to organizing hacks." Zoning, she says, is the outcome I was looking for. "As with all organizing," she continued, "it's important to create categories in your fridge: snacks for the kids, dinner ingredients, leftovers, produce—and bins help you do that."
Rosenthal especially recommends bins for their stackability—to utilize the height in your fridge. "This allows you to maximize the space by going vertical but still allows for easy access for the items stored underneath." As she said that, I had a feeling of déjà vu. Wait a minute—I was already doing that… but in my pantry.
That got me thinking: If it’s good for your pantry, it’s probably good for the fridge. After all, the same principles apply: zone, label, stack, elevate. So, why stop at bins? Why not employ all pantry organizers—trays, baskets, lazy Susans, even tiered shelf organizers? Why hadn't I thought of that before?
As it turns out, buying bins was way more exciting than I thought it’d be: there were bins to contain condiments and yogurts, for berries and yogurts, even divided bins for freezer contents. And if you’re not keen on accumulating more plastic, which I totally get, I have two words for you: wicker baskets! I came across the inspiration the other day (I’m on a roll.) and it prized my organizing brain wide open. "Farm-stand vibes for your city fridge," Caroline Mullen, Assistant Editor, called it. Try saying no to that.
Before you go, I’m going to leave you with one last thought: Once you’ve sorted your fridge into bins, you’ll be left with less drips and dribbles on your shelves. All you need to do is clean out the bins each month (or wash/replace their liners) and your fridge will need to be deep-cleaned that much less. The wins never stop coming!
My (new) favorite pantry fridge organizing tools:
1. The Home Edit Fridge Storage Solution, The Container Store
The Home Edit ladies are at it again, telling us what we need before we even realize we need it. This collection of bins is great as a combined buy, but if you're like me, you'll pick individual items to suit your needs (Pssst: I went with this, this, and this.)
2. Wire Basket, IKEA
Wire mesh bowls and baskets are incredibly useful to have around—just ask your fruit and eggs. You can also use these instead of plastic bins to corral bottles together, but you'll want to use liners so things don't drip onto your shelves (the very thing you want to avoid!)
3. Food Storage Container Bin with Handles, Amazon
This conveniently sized storage bin (with handles for grab-n-go!) is perfect for boxed foods, condiments, and baking supplies. It's also great for using throughout the home: we can see it holding medicines, toiletries, craft and school supplies...
4. Nested Mixing Bowls, Food52
Instead of buying bins for berries and citrus, maybe let your mixing bowls do double-duty in the fridge. And when they're not needed (my fridge in lean times), stack 'em away neatly—they nest together!
Rosti Pebble Margrethe Nested Mixing Bowl Set
$90
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5. Pull-out under shelf drawers, Walmart
These retractable under-shelf bins can be adjusted to the size you need to maximize space utilization. Plus, those candy colors get me every time.
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Written by: Arati Menon
Popular on Food52
18 Comments
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 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).
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)
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)
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