Organizing Your Refrigerator

To Avoid Wasting Foods, Print this page and tape it to your refrigerator.

1) Use post-it notes. Use up what you have first, before buying more. Post-it notes on your fridge remind you of foods that need to be eaten and what meal ideas to make from them. Check your fridge contents and cupboards on a regular basis and use post-it notes to keep you on track about using everything you have, rather than always buying more.

2) Put foods in their right spot in the refrigerator. The basics:

Left side - Carnivorous foods; meats, eggs, dairy:                     

Right side - Vegetarian foods; grains, seeds, fruits, nuts and vegetables:  

The Door - This is the warmest spot in your fridge, so don’t put anything perishable there and do not store eggs in the door, even if your fridge has an egg compartment. And keep condiments highest, drinks, etc. lowest

Upper Shelves - Temperature there is constant making it the best spot to store leftovers, dairy   products and greens in the middle shelf.

Bottom Shelf - This is the coldest spot in the fridge, so avoid putting cucumbers there or celery as they will often freeze! But It’s a good place for meat, fish, and eggs.

Crisper drawers - Set them to high, medium or low humidity. Some fruits and vegetables emit ethylene gas, so they need to go in the low humidity drawer.

            Low Humidity         

            - Avocados,

            - Bananas, ripe

            - Bell peppers

            - Grapes

            - Mushrooms

            - Pears

            - Squash

            Medium Humidity  

            - Lemons

            - Limes,

            - Melons

            - Oranges, citrus

            - Sweet potatoes

            High Humidity 

            - Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green onions, hard vegetables (cabbage, etc.)

            - Fresh herbs

            - Greens, leafy (with additional protection, such as inside a plastic bag)

3)  At the end of the week, use up what you’ve got before buying anything else.

            If you shop on Saturday, use up everything on Thursday and Friday. The fridge            works best when it’s nearly empty and then gets filled with fresh stuff.