Tips For Organizing Your Fridge Larder
A fridge's larder is the ideal location to store food items that are no longer in use. You can also make use of a smaller refrigerator and reduce your energy costs!
It's a convenient place to store items such as eggs, bread and hard cheeses. Fresh herbs also benefit from a low moisture.
Keep It Organized
A refrigerator larder can reduce food waste, and makes it easier to locate items when cooking. The refrigerator, as with any other room in your home can become overcrowded and out of control. Here are a few suggestions to keep your fridge organized and running smoothly.
Take Inventory
The most important aspect of organizing your fridge is taking inventory, according to Holly Blakey, a professional organizer at Breathing Room. "Take everything out and look for the expiration dates. Clean all surfaces." Get rid of expired food items or throw them away and get rid of any food items that aren't intended to be consumed before they go bad.
When you restock your fridge, ensure that the items that are most frequently used are front and the center, Blakey advises. Then, put the items that are not often used in the back and back of your refrigerator.
Organize Your Freezer
If you have a chest freezer arrange it using clear storage bins that make it easier to locate food items. Clearly label each bin and group similar items together. For instance, you can store a bin to store condiments, another for sodas and a third for cheese sticks. You can also use a lazy Susan to store condiments and other items that are often used. This will prevent them from getting lost in the back of your.
Store foods that need the coldest temperatures in the back of a side-by-side refrigerator and other items that require warmer temperatures towards the front. The lower shelf is ideal for cream, milk or butter (it doesn't melt) and yogurt, as well as other items that don't require constant temperatures. The crisper drawers work best to store spilled fruits and vegetables.
Drawer dividers can make your fridge more functional and are easy to install. They'll stop your fruits and veggies from getting lost in. They will also stop them from spoiling. Additionally, they'll help ensure that your drawers remain clean and organized. To prolong the longevity of tender herbs, store them in water. Mason jars that are filled with an inch of liquid are ideal for. Alternately, you can purchase an herb saver to place in your refrigerator.
Make sure it is visible
A well-organized fridge will allow you to reach for healthy meals that keep you satisfied and happy throughout the day. Make sure that all of your containers for food are clear so you can see the contents. This will inform you of the number of days you have left on the expiration dates, and prevent you from conserving food that has expired.
Start your fridge larder off with a thorough clean by cleaning the drawers, shelves and racks using warm water and dish soap. Give your fridge a good wipe down to get rid of any soiled crumbs and spills that might have accumulated over the course of time.
After everything is clean and dry now is the time to replenish your refrigerator. Start with the deli and cheese drawer -- this is where you should keep your cheeses, deli meats leftovers, dairy items and other food items. Then, you can move to the produce drawer. This is where you should keep the leafy greens as they can are prone to wilting. Make sure fridge on sale is at least three-quarters full to ensure maximum freshness.
The pantry drawers in certain refrigerators is a great place to store storage of party trays, large bags of frozen vegetables and other food items that are bulky. This drawer can be used to store condiments, such as mustard and ketchup, as well as nut-butters, and other canned products. Do not store any milk in this area though, as it can go bad quickly due to the fluctuating temperatures in the fridge door.
Finally, the refrigerator's back should be reserved for jarred meals such as salad dressings, salad dressings, and other condiments that are able to last longer. Use a riser on jars to make them easier to read. This will save you from having to open and close the lid a few times, which can prolong the shelf life of your condiments.
As you stock every bin, make it a effort to label it using the help of a marker or stickers that are easy to read. This will make it easy for your family to understand what each container contains, and for you to locate the items you need. Labeled bins are an excellent way of decluttering your fridge and reducing the amount of plastic waste you generate.
Keep Cool
A fridge with a good larder can keep food items at the correct temperature to avoid spoilage and to slow down the growth of bacteria. Larders can be built into existing cabinetry or stand on their own. They are typically located on the north-facing side of the house to minimize sun exposure. They could also be equipped with additional insulation or ventilation to keep heat from getting into the food storage area. They also typically have more solid walls and less windows to keep the interior at the lower temperature than other areas of the home.
A larder should include one drawer for meat and one for vegetables each with a distinct setting that can be programmed to the right temperature. This will ensure that the chicken and burgers are cooked to perfection, however the salad greens will not get too wilted. You can also set the drawer in the larder to low humidity for any fruit or vegetable which release a lot of moisture such as cucumbers or tomatoes.
To preserve cheese, you can store it in other drawers of the refrigerator. Wrapped in paper, greaseproof or Clingfilm or greaseproof film to keep it fresher for longer. Drinks, non-perishable condiments such as ketchup, water and eggs can also be kept in the fridge's door. The fridge door is not the best place to store milk because it is warmer and less stable than other drawers.
For a sleek appearance, separating small containers of food and snacks can help to make the contents more noticeable, which is also useful when family members are looking for food items on the go. Labeling bins or shelves to identify which food items should be eaten first is a good idea, particularly when your family members don't know how to read labels!
Larders are also a great place to keep leftovers. You can keep them in a variety of glass and plastic containers that are safe for food items. They are great to store smaller portions of food items. Having these ready for quick meals is a great way to save time and money when shopping. If you have a clean well-organized fridge that has the space designated for these items, it will make it easier to keep track of your grocery budget.
Keep It Fresh
The best ways to organize your fridge reduce food waste and help your healthy food items last longer. A few smart strategies will keep your fresh food at the right temperature and make it easy to check what's in your fridge.
Most refrigerators have crisper drawers that are designed to change airflow and increase humidity to extend the lifespan of fruits and vegetables. It is essential to use these drawers in a proper manner. Mixing fruits and greens can cause the former, such as the greens, to turn brown or spoil too quickly because of the ethylene that is produced. Separating the different types of produce and storing them in the appropriate drawers is crucial.
Door shelves are often the warmest area of the fridge and should be reserved for items that don't require extra cold or storage conditions that are special, such as jars of jam, chutneys salad dressings, long-life juices (anything bought in bulk with the same date of use). The top shelf is great for drinks that can be stored upright without leaking, including milk and water.
Refrigerator drawers can be difficult to keep organized with items rolling around and getting jumbled together There are easy tricks to help. First, invest in a set of refrigerator drawer dividers to keep your food items separated and stop them from colliding with each one. Organizing by height also helps. It is easier to store items of similar heights together. Don't put items that aren't of the same height in the same drawer.
A thermometer is another essential item to have in your fridge. It's a low-cost, easy to use tool that will make sure your fridge is operating at the ideal temperature to keep your food safe and fresh.
Don't forget to keep a supply of plastic grocery bags in your fridge to store items that don't have their own container. The moisture contained in the bag stops vegetables from becoming rotten. For herbs that normally go through a slow decline in the course of a day, you can keep them fresher for longer by washing them and putting them in a glass of water. This is just as efficient as a plastic bag at retaining moisture.