ok, I feel stupid asking this and maybe there is no real answer- but how do you organize your fridge/freezer? I feel like mine always gets so disorganized and then stuff gets pushed to the back where I can't see it and I forget about it and it goes bad. Any tips? I don't even have *that* much food, so its not like its overstuffed. Although at any given time DH will be taking up the entire bottom shelf with soda and he insists that we keep a ton of condiments in the house.
I have a dairy/egg shelf, meat/cheese bin, area for leftovers and I keep condiments together. At least that's how it starts out right after I clean out my fridge! One tip I read that I want to try is having a sandwich center (if you make sandwiches). They recommended getting a shallow Tupperware tray and putting everything you'd need to make a sandwich on it. Then you can pull the tray out and whip your sandwich together. Oh, and I try to buy smaller containers of condiments, unless it is a HUGE savings to buy the larger size. Even though I shop at Costco a lot, I refuse to buy the huge jars of mayo, mustard, ketchup, pickles. It drives me crazy to have those big jars taking up half my fridge.
One tip I read that I want to try is having a sandwich center (if you make sandwiches). They recommended getting a shallow Tupperware tray and putting everything you'd need to make a sandwich on it. Then you can pull the tray out and whip your sandwich together.
top shelf...left over things in jars/cans (like cottage cheese, pizza sauce)
next shelf...beverages
there's a small shelf (couple inches) with breads
then the shelf under that i keep thawed meat, etc...
the drawers are meat/cheese, veggie, and fruit (you could make one drawer a soda drawer)
the condiments on the sides of the door
the freezer...
top shelf ice cream
middle shelf frozen meats (fish, shrimp, etc..)
next shelf boxed foods (tv dinners, etc..)
drawer frozen veggies, vodka
sides, prepared food not in boxes (usually trader joe bags of frozen meals)
hth..and made sense...
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"i tell you one lesson I learned
If you want to be something in life, You ain't gonna get it unless, You give a little bit of sacrifice, Oohh, sometimes before you smile you got to cry.." -The Roots
I really can't speak for refrigerater organization because i LOATHE my fridge, it is tiny & has very little stand up room which is usually taken by wine & milk....
But here is what I do to stop the madness of throwing out food. When I get home from the grocery, I make a list of things I have to eat & put it on the refrigerator with a magnet, like I have a list of snacks (yogurt, carrots, string cheese, cucumber/ tomatoes, fruit, etc) & a list of meals /sides (sandwich stuff, eggplant whatever) so that I remember that I have that in my fridge, plus it reminds me of why I bought that pound of ground meat or whatever ie, to make chili. It really works when i stick to it. Which i admit to not always doing, but i try.
-- Edited by laken1 at 13:00, 2006-01-25
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Who do you have to probe around here to get a Chardonnay? - Roger the Alien from American Dad
this thread reminds me of my mom. A few years ago she got in a label-making phase and now her fridge has them all over! i.e., "butter," "bread," etc. It's hilarious.
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"We live in an age where unnecessary things are our only necessities." --Oscar Wilde
this thread reminds me of my mom. A few years ago she got in a label-making phase and now her fridge has them all over! i.e., "butter," "bread," etc. It's hilarious.
lol!! I seriously considered doing that... but decided its a little much! I love the "sandwich staion thing... I just threw everythign in a tupperware and it really does save a lot of space cause you can just toss it all in there and stack it. I think the problem is that my unit doesn't have enough shelves/bins. No meat drawer- just two shelves in the fridge and none at all in the freezer.