Whether you’re a die-hard efficiency nut or simply concerned with winning spousal spats over the proper way to store this or that (not pointing fingers at anyone but myself here), we at Epicurious have great news: There is an optimal way to put food in your fridge.
While simply cramming any comestible anywhere in a properly functioning refrigerator will keep it cold, some foods prefer certain areas of your fridge over others, and understanding fridge organization is your best bet for getting the most out of your food and your appliance. Besides, an unkempt fridge is not only unsightly, it’s energy inefficient: The more time you leave the fridge door open while scouring the shelves for that Parmesan rind you just know is in there, the more warm air floods in. A well-organized fridge also helps to cut down on food waste and can lower your chances of contracting a foodborne illness.
So, read on to learn the ways of fridge packing mastery.
Know your zones
Your fridge is not simply The Big Cold Box, because modern refrigerators generally do not maintain the exact same temperature throughout every square inch of their interiors. Essentially, your fridge is a collection of microclimates—zones of slightly warmer or slightly colder temperatures, and greater or lesser humidity.
Typically, the coldest zone is at the back of the fridge, while the warmer zones are in the doors and near the front. Place items that require lower temperatures, such as raw meat and dairy products, in the coldest areas. Foods that are less sensitive to temperature fluctuations—such as condiments, water, and juice—should be stored on or nearest to the doors.
Remember some basics of thermodynamics: Heat rises, which means those upper shelves are prone to some fluctuation too. The middle shelves tend to keep the most consistent temperatures, so temperature-sensitive items like eggs are best stored in the middle and toward the back.
That being said, however, your overall refrigerator temperature will vary depending on your temperature settings and the model of your fridge. While an ideal refrigerator might have one very cold zone for meat and seafood and another, much warmer zone for citrus fruits and root vegetables that prefer cellar temperatures, most modern refrigerators don’t actually allow a lot of fine-tuning. (As one 2018 study on fridge design notes, “Little variation was found in the nominal storage temperatures among current refrigeration appliances.”) Your standard fridge is more like your standard oven—set to a single temperature but prone to fluctuations due to physics and individual design that you’ll discover with time.
Keep it tidy
Group similar items together to keep your fridge organized and make it easier to find things, which will help to cut down on food waste and minimize the time spent with the fridge door open. Store fruits and vegetables in designated drawers or crisper bins if your fridge has them, and adjust the drawers’ humidity settings accordingly.
Humidity controls in many fridges simply adjust the amount of fresh air that flows in or out. If your fridge doesn’t have crisper drawers or humidity controls, you can buy produce bins with adjustable air vents in their lids that allow more or less air inside. More airflow, whether in a crisper drawer or produce bin, means less humidity; less airflow means more humidity. Generally speaking, fruits and vegetables are best stored in high relative humidity environments, though fruits can stand slightly drier conditions. Ethylene producers like apples and avocados, which prefer slightly lower humidity than many vegetables, still release ethylene at fridge temperatures, so store them separately from leafy greens, which prefer higher humidity and will wilt faster in the presence of ethylene. (Remember, eggplants are better kept on a cool, dark countertop than at typical fridge temperatures.)
Organization is only half of it, though. Consider setting a reminder on your phone to clean out your fridge every two to three months, which has myriad benefits. Keeping a clean fridge will help you avoid food waste while freeing up space for fresh refrigerated items. From a sanitation perspective, cleaning your fridge regularly decreases the potential for ingesting illness-causing bacteria, some of which still proliferate at fridge temperatures. Meanwhile, moldy food left in the fridge will produce spores and spread to other foods, hastening their decay. When cleaning your fridge, avoid harsh chemical solvents and use hot, soapy water to thoroughly clean every surface inside.
FIFO PLS
Keeping your fridge organized also means knowing what’s pushing the perishability limit. Do as many restaurants do and implement the "first in, first out" (FIFO) rule to ensure that perishable items are used before they expire. When restocking your fridge, place newer items behind older ones; you can also order them by expiration or best-by date. Use the items in the front first to cut down on food waste and ensure you’re not eating expired products.
Don’t overpack
It’s tempting to stuff as much food into your fridge as humanly possible, but that actually decreases the efficiency of its cooling system. Try to avoid packing your fridge any more than 75% full to allow for proper air circulation inside the fridge—overcrowding shelves can impede the flow of cold air and cause uneven cooling. Leave some space between items to allow the air to circulate freely, particularly around perishable items.
Get ’em (in the fridge) while they’re hot
With the exception of large batches of very hot food, warm leftovers should go into the fridge as soon as possible. Waiting until food has cooled before you stick it in the fridge keeps it in the so-called danger zone for pathogens, increasing your risk of foodborne illness. Keep in mind the rules of overpacking and give your leftovers a little breathing room when you place them on the shelf.
Above all else, avoid meat drips
Generally speaking, it’s best to store raw meat, poultry, and seafood on the lowest shelf or in a dedicated meat drawer, which will prevent those foods from dripping on anything else—especially ready-to-eat foods like cheeses and salad greens. Make sure that meat, poultry, and fish are well-sealed to prevent any drips or leaks that could contaminate other foods.
If you happen to have a large refrigerator or consume a lot of animal proteins, you might want to separate your meats even further. ServSafe, a food and beverage safety training and certificate program administered by the US National Restaurant Association, suggests in its training manual that restaurant workers use a tiered fridge storage system based on the minimum internal cooking temperature of each food. Ready-to-eat foods go on top, followed by seafood, then whole cuts of beef and pork, ground meat and ground fish, and finally whole and ground poultry at the bottom. This ensures that salmonella from your raw chicken doesn’t contaminate and survive on that piece of salmon that you’re lightly searing.
If you don’t have a dedicated drawer for raw meat and want to be even more cautious, you might consider using a dedicated storage container. Glass is your best bet here—besides obviating the need for another piece of plastic that will eventually wind up in a landfill, glass containers won’t absorb flavors or aromas from meat and fish.
So, take the opportunity to give your fridge the kind of KonMari makeover it deserves: Keep it clean, keep it organized, and keep it logical.
