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Have you ever opened your refrigerator, only to be greeted by a chaotic jumble of items that makes finding what you need feel like a treasure hunt? This is a common scenario pretty much everywhere, but it’s an especially important concern in places like the Philippines, where large households and a deep love for cooking and eating are commonplace.
For anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, the art of maximizing refrigerator space becomes an essential skill. Whether you’re trying to organize a compact unit in a studio apartment or a large two door refrigerator in your family home, the challenge remains the same: how do you make the most of the available space? To help you out, here are some practical, easy-to-implement tips for maximizing space and enhancing the functionality of any fridge:
Adjust Your Shelves
Most refrigerators come with adjustable shelves, which are designed to enable the storage of differently sized items. When you start organizing your fridge, take a moment to determine what items you store most frequently and alter the shelves to accommodate them. For example, if you often have tall bottles or containers, try creating a higher space. This simple rearrangement can make a world of difference when it comes to effectively utilizing the amount of vertical space in your fridge.
Toss Out Store-Bought Packaging
It may seem more convenient to leave store-bought items in their original bags, boxes, or cartons, but these are usually quite bulky and likely to take up more fridge space than necessary. Instead, consider getting rid of the products’ original packaging and transferring the contents into clear, airtight containers. Doing so doesn’t just save you space, but also keeps your food fresher for longer. Plus, the clear containers allow you to see what’s inside at a glance, which reduces the time you have to spend searching for items.
Invest in Stackable Containers
Stackable containers are another great way to maximize vertical space in your fridge, particularly if you have a small, narrow model. Invest in a few clear boxes and bins in various sizes that can fit one on top of the other to help you neatly arrange items into your fridge. These containers can store everything from leftovers to pre-prepped ingredients, and even small packets of sauce from takeout orders.
Utilize Door Storage
Many people make the mistake of either underutilizing the available storage compartments in the door of their refrigerator, or of storing random items in the door shelves with no rhyme or reason. Ideally, you’ll want to use your door to store bottled drinks, dressings, and other items that don’t need to sit in the coldest part of the fridge.
If you and the members of your household are constantly reaching for various sauces and seasonings, for example, storing them in your fridge keeps them readily accessible and frees up valuable shelf space. On the other hand, avoid storing dairy, eggs, and other perishables that require colder storage conditions in this area. Due to constant opening and closing, your fridge door will inevitably be warmer than the inside.
Group Similar Items Together
Storing similar items in the same part of your fridge makes finding things easier; it also facilitates better space management. Dedicate specific areas for dairy products, beverages, leftovers, and fresh produce. Those who use a wide variety of fresh ingredients daily will especially want to implement this tip. By knowing exactly where everything is located, you’ll save time and also need to move items around less frequently, which should help prevent clutter and accidental spills.
Put Perishable Items in Front
In the Philippines’ warm and tropical climate, improperly stored food can spoil quickly. To minimize waste and ensure you’re using only the freshest ingredients for your meals, place perishable items like fresh fruit and vegetables at the front of your fridge. This makes it easier for you to remember to use them before they go bad.
Label Drawers and Bins
If there are many people using the fridge throughout the day, or if you want to take the efficiency of your meal prep to the next level, try labeling the various compartments and containers in your refrigerator. This will help you maintain an organized fridge and make it clear to everyone where items should go. You could label sections based on food type, like “Vegetables,” “Meats,” and “Dairy,” or even based on meal prep stages like “To Cook” and “Ready to Eat.” You may also want to date containers of leftovers, so it’s easier to identify what needs to be eaten first.
No matter what kind of fridge you have, incorporating these strategies can help you keep it organized and functioning at its best for a long time. In the process, you’re not just creating more refrigerator space but also a more efficient and sustainable kitchen that you should have no trouble using each day.
