By Mary Lynne Murray
Reprinted from Contra Costa Times, April 26, 2003
WHEN MY daughter said "Mom, the refrigerator is gross,"
I realized it is another space that needs organization. A refrigerator-freezer
is similar to any other cabinet or closet in your house. Equipped
with shelves, drawers and compartments, the fridge has built-in
organization.
Before we begin, form a vision. Consider that everything you
do or have either supports your life or detracts from it. Thus,
take inventory of where you are with food. Doing so will help
you make decisions about how to organize the food in your refrigerator
and freezer. Questions to ask include:
- Do you consider your diet healthful?
- Are you struggling with health issues such as high blood pressure,
weight, high cholesterol or allergies?
- What things about your eating or cooking habits would you
like to change?
- Do others depend on you to stock the kitchen and/or prepare
food?
- Will others in your household be affected by changes you make?
With those questions in mind, let's head to the fridge. Start
at the top and work down.
- Remove all food. To avoid spoilage, store crucial items in
a cooler with ice packs and work fast.
- Focus. Don't plan to answer the phone or door. Turn on music
or talk radio if it helps you focus.
- Remove shelves and drawers for cleaning with soap and warm
water; pay attention to the location and attachment for reassembling
later. Wipe down the inside walls. Replace any appliance lights
that have gone out.
- Toss any food that has passed the expiration date. Separate
food that needs to be used up very soon, to be placed in a visible
spot later. Give away: food that doesn't help your health issues;
impulse purchases that no one in the family likes; and bulk
purchases that won't be used up before they go bad. A neighbor
or friend might like them. If the food item is in large quantity
and unopened, check with a food bank or soup kitchen before
donating it. Consolidate any duplicates, such as two ketchup
bottles.
You've weeded out surplus food, now it's time to reload your clean
fridge. Keep in mind basic storage principles:
- Used often -- Make these items easily accessible (milk, for
example) and at eye level.
- Used less often -- Store these items toward the back (parmesan
cheese, etc.).
- Group like items together. Condiments go in the refrigerator
door shelves or in a lazy Susan. Clear containers or resealable
plastic bags are best for leftovers because you can see the
contents. (Don't be afraid to remove a shelf to gain better
visibility. Being able to see the contents of your fridge means
less waste.)
- Encourage good habits. We started eating more apples when
they were stored in the fridge, where they get cold and crisp.
Like cold water without ice cubes? Keep bottled water or a water
pitcher on an easy-to-reach shelf.
In the freezer, use a permanent marker to label items with date
and contents. Freeze extras in gallon zip-lock bags, which store
flat and can be stacked easily.
If your freezer doesn't have much divided space, purchase storage
baskets made of coated steel. (Tight budget? Cardboard boxes also
work.) Group similar items together in the baskets: frozen vegetables
in one, meat in another.
Keep a running inventory of freezer contents. Depending on your
inclination, you can keep this on your computer or on a handwritten
list posted on the inside of a cupboard door. Remember to add
and delete items as they are used.
Check out the front of your fridge. Does it look like a magnet
for paper? Remove flyers, schedules and other reminders, tossing
any expired events. Magnets seem to multiply on a fridge. Pare
them down to a reasonable amount, one per family member.
Wipe down the front of the refrigerator, using Goof-Off for scuffs
that don't come off easily.
Enjoy the difference an organized refrigerator-freezer makes in
supporting your life.
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