How to Organize Your Fridge and Freezer
- Tips and How To's
- 09/18/15
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Your FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealer does wonders for reorganizing a messy fridge. The air from your bags and rolls are removed, giving you far more space to work with. They preserve and protect your food much longer, so you don't have to worry about dense packing or freezer burn. And all of this makes bulk shopping and saving easier and even more cost-effective.
But it pays to know how to stock that fridge and freezer, too. Here are a few handy tips.
Organize Like a Restaurant
Take your cues from the pros. No one stocks a fridge as efficiently as the people who prepare food for a living. Using the same method, you should be storing your products in terms of their cooking temperatures. The ready-to-eat foods, like leftovers, fruits, veggies and yogurt, are stored toward the top of the fridge, while raw meats are stored toward the bottom.
This is done to prevent cross contamination. Foods that need to be cooked may drip, and this can jeopardize other ingredients below that aren't cooked at the same temperatures.
Of course, your fridge likely has humidity controls in drawers specifically for fresh fruit and veggies. If these are toward the bottom, by all means use them, but make sure there is an effective barrier between the drawers and the meats just above.
As for the shelves along the door, save this space for beverages and condiments only. This is the warmest part of the fridge, so storing eggs, cheeses or similar products here can jeopardize their freshness.
What About the Freezer?
The same door trick applies to the freezer as well. The coldest space is toward the bottom at the back, so keep the items you to keep frozen for a long time here. In the door, keep non-perishables, such as liquor, ice cubes and other things that you intend to use soon.
One of the greatest reasons to use a FoodSaver® Starter Kit is that the bags make it easy to store soups, rice, pastas and more in flat layers. This is one of the most effective ways to use space.
You can take convenience a step further by storing these items in specific amounts using rolls and portion pouches. Store in family sizes or individual meals depending on your cooking habits.
Labeling is key here, and you can make the process even easier by splitting the freezer into sections using plastic bins - one for fruit, another for ice cream, another for meat, etc. Remember to always put the date on the bag. That vacuum seal can keep your food fresh for months at a time, but it helps to know what time frame you're working with.
