Is your fridge in a complete state of chaos? A disorganised fridge can be a nightmare to live with – and it can even be hazardous to your health.
There are certain foods which belong on certain shelves. For example, it’s sensible to put meat products on lower shelves just in case the packaging leaks and contaminates the shelf below.
A lack of fridge organisation can mean that food goes to waste too, because you lose track of where things are and it’s easy to forget what you’ve bought.
It’s important to know which foods need to be stored in the fridge and which can be safely left in your kitchen cabinets too. There are long-running arguments over whether sauces belong in the cupboard or the fridge, which we’d love to settle!
Reorganise your messy fridge using our top tips and read on to learn which food you should store inside.
What to put in the fridge (and which foods are fine to leave out)
What you should – or shouldn’t – store in the fridge is often up for debate, so we’re here to settle the arguments once and for all.
1. Tomato ketchup and other condiments
Heinz ketchup recently settled the age-old debate by posting on social media that the tangy sauce should actually be stored in the fridge.
It’s recommended to keep tomato ketchup and other condiments in the fridge, unless you’re likely to use them up very quickly.
Sauces usually contain preservatives such as sugar or vinegar, so they should be safe to store in the cupboard. However, you might notice that the colour or flavour of the sauces changes if you do.. If you usually take months to get through a bottle of ketchup, it’s best to keep it in the fridge.
Wherever you store your condiments, make sure you check them for signs of spoilage before you use them.
2. Eggs
Should you store eggs in the fridge? If you’re based in the UK, it’s fine to keep eggs outside of the fridge. This is because in the UK, eggs are not cleaned as part of the collection process, meaning that their protective outer cuticle remains intact.
In the US, eggs are washed with warm water and a detergent, which destroys the cuticle, so they need to be kept refrigerated to prevent bacteria forming.
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) says that you should refrigerate eggs and make sure they’re cooked through you eat them to reduce your risk of contracting salmonella.
In the UK, the Food Standards Agency recommends storing eggs away from other kinds of food to prevent food poisoning. If you’re storing them in the fridge, use an egg tray to prevent contamination.
3. Coffee
Lots of people store coffee in the fridge, but this isn’t the best place for it. The fridge is too light and humid for storing coffee – and coffee tends to absorb the scent of other food stored in the fridge.
Coffee has a strong aroma, so it can also affect the taste of other food stored in the fridge if it’s not properly sealed.
The best place to keep your coffee is in an opaque sealed container in the cupboard, where you can protect it from light and heat.
The experts at seriouscoffee.com recommend using your coffee beans within 72 hours of roasting for best results. If you’re unable to use them within that time frame, they recommend freezing the beans.
4. Bread
You don’t need to store bread in the fridge unless you live in a hot, humid climate. Putting bread in the fridge causes the starch to crystallise, meaning that it will go stale faster than if you leave it out on the counter.
If you don’t think you’re going to get through your loaf quickly, it’s better to put it in the freezer and defrost slices when you need them.
Bear in mind that fresh bread will go off much faster than most kinds of shop-bought bread, as it has fewer preservatives.
5. Tomatoes
While you can store tomatoes in the fridge, chilling them does sacrifice flavour. According to BBC Science Focus chilling tomatoes slows down the ripening process and reduces the levels of the enzymes that are responsible for flavour and fragrance – leaving you with tasteless toms.
Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing says that you should keep tomatoes at room temperature to bring out their natural sweetness. He suggests placing them in a bowl on a sunny windowsill to make sure your tomatoes taste their best.
Tomatoes emit ethylene gas, which can cause other fruits to ripen more quickly, so keep them away from your fruit bowl!
6. Bananas
Bananas need to be kept out of the fridge to allow them to fully ripen. Like tomatoes, they also release ethylene gas, so they could cause the rest of your fruit to ripen more quickly.
7. Preserves
If you haven’t opened your jams and jellies, they can be safely kept in a cupboard or a cool, dark place.
Once you’ve opened them, keep them in the fridge so that they last longer. The cool temperatures should stop them getting mouldy, but if you do see any signs of mould on your preserves then throw them away.
According to TV chef Nigella Lawson, homemade jams should be used up within 12 months.
8. Honey
Unlike jams and jellies, honey belongs in the kitchen cabinet. If you put honey in the fridge, the low temperatures will cause it to crystallise and become solid.
Honey will still solidify in the cupboard if it’s left there for too long, but the process will be much slower.
While honey often has a best-before date on the jar, it has a high sugar content so it will never go off. If you find that your honey has hardened, simply put it in a container of warm water for at least 15 minutes to dissolve the sugar.
9. Potatoes
The old advice used to be that potatoes should be stored in a cool dark place, but Love Food Hate Waste says that it’s perfectly safe to store them in the fridge.
Scientists worried that keeping potatoes in the fridge would lead to the formation of additional sugars, which would then break down into a cancer-causing chemical called acrylamide.
Luckily, research has shown that refrigerating potatoes doesn’t increase the risk of acrylamide forming, so you can chill your spuds!
10. Onions
Onions can go in the fridge, but the humidity and cold temperatures can make them go soft more quickly. They’ll be much happier in a cool, dry cupboard away from sunlight.
Make sure you keep them away from your potatoes though: onions release ethylene which will make your potatoes go off much more quickly.
If you have some chopped onion left over from a recipe, it can go in the fridge – or you can freeze it to cut down on cooking times when you’re in a hurry.
11. Chocolate
Lots of people enjoy eating chocolate straight from the fridge for extra crunch, but the experts at Hotel Chocolat say that putting your treats in the fridge could make it taste worse.
Chocolate absorbs flavours and odours from its surroundings, so it could end up tasting like last night’s leftovers!
Chilling chocolate can also lead to a white bloom forming on the surface. The bloom is harmless, but it’s a sign that the sugars in the chocolate have recrystallised and your chocolate will taste less creamy.
In a heatwave, you may need to put your chocolate in the fridge. If you do, make sure it’s in a sealed container so that it doesn’t soak up any unwanted flavours.
12. Cake
The fridge is a bad place to store baked goods of any kind. The cold makes the starch in the cake recrystallise and this pushes out any moisture, leaving you with a dry and stale sponge!
Instead, keep your cake in a cool place inside a sealed plastic container. Smaller slices can be wrapped in plastic film to keep in the moisture.
13. Citrus fruits
The GoodFood experts advise keeping your citrus fruits in a bowl for up to a week, but says that they’ll last for months in the fridge.
Bear in mind that citrus fruits are often covered in a thin layer of wax to preserve them during transit. Waxed oranges and lemons will last longer than unwaxed ones.
Unwaxed fruit is best for baking, so make sure you check the packaging when you buy them.
14. Apples
Apples can be stored in the fridge or in your fruit bowl. If you usually get through your apples quickly, leave them out.
If you take a little longer to munch your way through a bag of apples (or you’re going away for a couple of weeks), keep them refrigerated. They’ll still be fresh and crunchy when you’re ready to eat them!
15. Meat and fish
Meat and fish should always be stored in the fridge to prevent food poisoning. Allow cooked meat to cool to room temperature before you put it in the fridge – you shouldn’t leave it out longer than two hours before chilling it, according to the Food Standards Agency.
16. Avocados
Should avocados go in the fridge? Avocados are notoriously tricky – peel them too soon and they’ll be rock hard, but if you miss that brief window of ripeness they’ll turn to mush.
Here’s the secret: you can ripen your avocados in a bowl, then place them in the fridge once they’re perfectly ripe so they last longer.
17. Olive oil
Olive oil and other types of oil can be left in a dark cabinet, as UV light can cause the oil to break down over time.
Ideally, you should use your olive oil within a couple of months to make sure it tastes its best. If your oil smells musty then it has gone bad and you shouldn’t use it.
18. Berries
Most types of berries have an extremely short shelf life and will go off within a couple of days. Raspberries tend to go mouldy very rapidly, even if stored in the fridge, while blueberries can last up to two weeks (depending on when they were picked).
You can keep berries out on the counter if you’re planning on eating them that day.
19. Mayonnaise
It’s fine to keep unopened jars of mayonnaise in the larder, but once they’re opened they should go in the fridge. It’ll keep your mayo tasting delicious and free from mould and bacteria.
20. Dairy products
Cheese, milk and yoghurts all go in the fridge. It doesn’t take long for milk to spoil if you leave it out, as warm temperatures encourage bacteria to grow.
Pasteurised milk usually lasts around three days once opened. If in doubt, sniff the top of the bottle to see if it’s still fresh. Fresh milk should smell sweet and creamy, but if it smells sour then it’s probably on the turn.
How to organise your fridge
1. Deep clean your fridge
Start by removing everything and cleaning the fridge thoroughly. Set aside any items that don’t really need to go back in the fridge, such as bananas, potatoes and tomatoes, and pop these into baskets or serving bowls instead.
2. Arrange your food by date
Create a ‘Use me first’ shelf at the top of the fridge and move leftovers up here, as well as any food about to go out of date – this is a great way to reduce waste.
3. Rearrange the other shelves
Rearrange the other shelves, as certain foods last longer when stored in specific areas. Upper shelves are better for spreads, the middle shelf is the most consistent temperature so is best for eggs and dairy, and meat and fish should go in the drawers at the base of the fridge, which is the coldest part.
4. Maximise storage
Maximise storage by making use of vertical space: use stackable, transparent containers so you can see where things are in an instant. Try storing carrots, limes, and broccoli in jars of water to prolong their lives; put berries and leafy greens in airtight containers lined with kitchen towel.
5. Get a turntable organiser
A turntable organiser is ideal for condiment jars, helping to make items at the back of the fridge more accessible, and less likely to be wasted.
How to organise a freezer
Now you’ve organised your fridge exactly the way you want, why not tackle the freezer? We’ve put together some handy tips to help you give your freezer a deep clean and take stock of its contents.
1. Run an inventory
Run an inventory check of everything in the freezer. Different types of food have varying periods of shelf-life and how long they can stay in the freezer. As a general rule, throw out anything that’s been frozen for over a year.
2. Label your food containers with the date
Label food containers or freezer bags with what’s inside and the date it was frozen. Permanent markers are great for this, but you can also write a label and tuck it inside the container or freezer bag, as it won’t stick in cold temperatures.
3. Defrost your freezer regularly
If there’s a build-up of ice you’ll need to defrost the freezer as ice acts an insulator, making it work harder to keep the food cold. Put your remaining frozen food in a cool box with some freezer blocks, then it switch off.
Take out all the drawers and set aside. Set newspaper around the freezer and put dry towels inside to soak up as much water as possible.
4. Wash the drawers with hot soapy water
Wash the drawers in hot soapy water and once the freezer has defrosted, wipe it with a cloth and antibacterial spray. Dry the freezer as much as possible with towels, then switch it back on. It may take several hours before it reaches the right temperature to put your frozen food back in.
5. Use up defrosted food quickly
If any food has defrosted in the meantime, then don’t refreeze it - instead, make a meal plan to use it up within a safe timeline, according to packet instructions.
How to organise a fridge to keep your food fresh
Organising your fridge the right way will make sure your food stays fresher for longer – and tastes its best!
A well-organised fridge will also help you to reduce food waste, as you’re less likely to forget what you’ve bought with everything neatly arranged! Reducing food waste is good for the environment and will save you money too.
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