Photograph Credit: Flickr (Bosch Appliances)
Even after eating a cookie while grocery shopping, my children are usually STARVING by the time we walk into the house. Not sure if it is all the food they see, or just the time of day. Whatever it is, they are hungry.
Upon sending them to the pantry for nourishment (ahem) or junk food, I concentrate on the counter full of groceries that I just unloaded. Before giving my pantry items a home (which will be covered in Part 2b), I turn my attention to the cold items which will be placed in the refrigerator or freezer.
Organizing the Refrigerator
Each shelf or drawer in my refrigerator holds certain items. By keeping the same system, I can quickly put items away and retrieve them while preparing meals and snacks. Though there are exceptions to these guideline when hosting parties, holidays, and other events, my refrigerator contains the following items on each shelf or in each drawer:
- Shelf #1 – beverages
- Shelf #2 – butter, eggs, bread, and sourdough starter
- Drawer #1 – cold cuts and bread dough
- Shelf #3 – yogurt, sour cream, and cream cheese
- Shelf #4 – leftovers
- Drawer #2 – fruits (apples, oranges), vegetables (potatoes, carrots), and spice (garlic)
- Drawer #3 – all cheeses
As I put the cold items away, I will stack new items on the bottom or in the back of existing products. By doing so, the older item gets used prior to the new container being opened. Though this is the goal, I currently have two opened jars of apple sauce on the fourth shelf in my refrigerator. 🙂
Organizing the Freezer
If I will be using the frozen item in the next week, then I place it in the freezer side of my side-by-side refrigerator in the house. All the other frozen items are place in our chest freezer housed in the garage. Again, having an organized system helps the “putting away” to go quickly. I have our chest freezer organized as follows:
Left side
- Packaged meats (ham, turkey, bacon, chicken, hot dogs, sausage)
- Boxed meals
Center basket
- Hamburger
- Roasts
- Steaks
Center bottom
- Pizzas
- Breads
- Desserts
- Double batch cooking (For some meals, I make multiple portions to save for busy nights.)
Right side
- Vegetables
- Pork chops
- Breakfast foods
When I put these items away, I place the newer items on the bottom or in back of other existing product. Any meats that need to be cut up or packaged together (i.e., chicken, pork chops, etc.), I put in the refrigerator until after all the groceries are put away. Then during meal preparations, I will divide up the hamburger, pork chops, etc., wrap, and place them in the chest freezer.
With all the cold items placed in the refrigerator or freezer, I can then concentrate on meeting my children’s needs. After addressing their starving situation and refilling their drinks, I then continue giving the other groceries a home which will be covered next week. In using time wisely, I have a designated spot for each type of item. This system works for me. Hope it works for you as well. Happy organizing!
Question: Do you designate shelves and drawers for specific items in your refrigerator and freezer? Please add your answer to the comments.