Organize Your Refrigerator for Holiday Cooking
How to Make Room in a Stuffed Fridge for Company Food & Entertaining
Nov 7, 2008
In the late fall, you arrive home with a 15-pound turkey, a ham, a sweet potato pie, whipped cream, jellied cranberry sauce, extra milk for the company and ten other bags of assorted ingredients. You move things, remove things and shuffle the contents. It's hard to throw a holiday party or cook for company if you can’t seem to jam it all in the fridge.
Getting your refrigerator organized before entertaining, or any time you entertain company, is a good way to make things go smoother. You’ll save time by no longer needing to hunt for things. It’s much easier to tell when you are running out of something if it has a home in the fridge. As a bonus, it ensures that your company is not wolfing down something and embarrassing you by asking about the green stuff in the blue dish.
In some ways, refrigerators arrive at your house organized. They come equipped with bins for fruit and vegetables. They have drawers for meats and cheeses. Bottles go in the door. There may even be a compartment for butter or eggs.
It looks easy but is so often a mess. Here’s a checklist to help you make the most of your space for the coming holidays.
Bottles and Jars: Remove bottles and jars from the racks in the door. Gather up any strays on shelves. Wipe off the shelves and as you sort your bottles, return them to the clean space. Begin by examining use-by dates. Most likely, you’ll have things to discard. Next, sort the bottles by like kind, for example putting all salad dressings together. If you find multiple bottles of the same thing, grab a funnel and see if you can combine them into one bottle.
Bins and Drawers: Empty the contents from bins and drawers. Wipe them out and wipe off the shelves under the bins. Discard spoiled produce or outdated meats and cheeses. Return foods to the bins. Make a note of anything that needs to be used soon. Planning a meal around those items will allow you to use it and free up space for new food.
Shelves: Remove everything from the shelves. Wipe them off. Before returning the items to the shelves, consider adjusting the height of the shelves. Refrigerator shelving is adjustable but we seldom take the time to do so. Examine if you have used every bit of space. Perhaps, if you raise your top shelf, you can use all your vertical space and gain extra space in a lower area.
Sort your Food: Before returning food to the shelves, make sure it isn’t old. If you find leftovers that are tasty, but that you are afraid you will not have time to eat, then wrap tightly, label and move them to the freezer. As you put the food back, divide it by use. Place beverages in one area and recipe ingredients in another. Stack leftovers to one side or on one shelf. Put all the snack foods together.
Add Labels: Labeling your recipe ingredients can save you time and frustration. It can keep someone from snacking on that cheese you needed for Cordon Bleu. Likewise, label your snack area. Family and guests will then feel free to grab from that space.
Taking the time to organize your fridge can help you organize your time. Having what you need at hand, and being able to find it, keeps a busy kitchen running smoothly.
