Need help with refrigerator arrangement

[hollysmom]

How does one best set up the fridge shelving to avoid leftovers that disappear and then reappear as science experiments? My fridge will not let me put milk on the door, so that is one space restriction.

Ideas?

Pictures? (your husband will wonder why you are taking a picture of the refrigerator...)

Thanks!

SSM

[Meganator]

Just keeping them at the front of the shelf, not letting them get pushed to the back, works for me. But a lot of it is just being conscious of them being in there and looking for a time to use them. I always check the fridge before I leave for work to see if there is something I should take for lunch. Sometimes I freeze them in portions immediately after dinner, then use them for lunches or dinner later.

Packaging them well gives you more of a chance to use them before they become inedible. For example, if you just stick a plate of leftover meat in the fridge, not sealed up well, it will just dry out quickly. Whereas if you wrap it in plastic or foil or put it in a ziplock, it will buy you some time. Also, if you put it in a lunch-ready container from the outset, you can grab it in the morning instead of looking in the fridge at the last minute and thinking you don't have time to package it up to take with you.

If I didn't eat leftovers for lunch, I'm sure a lot of the time they would go to waste.

[heavy hedonist]

If I didn't eat leftovers for lunch, I'm sure a lot of the time they would go to waste.

This is my life, too. But all the packaging in the world doesn't make the Man see them, (or at my work, the kids). What does work, in various combinations, is A) having one side of one shelf as the leftover shelf, that everyone knows about, and B) labeling. I have a roll of freezer tape & a Sharpie that I keep close to the fridge to mark down choice leftovers. I don't even bother marking the things I know Only I will eat, but If you're having trouble keeping track, you might wanna. Good luck.

[blazedog]

I guess it depends on the kind of left overs.

Tupperware is selling these small little things that hold 1/2 onion or lemon for instance and dangle from the shelves on the door -- those sound very useful.

I am of the portion immediately for lunch and package well. I tend to do menu planning with left overs in mind anyway.

I freeze tomato paste immediately in small blobs (approximately 1 tablespoon) and also left over chicken broth.

FWIW, I find that the leftovers I wind up tossing are the ones that I didn't like that much to begin with.

Now with respect to scientific experiments in the fridge :D I am using the flylady method so once a week I consciously weed out the stuff that needs to go. I am also getting much better about tossing the condiments, dressing etc. that I didn't particularly like but feel bad about tossing after having tried a little bit -- like I will like it better after it ages for several years? :rolleyes:

[Meganator]

I am also getting much better about tossing the condiments, dressing etc. that I didn't particularly like but feel bad about tossing after having tried a little bit -- like I will like it better after it ages for several years? :rolleyes:

:eek: Throw out a condiment before it's empty?! Heresy! I think I have more condiments than actual food in my refrigerator! In truth, I did throw out a salad dressing I didn't like just the other day. Probably the first time ever though. The great thing about condiments is that they are generally so well preserved that they hardly ever turn into science experiments.

Also, if you have leftover fresh vegetables that aren't going to get used otherwise, those can always get frozen all together, bit by bit, until you make stock.

[Xtina_in_WI]

We keep a list on a white board on the fridge with what leftovers are in there, as well as what veggies (I am notorious for letting fresh veggies go bad before using them - I just forget they're there...) The white board seems to work really well; we just erase whatever we take out off the list.

[Kay Henderson]

It may be helpful to try to have as few leftovers as possible.

Kay

[doggerham]

Tupperware is selling these small little things that hold 1/2 onion or lemon for instance and dangle from the shelves on the door -- those sound very useful.


I use mine! Unfortunately, they didn't work in mom's fridge.

One thing we have, which I like a lot is a shelf-sized lazy susan. It came as part of the fridge DH and XW bought. When the fridge finally died (lasted much longer than the marriage), I kept the turntable and installed it in the new fridge. I keep condiments on it, but also stuff like sour cream, yogurts, jam, margarine, pickles, etc. That helps free up the shelves in the door for beer!

[Beth]

Amy, that's not a bad idea. I've never seen it, but no reason you couldn't get one of those pantry lazy susans and use it in a fridge for the little condiments.

The ever present science experiment potential is one reason I have convinced DH that we can live with the smaller capacity of a counter depth fridge in our new kitchen. I told him what we are losing is the back 2-3 inches of shelf space -- where the experiments live, so we just won't have that space. Now, if I run out of room for all those ocndiments and such, I'll be sorry. :eek:

[mbrogier]

I think I have more condiments than actual food in my refrigerator!

Since we've moved yearly for the past two years, I can tell you that we DO have more condiments than actual food in the fridge! I try to keep condiments in the door so I know what I have, and they don't suffer with the change in temperature when the door keeps getting opened during long cooking sessions. (If you think leftovers crawl to the back of the fridge, they're not nearly as bad as small jars of condiments. :rolleyes: )

I try to set my fridge up in "zones". Dairy, Condiments that are too large for the door, cheeses, cured meats, vegetables, leftovers, and fresh meats in one of the crisper drawers so they don't leak on anything.

My fridge needs a good cleaning right now. I am good about throwing out science projects but sometimes I get sidetracked on organization.