If you fridge looks anything like the DCI family fridge, I’m sorry. 
Many of us struggle with home organization in general. (We had a great post on that recently. You can read that here.) But for whatever reason, keeping the fridge well organized and clean is especially daunting. Our goal here is that this information below will help us keep our refrigerated food organized well and for only as long as is good for us!
Food Organization
Organize food with the goal of reducing contamination between foods. Place pre-packaged, pre-pared foods at the top – yogurt, cheese, deli items. Raw meats to be cooked at the very bottom and everything else in between. The strategy here is accidental contamination from items stored above should not be an issue because those things on the bottom of the fridge will be cooked at a higher temperature. More fragile items placed at a higher level also stay safer from contamination and fresher longer. If your fridge has drawers at the bottom that are usually intended for fruits and vegetables, consider using the one on the bottom for meats. There are storage containers made specifically for refrigerators you can get to keep fruits/vegetables in instead. The doors are the warmest part of the fridge, so reserve those for condiments, drinks, and other items with a longer shelf life. Speaking of shelf life …
Refrigerated Food Storage Guidelines
So, we like to get the most out of what we have in our kitchen. That means lots of left-overs, do-overs, and turn it into something completely new-overs in the DCI house or in your home. In order to do this and keeping people healthy at the same time, it helps to understand food storage guidelines. I hopped on over to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website and took a look at their suggested storage guidelines. The image to the right contains a sample and what is most commonly found in our refrigerators. You can also click here and download a printable PDF to put on your own fridge! A full listing of food storage suggestions is available at the FDA website.
Are you rocking a clean and organized fridge in your home? Share your strategies with us in the comments below! Do you have a challenge, put it below too and we’ll see if we can find an answer for you.
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