The contents and layout of your fridge can affect how you eat, how you feel about eating, and obviously how much waste there is. After writing The Thrifty Kitchen, and researching how the way the coolest part of the house is laid out impacts what we eat, I put together this shortlist of tricks.
- Furry cheese, shrivelled carrots, leftovers with a now greenish hue… The number one trick for keeping the fridge smelling nice is to avoid leaving food in there for too long. Your fridge should have a fast turnaround. If it doesn’t, chances are you’re buying too much, or the wrong things – or you’re not using up leftovers.
- If you’ve cleaned it out and you want to freshen up the fridge anyway, try an orange spiked with cloves, or a cotton wool ball soaked in vanilla essence (left in a little dish or egg cup). Some also swear by the value in keeping a natural sponge in your salad drawer to keep fruit and vegies fresh longer.
- Wipe the insides of the fridge down with 1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda dissolved in 1 litre of warm water – about weekly.
- Store cheese in an airtight box with a sugar cube in to keep it fresh.
- Store eggs pointy side down – it makes them last longer.
- Store milk and eggs in the fridge body instead of the door as it’s colder.
- Raw meat, poultry and fish should be stored wrapped in paper or in a sealed (not plastic) container so it won’t drip on other food.
