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Planning a big Christmas dinner is one of the best parts of the festive season after putting up your festive decor but our poor fridges often groan under the weight of all the extras we’re buying.
On top of that, too much clutter in the fridge can lead to bad smells, messes and worst of all – food going off much earlier than it should.
Even outside of the festive period, I’ve been guilty of letting my american-style fridge freezer get out of control. I’m a self-diagnosed sauce obsessive and you’d think all that space would make it easier – but sometimes it leads to more clutter.
A big pre-Christmas clear out can help you to free up space in your fridge
Because of this, I’ve started implementing my fortnightly fridge reorganisation routine and have even bought a few gadgets to help make the most of the space I have. I know this is going to help me immensely in the next couple of months as my fridge fills up with all the Christmas treats I’ve been dreaming about all year.
With a bit of careful planning, you can make the most of your fridge freezer space and ensure everything, from the turkey to the cranberry sauce, has plenty of room to breathe, keeping your food fresh and your fridge clean.
Here, I’ve compiled some of my top tips for organising your fridge to ensure your Christmas food lasts.
1. Before Christmas: Empty your freezer
Let’s start with the freezer. Over the year, you might have built up a big stock of freezer leftovers. Whether it’s half opened packets of chips, frozen vegetables or forgotten batch cooks, there’s probably plenty of space to be made in your freezer.
My advice? Plan a week or two of freezer meals to use up all the half-finished bits you might not otherwise get around to eating to make way for all the party food, frozen yorkshires and vegetables. It might even save you some money, too.
Is your freezer overflowing with forgotten leftovers or are you a prepper?
You can also use this time to restack and take inventory of what’s leftover in your freezer, as well as labelling things up. Who knows, you might even be able to skip out on buying some bits that you didn’t even know you had.
2. Check your fridge and create more useable space
Next up is to check your fridge. It’s a great time to get rid of all those old, almost-empty jars you’ve been keeping (trust me, you don’t need them and you’re not going to use them). What’s more, if there’s any food that looks like it might not have much time left, you can grab some reusable freezer bags and food clips, and move them to the freezer – you have just freed up some space, afterall.
Heavy gauge bags with built-in seals and write on-on strips. Strong and reusable.
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8 clips in a bag of assorted colours. Great for packaging, fridge storage and more.
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Another tip is to make sure you’re making the best use of the fridge door shelves, to free up main shelf space for larger items. If, like me, you buy a lot of sauces and jarred food, you might not be able to fit everything here. Again though, this is a good time to look over what you have in your fridge doors and decide if you can let any of it go.
Once you’ve done this, you can create a better plan on where to store each of your Christmas items. Start at the bottom and work up, with the larger, more important items where you can see them – and remember to make a list of everything you might be buying to make this easier.
3. Make use of shelf organisers so you can better see what’s in your fridge
You don’t have to spend a fortune on gadgets to have a well organised fridge but there are some affordable organisers and tools that can make a real difference. These include stackable, clear fridge boxes and moisture absorbing pads (ideal for when your fridge gets really full and moisture gets out of control.
I also already utilise quite a few things in my own fridge to help keep it clean, tidy and under control 365 days a year that I highly recommend.
This is one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time. I store my most-used jars on this and it’s made them infinitely easier to find.
I also like the fact it has a non-slip silicone bottom so everything doesn’t go sliding around.
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4. Christmas lead up: Deep clean time
Another organisational must in the week or two leading up to Christmas is a deep clean. Spills, food crumbs and recurring moisture can all cause unpleasant smells and marks in your fridge and can even lead to mould developing if left for too long.
It’s best to do this after you’ve thrown away any old jars and foods before you do a last minute shift around for your Christmas shop.
I just use a regular multipurpose anti-bac spray and reusable cloth to wipe down the interior and exterior of my fridge – letting it dry before putting things back in. However some brands, such as Lakeland, also have dedicated anti-bacterial fridge cleaning sprays.
5. Be cautious of overfilling
It goes without saying, but even if you’ve cleared up plenty of space in your fridge freezer, it’s always best to avoid overfilling it, as this can bring you back to square one.
The simplest way to avoid overfilling is not to overbuy. The tools and gadgets I’ve mentioned in this article will help but planning ahead is the best course of action. I like to think about things I’ve bought in previous years and which of these were.
Avoid overpacking to improve airflow and freshness
Jamie Cooper, Senior Product Manager, Refrigeration at Hotpoint UK, also shares their tips on helping your food last longer:
“The ideal fridge temperature is between 0.5°C and 5°C,” explains Cooper. “However, even within this range, different areas of your fridge will be warmer or cooler. Storing items in the correct temperature zones keeps them fresh for longer”.
“Cheese, milk, and similar products should be stored towards the middle and top shelves of the fridge” advises Jamie. “Avoid storing milk in the door. Whilst it’s very convenient, the temperature fluctuations caused by opening and closing the door can cause it to spoil faster.”
Airflow is important too, says Jamie. “Avoid overpacking shelves so tightly that food touches the shelf above. Poor airflow makes your fridge work harder and causes uneven temperatures, which can spoil food faster.”
