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Keep your fridge organised with these tips

  • Grated cheese is handy, but takes up more space than whole cheese. If you don't need it immediately, freeze it - it will thaw in minutes.
  • Pour leftover milk back into the milk bottle - provided that it's still cold and came from the same bottle. Or, put the milk jug next to the kettle and pour the leftovers into your next cup of tea.
  • If you entertain often, it's worth your while investing in large plastic or tin basins. Fill them with ice and keep all your drinks cold in them. You can also keep platters of food cool this way. Cover the platter with clingfilm and place it on top of the ice in a cool place.
  • Near-empty margarine tubs also take up room unnecessarily; rather spoon the butter or margarine out into smaller containers.
  • Some people do not eat bread regularly and store it in the fridge to keep it fresher for longer. Rather freeze the bread and thaw the slices in the toaster as you need them.
  • If you have two large containers of yoghurt and both are half full, spoon the contents of one into the other - as long as they're the same flavour.
  • Store fresh meat on the bottom rack or in a dish so its juices don't drip onto and contaminate other food. Animal protein spoils faster than other foods, so keep meat cool and as far back in the fridge as possible.
  • Don't store apples and carrots together: apples emit ethylene, a gas that gives carrots a bitter taste.
  • Clean your fridge every two weeks using a weak solution of bleach and water.

Did you know? The ideal temperature for a fridge is 4°C; for a freezer, it's -15°C

Top to bottom

  • The top and middle racks are suitable for dairy products, spreads, sauces, cream, leftover and cooked food, and opened containers of mayonnaise, mustard and tomato sauce.
  • Do not overstock your fridge as this will affect the flow of air, which makes your fridge work harder to remain cold.
  • Pack eggs in their hollows - that cardboard egg box holding one or two eggs take up a lot of room.
  • Store food in airtight containers that can be stacked on top of each other to save space. This way, food will not dry out and strong smells will not affect other products in the fridge.
  • Store milk and drink bottles next to each other in the fridge door.
  • Use vegetable drawers cleverly. Don't pack them with half-full containers that take up lots of space. Rather wrap that piece of leftover broccoli in clingfilm and save some space.

- Daily Fix

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