Before a holiday break, you may want to give some thought to your refrigerator. Taking stock of your full fridge before a vacation can help with peace of mind. You can decide what you want to keep. You can also throw away food items that are moldy or expired. In addition, you can decide how to make creative use of your leftovers. This can be an opportunity to give your refrigerator a needed cleaning. Also, this can be a chance to rearrange how you store items in the fridge.
1. Making a Full Fridge an Empty Fridge
It is helpful to have a good understanding of the contents of your full fridge. You can take a quick look through your refrigerator to see what is there. You can get a sense of what will last and what needs to be thrown out. You can also see what leftovers there are to work with. Once you have a sense of things, you can clear your fridge. The Inspired Home states that “the best option is to do it all at once.” If you have removed everything from your fridge, you can view all the contents simultaneously. You can then figure out how to rearrange these items.
According to The Kitchn, “leftovers need to get used up before heading out.” You can get creative with leftovers as part of the fridge-clearing process. Some leftovers may have been prepared recently. These have the potential to be stored in the freezer. They can then be enjoyed when you return from your holiday adventure. If leftovers have not been prepared recently enough to be frozen, they can be eaten. You can decide whether you think your leftovers will last in the fridge. Otherwise, you can incorporate them into the meals you make before you head out.
2. Making an Empty Fridge a Beautiful, Clean Fridge
Clearing out a full fridge offers a great moment for cleaning everything inside. The Inspired Home advises: “Wipe out the fridge and… items that are going back in.” This can be an opportunity to wipe spills that may have inadvertently happened. Now is also a good time to wash the removable sections of your refrigerator. For the refrigerator cleaning process, The Inspired Home recommends Swedish Dishcloths. These are comparable in versatility to paper towels. Swedish Dishcloths are also compostable and sturdy.
3. Creating a Fridge Arrangement You Will Return to Happily
Any food from your full fridge that is expired should be thrown away. This is also true of food that has become moldy. You can then sort through everything else. Sorting through items that will go back to the fridge can help you organize. You can place things in the fridge together based on category.
Once you know what you have, you can also make a grocery list. This list can contain items that you need or that need to be replaced. Before you return items to the fridge, take note of the refrigerator’s temperature. The FDA offers a temperature recommendation. The Inspired Home states this “is to keep your fridge at or below 40 F.”
From Full Fridge to Calm Creativity
Getting ready to head out of town on vacation can be an opportunity. You can clear out your full fridge. You can throw away any food that is not usable. Creatively, you can figure out how to prepare and/or freeze leftovers. Once you have taken everything out of your refrigerator, you can give it a scrub. You can also wipe down any items that may have been spilled on. When you are ready to return items to the fridge, you can ensure the fridge is at a suitable temperature. You can then arrange fridge items by category. You can take your formerly full fridge and creatively rearrange its organizational structure.
