Your Refrigerator

[claws]

I made it a habit of going through my refrigerator on a regular basis, once a week (usually Saturday). I started doing this after finding way too many food past the expiration date  
I also started to organize the food better, for example diary products & eggs are now stored in the upper half, leftovers in the middle, meat, lunchmeat, fruit & vegetables in the lower half (meat at the bottom in case of juice leak). Sauces/Condiments/Spreads/Pesto, lemon & lime juice in those little plastic bottles (basically anything small jars, tubes and bottles/beverages) on the fridge door.
I didn't go as far as labeling plastic containers with leftover food, but I use a washable marker on the fridge door to write down expiration dates. This is really helpful and won't let me forget stuff sitting way back in the fridge.

Does this sound too geeky or boring?  

Who keeps your fridge neat at home? Any tips you wanna share?

[Trevor]

I have the same fridge I had in college - my parents bought it for me in 1989 - and it still works well.

[Jack]

We put the jars and bottles in the door, the bottom shelf is for pop, beer, wine and miscellaneous stuff;  breads and misc. goes on the middle shelf, and the top shelf is pure miscellaneous.  There's a drawer were the sandwich meats, bacon and cheese go.  And a little container on the door where butter and cheese go.  Oh and lest I forget there are two bins at the bottom for fruit and vegetables - I never go in there myself  

For expiration dates, well if the cheese is moldy or the bread is stale we toss it out.  Other than that we just use the smell test or the "feed it to the kids and see what happens" method.

[claws]

 Other than that we just use the smell test or the "feed it to the kids and see what happens" method.

They say refrigerating bread makes it dry out faster. Personally I've never stored bread in the fridge, except if I'm making sandwiches for later use or have sandwiches leftover, depending on the type of food between the slices of bread.

[Andrew]

We have three children, so keeping the refrigerator organized can be a bit of a task.  We do tend to organize with an eye toward keeping more perishable items on certain shelves.

I also do not like to find a surprise involving any sort of vegetable in the back of that bin.  So, my norm is to check through that drawer at regular intervals.  Cucumbers become creatures from another world after a few weeks.

[Umaril Has Returned]

  Cucumbers become creatures from another world after a few weeks.

And there we have our next discussion for classic bad movies here at the site: "It Came From The Refrigerator"!   

[Jack]

 Other than that we just use the smell test or the "feed it to the kids and see what happens" method.

They say refrigerating bread makes it dry out faster. Personally I've never stored bread in the fridge, except if I'm making sandwiches for later use or have sandwiches leftover, depending on the type of food between the slices of bread.

Yup, I'm eating a sandwich on stale wheat bread right now 

[LilCerberus]

The lettuce crisper makes a great cigar humidor...

[Leah]

It's jogging on the treadmill because it's running.

The fridge is a weird mix of some dairy, very little meat, mostly vegan stuff since dad is vegan to lower his cholesterol, which is a mixed bag of being good or stuff that makes me feel very bloated.

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

I also do not like to find a surprise involving any sort of vegetable in the back of that bin.  So, my norm is to check through that drawer at regular intervals.  Cucumbers become creatures from another world after a few weeks.

The worse is when they have plastic wrap on em, like the English ones. They totally go liquid, but keep their shape.

[tracy]

I generally keep a close eye on meat especially....because if it hasn't started mutating Alan will eat it.

[The Burgomaster]

I separate the moldy cheese from the fresh cheese.  Then I invite friends over, serve the moldy cheese, and tell them it's expensive, imported bleu cheese.  I am an ass.

[Flangepart]

I generally keep a close eye on meat especially....because if it hasn't started mutating Alan will eat it.

Ya'll need to heard George Carlin's 'Icebox man'. I did it for a standup routine at church once. Hey, killer material, and I did 'ol George well.

Why, yes I did a touch of editing, but it didn't need that much.

[Trevor]

Other than that we just use the smell test or the "feed it to the kids and see what happens" method.

+ 

[BoyScoutKevin]

What keeps my refrigerator organized?

I eat everything in it, before I go to the grocery store again.