Even with all the modern refrigerator upgrades a person can tack on — touch screens, WiFi capabilities, or even just aesthetic features like the ability to disappear into cabinetry or stand out like a utilitarian work of art — it’s still what’s inside that counts. As long as the old ice box keeps your cold things cold and your colder things colder, it’s doing its job. And, whether your refrigerator is a beautiful piece of machinery connected to social media or a landlord special, you can make it work smarter for your household.
When it isn’t possible to avoid buying the wrong fridge for the way you really cook to begin with, there are still some adjustments that will make the appliance you have a little more user friendly. In addition to the compulsory temperature controls, most refrigerators will reliably have adjustable shelves. And if you haven’t tailored their spacing for maximum convenience, you’re missing out on the appliance’s peak performance and likely losing a few minutes a week to clumsy grocery shuffling. So, whether you’re a de facto hot sauce collector, are always making room for seltzer cases, or are swapping items out of the freezer to defrost most mornings, you needn’t leave any space-optimizing opportunities on the shelf.
Arranging your refrigerator for better performance
Refrigerator shelf spacing goals are humble, but crucial to the home cook’s daily ease. You want an arrangement that ensures tidiness between deeper cleanings, one that makes everything easy to reach, and negotiates for any weaknesses like warm spots. But first things first: Take a look at your appliance’s owner’s manual before you get to rearranging. That way, you’ll keep your precious perishables from having to endure room temps for too long like they would if you were figuring it all out on the fly after getting started.
When you’re ready to alter your refrigerator shelves, look to the tallest goods that you usually keep in stock. Maybe you’re constantly carving out space for wine bottles. Maybe it’s finally time to get your milk out of the refrigerator door, which is the worst place to store it due to typically higher temps. Whatever the item, its height plus a couple of inches is going to set the bar for your loftiest slot. And if those most towering items do happen to be things like condiments, which can seem to drip like candlesticks even when treated with caution, arranging them on the lowest possible shelf means that drips and spills have fewer levels to drip down. Space required for the rest of your stock will usually be easier to eyeball to accommodate everyday-sized containers. Once you’ve mastered your shelf measurements, there are additional kitchen organization tools like lazy Susans that also make sense in the refrigerator.
