The 4 Tools That *Finally* Have Me Eating All of My Produce Before It Goes Bad

If I had a greenback for each time I reached for a bag of spinach or kale in my fridge solely to seek out out it had gone unhealthy just a few days prior… nicely, I’d have the ability to purchase a number of dozen baggage of salad greens to interchange those I’ve misplaced in my lifetime. Holding observe of meals expiration dates may be difficult, however it’s necessary, each to keep away from meals poisoning, and to make use of up meals in an environment friendly method with out losing it.

It’s vitally necessary to chop down on wasted meals, too: The USA Division of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that 30 to 40 % of the American meals provide is thrown out every year. Making just a few small modifications to truly eat your leftovers and produce earlier than it spoils can look like a small behavior tweak, however it makes a serious distinction in our meals provide chain general.

There are many methods to organize your fridge with the intention to maximize house, cut back odors, and cycle components out and in earlier than their best-by dates — and we’ve written about them plenty of times! But I’ve discovered that one of the best ways for me to maintain observe of all the things in my fridge is an easy two-step course of:

To that finish, I’ve made just a few key investments to assist streamline my course of. Fortunately, none of them are over $30 — and by far a very powerful software in my arsenal is lower than $1 apiece.

Positive, you might hunt for the expiration date on that bagged salad combine, or attempt to bear in mind once you cooked that batch of soup. However I’ve discovered it’s a lot simpler to seize a grease pencil to label a container as I have to. The helpful art-supply standbys are a Kitchn favourite for multiple reasons, however chief amongst them for me is the flexibility to jot down cooking or buy dates on baggage, bins, and all the things in between. This fashion, I do know to prioritize the “older” meals in my fridge, making a helpful rotation of leftovers to get by means of and components to deal with first. And did I point out they’re lower than $1 every?

No disrespect meant to your mother’s favourite opaque casserole dish — especially if it’s a vintage find — however the much less I can see into my fridge, the extra cluttered it turns into. These glass containers aren’t as stackable as their plastic counterparts, however they’re far more sturdy, and the clear glass means I’ve an on the spot visible reminder of what meals I’ve prepped in my fridge. You should use them as meal-prep containers for individually-portioned meals, however I’ve discovered they work simply as nicely to retailer any leftovers I generate as somebody cooking for one particular person.

You’ve seen them throughout Instagram, and infrequently at value factors that appear daunting. I get it! Acrylic bins aren’t for everybody — however for me, a stack of affordable, stackable bins has been the distinction between a cluttered fridge and an environment friendly condiment system. They’re additionally lots versatile: I take advantage of that helpful grease pencil to mark expiration dates on any berries I decant right into a (paper-towel-lined!) bin, and group issues like sizzling sauces and nut butters into particular bins. Want a sure condiment? Merely pull the whole bin out somewhat than pushing issues apart and creating extra chaos in your wake.

I purchased a set of those meals storage baggage greater than two years in the past, and haven’t purchased a single pack of plastic baggies since. I initially made the funding on this set as a result of the food-grade silicone felt sturdier than commonplace plastic baggies (although I actually got here from a family that washed and reused these baggage so long as we remembered to deliver them dwelling). However I discovered in addition they assist me type by means of my leftovers and components as a result of they’re simpler to line up. And the baggage themselves are frosted, however nonetheless clear sufficient to visualise what’s inside every one, which is essential to retaining my fridge organized.

Simply because these is perhaps a barely greener choice than your commonplace plastic baggie doesn’t imply you must add them to cart instantly in case you have a pack of the old school type to get by means of. Essentially the most eco-friendly choice could be to maintain reusing these zip-top baggage till you run out, then weigh whether or not these are a wise useful resource to your fridge and freezer habits.