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Beat the BBQ squeeze: how to organise your fridge before a party
Find yourself playing fridge Tetris every time you entertain or barbecue? Getting organised will help preserve your summer food – and your cool.
Whether you have a huge American-style fridge freezer or a small integrated one, the temperature in your fridge varies significantly from shelf to shelf. If you're not careful about where you store them, your summer barbecue treats could suffer.
Follow our tips and advice to get the most out of your summer entertaining this year.
See the top models we've tested in our guide to the best fridge freezers.
Pre-party tips
Planning ahead can help you avoid making compromises that could leave your summer food unsafe. These quick tips will help.
- Have a plan To avoid getting caught out, it helps to have a rough idea of what you need to buy and where it might fit. If you're really organised, you could extend this into the following week with a plan for what to do with any leftovers.
- Make space Have a clear-out of your fridge and freezer before your party shop to free up as much space as possible for your entertaining staples.
- Check the fridge temperature The temperature of your fridge should be kept between 0°C and 5°C, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA). If you have any doubts about whether your fridge is cold enough, consider investing in a fridge thermometer to check it. See What temperature should a fridge be? and What temperature should a freezer be?
- Allow time for defrosting Small items should defrost overnight, but larger ones might take a day or two. Aim to defrost things in the fridge if you can, not at room temperature. In an emergency, you can use your microwave's defrost setting.
- Keep an eye on use-by dates If you're well organised, you might have already started picking up food. If so, make a note of the use-by dates on any relevant products to make sure you cook them in time. You shouldn't eat, cook or freeze any food that has gone past its use-by date, even if it looks and smells fine, as it may be unsafe.
Resist overshopping
It can be tempting to pile things into your trolley or basket, 'just in case' you need them, especially if you've found them on offer. But unless extra guests turn up unexpectedly, you're likely to over-cater and cause problems for your cold appliances. Packing your fridge so full that the food touches the shelf above it can prevent cool air from circulating. This can push up the temperature in parts of your appliance and invite heat-loving bacteria to contaminate your food.
Need extra space for frozen food? See our guide to the best freezers and chest freezers for garages.
What to store where
Now, let's take a look at what food should go where on your fridge shelves.
Fruit and veg drawers
It's tempting to stuff fruit and veg wherever you can find space, but the more you can keep in the crisper drawers, the better.
These drawers have a slightly different climate and humidity from the rest of the fridge, so they're definitely the best place for your tender salad leaves.
Vegetables tend to like high humidity, so if you have a humidity-controllable crisper drawer, make sure you switch it to the correct setting.
But if you're struggling for space, your ripe avocados, peppers and carrots will be fine out of the fridge.
Bottom shelf
Your barbecue meat and fish need to be stored as close to 0°C as possible (although not colder). This will help to lock in freshness and keep heat-loving bacteria at bay.
Unless you have a specially designed chiller drawer for meat and fish, the coldest part of your fridge will be the lowest shelf, directly above the fruit and vegetable drawers.
Keep as much of your meat and fish there as possible, even if it means rearranging the position of your shelves.
Middle shelves
Any meat and fish that you can't squeeze onto the lowest shelf should go on the next shelf up, as that will be the next coldest, but make sure it doesn't drip onto the food below.
Try to avoid thawing products here, but if you must, place them on a plate to contain any leaks.
The higher middle shelves are also a good place for sauces, pre-cooked foods, and condiments, such as barbecue sauce and mayonnaise.
Top shelf
The top shelf and top door rack are where your fridge will be warmest, so use that to your advantage.
It's the perfect place for dairy foods, such as cheese and butter, as they're less perishable than meat and fish. And it will take them less time to come up to room temperature if you want them to soften a bit before eating.
Cream cakes, cold puddings or trifle should also be happy up top, but you can leave any other cakes out of the fridge.
Our guide to the most reliable fridge freezer brands will help you choose a long-lasting appliance.
What not to store in the fridge
There are certain things you shouldn't ever put in the fridge, so if you tend to keep them in there, you can save some space by taking them out. These include:
- some vegetables, including onions, potatoes and garlic
- certain fruits, including tomatoes, bananas and whole melons
- baked items, including bread.
If you're really struggling for space, removing bulky bottles and canned drinks will free up a lot of room. If you have one, now's a great time to crack out your cool box to keep your beers and wine cold – you could even have it out on the patio so you keep your fridge door closed as much as possible.
Want more ideas on how to keep your food fresh for longer? Check out our food storage tips.
