Create a Healthier Fridge
Properly stocking your fridge is one of the first—and best—ways to make a healthier life change. The foods you have on hand help you decide what meals you'll be cooking. Once you have them, make sure you're storing them properly so you get the most out of your grocery budget buck. Prepare for healthy-eating success with these tips and strategies.
Store Your Meat Safely
Keep fresh meat, poultry, and fish on the bottom shelf and in plastic containers so any juices that might escape won't contaminate other food.
Put Fruit Front and Center
Make healthy snacking easier by keeping a bowl of ready-to-eat fruit front and center.
Shake Up Your Dressing
Clear out your salad dressing shelf and make a bottle of your own: 2 parts oil, one part vinegar. It’s infinitely customizable, and keeps for months as long as you mix in perishable seasonings—fresh herbs, garlic, shallot, ginger—in a separate bowl just before dressing your salad.
Store Leftovers for Easy Recognition
Prevent the inevitable "What is it?" and "Is it still good?" leftovers mysteries: Stick a label on the container and mark with a Sharpie what the food is, plus the date it was made.
Wrap Cheese Tightly
Cheese is a live culture and needs to breathe. Don’t suffocate it in sealed plastic bags or plastic wrap. Instead, wrap it tightly in waxed paper, sealed with tape. If you’re concerned it will dry out, place the paper-wrapped cheese inside an unsealed plastic bag, which allows ammonia and other off-flavors to escape.
Use the Crisper Drawer
The crisper is meant to maintain adequate humidity so produce won't prematurely dehydrate and wilt. Some drawers let you adjust humidity.
