As stay-at-home orders drag on, our refrigerators are getting fuller than ever—and making food stretch between infrequent grocery shopping trips is increasingly necessary (RIP to the kirby cucumbers I lost to an overly full crisper drawer). If you’re looking to up your refrigerator organization and food storage game, and save some money by cutting down on disposable products and food waste, these 5 things are for you.
People are obsessed with the Vejibag, a cotton bag for storing produce that prolongs its shelf life. To use it, get it damp—the cloth bag uses humidity to keep vegetables crisp and fresh longer than those stored in plastic. The organic cotton bag is machine washable and can go in the dryer. While it’s a little bit spendy, it will pay for itself by reducing the amount of produce lost to veggie drawer rot.
Reusable silicone storage bags are an alternative to disposable plastic baggies that can also help to keep your fridge more orderly by corralling smaller items like loose produce or leftovers. And, because they’re made of silicone, they’re freezer, microwave, dishwasher, and oven-safe. They can also be submerged in boiling water, so you can turn fresh produce into your own version of boil-in-bag vegetables. Stasher bags come in five sizes: half-gallon, sandwich, snack, pocket, and a stand-up style that has a gusseted base so it can, right, stand upright.
Another item to know about if you’re looking to cut down on waste and save money over time is beeswax wrap. It takes the place of plastic wrap, Press’n Seal, or tin foil, plus they come in all kinds of styles like stripes, patterns, and solids and can be used to cover bowls or baking dishes, or for wrapping loose food. This set comes with 6 wraps, 2 each in small, medium, and large, and 3 cotton storage bags. The wraps can be rinsed clean with water and reused over and over again.
If your fridge always has little bits and bobs rolling around—a half a lemon here, several different blocks of cheese there—this divided lazy susan will help keep things organized. It’s clear, so you’ll be able to see what’s in there, which will let you remember what you have and avoid that dreadful moment where you find a piece of cheddar that resembles the Grinch.
If your refrigerator drawer space is limited, these extra plastic bins are the thing you need: unlike standard plastic refrigerator storage drawers that sit on top of a shelf, these are designed to hang under shelves, so they’ll maximize space. The drawers are on rails, so they slide out like regular crisper drawers for easy access to their contents. This set comes with 4 plastic drawers in white, pink, blue, and green. If you like a more uniform look, clear sets are available too.