How to Store Groceries So They Last Weeks Longer

Most food waste is a storage problem, not a shopping problem. Where things go in the fridge — and what never goes in it.

2026-09-16 · Page 1 of 3 · 5 min read

The fridge has zones — use them

Your fridge is warmer at the door and coldest at the back bottom. Milk and raw meat belong in the cold zone, never the door — the door is for condiments and things preserved by vinegar or salt, which is exactly what the door shelf was designed for.

The drawer most people call 'the crisper' is actually two drawers: one with a humidity vent open (for things that wilt — leafy greens, herbs, carrots) and one closed (for things that rot — berries, mushrooms, stone fruit). High humidity keeps greens crisp; low humidity keeps rot from spreading.

Keep greens away from apples, bananas and tomatoes. Those release ethylene gas, which ripens and then spoils everything around them — useful if you want to ripen an avocado overnight, destructive if you don't.

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