Luckily, there’s an easy fix.
Toss aside your prior methods for food storageit’s time to overhaul your kitchen organization.
And theres no better system than FIFO.
What is the FIFO method of food storage?
FIFO means “first in, first out” and it is exactly what it sounds like.
It ensures older things get used before newer items.
How do you store using FIFO?
For some home cooks, FIFO is synonymous withlabeling everything in your fridge.
There are four main ways to do this, starting with your container situation.
A chaotic jumble of misfit Tupperwares wont work, either.
Sort through your food containers, keep matching sets, and dispose of the one-offs.
I buy flour 50 pounds at a time, and nothing beats a five-gallon plastic bucket with atwist-off lid.
They cost less than $20 at the hardware store and last forever.
Buckets do take up a lot of space, though, and arent exactly stackable.
If youre strapped for space, look for Cambro containers atrestaurant supply stores.
Most items in your kitchen can and should be labeled.
Just confirm those labels face out.
Spring for a label-maker if you like, but masking tape and a Sharpie work just as well.
Consolidation is the secret second step after labeling your food.
Its easy: Just transfer the contents of larger containers to smaller ones as you use them up.
Bonus round: Take inventory
The final boss of FIFO istaking inventory.
If youre feeding a big family, keeping a detailed inventory can simplify your life.
Inventorying is all about tracking what you have so you know what to buy and when.
If youve never done it before, start small.
Update the list as things get used up.
Theres no one perfect system, so play around until you find what works.
If all of this sounds like a lot of work, thats because it is.
