Geöffneter Neff Kühlschrank mit Flaschenablage und Tablett zum Sortieren von Lebensmitteln

Sorting the Fridge: How to Store Food Properly

Sorting food in the fridge – where is the optimal place for fruits, vegetables, or meat? Here's how to organize your fridge correctly.

Last updated: December 2024
Reading time: approx. 1,5 minutes

The fridge is the place where you can keep food fresh. Whether it's dairy products like cheese or yogurt, beverages like juice or wine, or fresh produce like fruits and vegetables – many foods find a spot in the fridge. Depending on the size of the appliance, it offers different amounts of space. But no matter if you have three or six compartments for food, the basic principle of sensible organization in the fridge remains the same.

But why should food be sorted in the fridge at all? The reason lies in the different climate zones. In a fridge, it's not equally warm everywhere. The cooling zones were developed based on the principle that warm air always rises. Thus, the warmest climate zone in the fridge is at the top. Ideally, this area should be at 8°C – the highest temperature a fridge should have. In contrast, the coldest cooling zone is in the bottom shelf of the fridge, where the temperature is around 2°C. And in a separate compartment, fruits and vegetables are kept fresh at an optimal 10°C.

The climate zones in the fridge have a significant impact on the shelf life of food. Generally speaking, the deeper you store food in the fridge, the longer it lasts. But where exactly is the optimal place for each type of food? To answer this question, let's take a look at how a fridge is structured.

Properly Sorting Food in the Fridge

A fridge can come with varying amounts of space depending on its size and manufacturer. For example, with our best-selling fridge-freezer combination, the built-in KGIN 3183 from Bauknecht, you get a fridge with four shelves, two vegetable drawers, and four compartments in the fridge door. A smaller variant from Bosch, such as the built-in KFL22AF30 with a freezer compartment, has only three shelves, one vegetable drawer, and three door compartments. Generally, every appliance offers at least one vegetable drawer, several shelves (usually three to six), and three to four compartments in the fridge door. Depending on the compartment, the shelf life of food can vary significantly because each zone has different temperatures. This is something you should consider when sorting your fridge.

Upper Fridge Compartment

Temperatures around 8°C.

The upper refrigerator compartment is around 8°C. This is the temperature that is best for foods that keep for a long time. This compartment is ideal for things like jam or pickles. You can also store foods here that have already been prepared and are to be consumed soon.

Middle Fridge Compartment

Temperatures around 5°C.

The middle compartment could also be called the "dairy compartment." Here, you should place all dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, cream, and similar items. With a temperature of around 5°C, this compartment is also suitable for storing opened products, such as opened cans or cups.

Lower Fridge Compartment

Temperatures around 2°C.

Contrary to physics, the lower compartment is the coldest. The glass shelf above the vegetable drawer is ideal for perishable foods, such as meat, sausage, or fish. Storing these items in this compartment helps keep them fresh for longer. However, be sure to separate easily perishable foods from each other. The temperature in the lower compartment is around 2 - 3°C.

Fruit and Vegetable Drawer

Temperatures around 9°C.

The perfect place to store fruits and vegetables is the vegetable drawer, located at the bottom of the fridge. You should keep fresh vegetables and fruits in this compartment. Although the vegetable drawer is at the bottom, one might assume it would be the coldest, but the glass shelf above the drawer helps shield the cold. As a result, the temperature in the vegetable drawer is ideally between 8 - 10°C.

Fridge Door

Temperatures around 9°C.

The compartments in the fridge door are usually divided into three levels. The bottom compartment is best for beverages like milk and juice. The middle compartment is ideal for tubes (such as mustard, mayonnaise, etc.). The top compartment typically has space for butter or eggs. These foods are most comfortable in this part of the fridge door. The temperature in the fridge door is around 9°C.

Storing Food in a Fridge with Fan Cooling

With the special feature "fan cooling," you can forget about the different climate zones in the fridge. This is because the even distribution of cold air ensures that it doesn't matter where you store your food in the fridge. The temperature is the same at all levels. Additionally, the fan cooling system helps cool down food more quickly.

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