I'm an organization-obsessed home cook — here's how I keep things from getting lost in the back of my fridge
The author's fridge features two OXO Lazy Susans.
Sally Kaplan/Business Insider
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Food
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2 mins
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Business Insider
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Sally Kaplan
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Using this Lazy Susan in my fridge has helped me cut down on waste and keep track of my ingredients better.
There's a funny TikTok I saw once of a guy pulling bottles of hoisin sauce out of his fridge, almost like how a clown pulls scarves out of his mouth. He's singing a song about how he went to the grocery store to buy a bottle of hoisin sauce, but … oh no! He already has a bottle of hoisin sauce! This goes on five or six times, and it truly felt like a personal attack.
As an avid home cook and certified Jams and Condiments Person, my fridge was once a black hole for small jars and containers. Things would constantly get lost, go bad, or I'd end up forgetting that I, too, already had a bottle (or five) of hoisin sauce back there.
Hoping to cut down on waste after a fridge cleanout that left me feeling like I single-handedly maxed out a landfill, I did some research on fridge organization hacks. A Lazy Susan seemed like a perfect solution, so I ordered two.
This plastic turntable has been a game changer for keeping my fridge clean and reducing waste.
Using the Oxo Lazy Susan in my fridge has helped me cut down on waste and keep track of my ingredients better.
Sally Kaplan/Business Insider
It comes in two sizes, 11 inches ($15) and 16 inches ($30). I have one of each — the larger holds my most-used condiments and jars, and the smaller one holds things I don't use as often. The larger one fits about 20 condiment jars, which are the items that get lost in the back of our fridge most often. Since I started using these to stay organized a few years ago, I haven't had to do a single big fridge purge of expired items.
They also work really well for pantry cabinets, especially if you keep a lot of canned items around.
When I lived in Brooklyn, I used a lazy Susan to keep my tiny pantry cabinet organized. It worked well for things like cans, vinegar, and baking supplies.
As a home cook, I especially appreciate that the turntable makes it fast and easy to grab things from the fridge when I'm in the middle of kitchen chaos.
I used to spend so much time rummaging around to find ingredients, sometimes while I already had things cooking on the stove. With the Lazy Susans, I can easily find what I need without battling 14 containers or produce bags to reach it.
Nothing ever gets stuck at the back of my fridge anymore, and I'm much more aware of the ingredients we already have.
This has also meant saving money at the grocery store, because I'm not accidentally buying six bottles of hoisin sauce anymore.
The bottom line? The OXO Lazy Susan has been my greatest hack for staying organized in the kitchen.
I highly recommend it for anyone who loses things in the back of their fridge or pantry often. It's not super expensive, the plastic is easy to wash, and it'll keep you from wasting or forgetting about ingredients. It's not the prettiest, but it is so practical.
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