Food Storage After COVID-19

kitchen with high contrasting counters and cabinets

If refrigerators and freezers could talk, they might say something like this. “It’s dark, dank, and smelly inside this fridge. I hope my owners don’t open the door, who knows what will spill out.”

COVID-19 has afforded us more time to enjoy the art of cooking. Food storage and labeling have become necessary for everyone, especially those with limited or no vision. The sections below will provide some ideas for storing food items in your refrigerator, placing accessible labels on each item, and special storage hints.

Getting Started

Have at least one or two methods in place for labeling both food arriving from the grocery as well as leftovers.
Have a wide range of shapes and sizes of containers available.
Have a clean and sanitized work area, refrigerator, and freezer, so you can separate and store food items.
Clean and disinfect countertops. A good practice is to cover your countertop with wax paper. When you complete working, you will not have a major mess to clean up.

Accessible Labels

Not only is it important to label the content of containers, it is necessary to include the expiration date. Labels can be made from items around your house, or labeling systems can be purchased. Here are some examples to get you started and put your creativity to work:

Puff paint can be used to label inventory tags or index cards. Stick-on letters can also be purchased. Simply tear off the back of the letter and stick on the card. Now you have a label that can be read by touch.
Dymo tape is often used for making both large print and braille labels.
Tape and braille and large print label makers can be purchased from any of the specialty catalogs that sell products for people who are blind and low vision.
Magnetic tape can also make braille labels that stick on canned goods.
A tried and true method is using index cards or inventory tags to create labels in large print or braille. Inventory tags are tags that are used as price tags. They come in various sizes and have a hole punched in the top with a string that enables you to attach to bottles etc. The inventory tags like index cards are a perfect thickness for making braille or tactile labels. Inventory tags can be purchased at office supply stores.
Various voice-activated labeling systems can be purchased, such as: (a)The PenFriend is a voice-activated labeling system through which you can use your voice to produce labels. You can tailor your label for the item. These labels can also be used in the freezer. (b)“Way Around” is a labeling system allowing you to create individualized labels. The Way Around can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store, and the labels can be purchased.

pen friend black with 3 yellow buttons — **Pen Friend**

After using any of the above-mentioned labels save them in a container. Saving labels will help you compile the next grocery list; you will not need to spend time designing labels over again.

Storage Containers

Just like labeling, you are only limited by your imagination when it comes to finding containers to organize your refrigerator and freezer. Below are a few ideas which may serve as a springboard as you plan your organization strategies.

Save containers which are often thrown away such as old baby food jars, egg cartons, and margarine containers. It is less challenging for a person with a vision loss to dip into a container than to pour out of a bottle. Example: an accurate measurement can be obtained if spices are stored in a wide mouth container, such as a baby food jar. It is less difficult to measure cooking oil from an old margarine container.
Containers which were once used for storing office supplies are good for storing similar items in the refrigerator.
Small baskets with suction cups can be used on the walls of your refrigerator to store small items that could otherwise be hard to find.
Seal-lock containers such as Rubbermaid or Tupperware are good for storing food in the freezer.
Reusable disposable plastic containers of various sizes are handy for freezing leftovers, and for giving meals away.

Preparation for Storage

Start with a clean and disinfected refrigerator and clean the refrigerator quarterly
Line the shelves with plastic wrap. This makes it easy to clean spillage.
Line crisper drawers with paper towels or newspapers.

Where to Store Your Food

An open box of baking soda in the back of your fridge is a great deodorizer. You can put it in a hanging basket attached to the back wall.
The top shelf of your refrigerator should be for drinks or food items with a short shelf life, such as yogurt, cheese, and lunch meats.
Create a “Must Eat” container. This container should consist of food nearing expiration date.
A lazy Susan can be used on the top shelf.
Small hanging containers can be hung on the walls to store string cheese, hummus etc.
Use the bottom shelf to keep fresh meat in the fridge for a short time so that the contents will not drip down into other food items.
The door is the warmest section of the refrigerator. Do not store milk and eggs there. The door should be only used for condiments, sauces or butter, items which have a long shelf life.
Never store fruits and vegetables in the same crisper drawer. Use one drawer for fruit and another for vegies. Fruit contains a higher level of ethylene, which causes vegies to spoil quickly.
Do not store onions or potatoes in the refrigerator; give each a separate shelf in the pantry.
Old egg cartons can be used in the door of your fridge for bottles such as salad dressing. Store the bottle up-side-down; this will prevent the age-old problem of getting dressing out of the bottle.

Several bottles of salad dressing turned upside down in the refrigerator

Conclusion

Now your refrigerator may be saying something like this: “Welcome! It should be easy to find anything you want!”