This Unexpected Organizer Is the Secret to Cutting Out Food Waste

In my opinion, refrigerator manufacturers can take a break from finding more ways to incorporate technology into their appliances. They peaked at developing nugget ice dispensers, and everything after that — from internal cameras and display screens that show you what’s inside to wireless “door ajar” notifications — has mostly been fluff (in my opinion). There’s a more pressing problem for refrigeration designers to solve anyway, and I suspect their focus on gadgetry is a way of avoiding it. I’m talking about fridge organization.

Organizing the food in your fridge to be easy to see, easy to access, and easy to put away is, unfortunately, kind of a difficult task. Even with all the crisper drawers and door cubbies that your fridge comes with, the open space on each shelf is too vast to use economically and often results in food getting lost and going to waste. Luckily, the right bins and dividers can make that space much more useful, and one such piece you should definitely have is this spinning platform from YouCopia.

Rotating organizers have been a staple inside kitchen cabinets and on counters, and they’re just as helpful for getting everything inside your fridge in order. Their best application is with foods that will last in your fridge for a while, such as jams, sauces, and condiments, but that still have expiration dates to abide by. Since you don’t use all these foods on a daily basis, they tend to get pushed to the back corners and become hidden. Then, you either forget about them completely and they go rotten, or the next time you want, say, habanero aioli, you end up buying a new one because you think you’re out. When you come home from the store and discover you now have two of the same thing, it’s too late.

This turntable prevents that from happening by making it easy to see all your food. As long as you place it in a corner where nothing can fall behind it, it actually makes it difficult to lose track of food. You’re not limited to only storing pre-packaged goods on it — it puts produce front and center so no fruits or veggies go bad — but given its compact size, it’s a great fit for lots of small to medium-sized bottles and jars. Plus, with all those condiments relocated from your fridge door, you can use that space to hold more beverages and other items.

Thanks to its removable silicone liner, you can take it out and clean spills without having to remove the entire turntable. Non-slip feet on the bottom keep the organizer from moving as you rotate it, and a short raised edge around the perimeter makes sure food will stay put. And, if you ever decide this device would be more useful anywhere else in your kitchen, you can always move it (although your food may miss riding their little merry-go-round).

Ready to stop losing food in your fridge? Pick up one of these durable and affordable rotating trays and discover how nice it is to be able to conveniently see all your jars and bottles. After trying this compartmentalized setup, you’ll have a hard time going back to a completely open floor plan fridge.