Tips from Tidy Tastemakers

Photo courtesy of Erin Lives Whole

Along with water and oxygen, the need for food is something all human beings have in common. Whether we're vegans or carnivores, or prefer home cooking to takeout, every single one of us needs food of some sort. As a result, the kitchen is the most important shared space in any home--and, consequently, an organized kitchen has huge benefits for everyone!

We've teamed up with several culinary and self-trained chefs to demonstrate the positive effect of an organized fridge or pantry. You can see the results of their space transformations--and some of their favorite kitchen storage products--below.

Kevin Curry (Fit Men Cook)

For Kevin Curry of Fit Men Cook, the challenge was organizing the fridge in the studio where he shoots his videos. "One way I'm reminded of my wellness goals is by maintaining a clean and organized fridge," he explains. "In many ways, [our fridges] can tell the story of where we're headed or what's important to us." Kevin's fridge organization tools of choice include our iDesign Linus Deep Divided Fridge Bin, iDesign Linus Fridge Bins Egg Holder, The Home Edit by iDesign Berry Bins, and OXO greensaver Produce Keepers. The results look great, and now he's even more excited about his health journey. "I find I am way more excited about eating well when my fridge doesn't look like a 6th grade science project!" he jokes.

Photo courtesy of Fit Men Cook

Alex Snodgrass (The Defined Dish)

Instead of organizing her fridge, bestselling author and recipe developer Alex Snodgrass (The Defined Dish) took on a different kitchen project: tidying up her cabinets, pantry, and drawers. She brought in lots of new products--including our Scala Steel Wire Stackable Baskets, iDesign Linus Pantry Bins, and Small Acacia Knife Docks--but her favorites are the iDesign Linus Divided Lazy Susans and Anchor Hocking Montana Glass Canisters with Acacia Lids. "One of my favorite things that we did when we moved into this house was decant flour and sugar in the acacia jars!" she says, noting that they help prevent both visual clutter and baking messes. "My other favorite is the clear turntable for storing sauces and spices. From my oils and vinegars to my sauces and my coffee station, they are a DREAM for storing items and making everything easy to reach!"

Photo courtesy of The Defined Dish

Erin Morrissey (Erin Lives Whole)

"I've been wanting to organize our fridge ever since we moved into our new house, and I finally got tons of incredible things from The Container Store," says food blogger Erin Morrissey (Erin Lives Whole), likening us to a "candy store for adults." Her purchases included iDesign's Fridge Bins (in both regular and deep sizes) and Wine Holders, as well as a Refrigerator Lazy Susan. Now, Erin's fridge has everything in its proper place and looks fantastic!

Photo courtesy of Erin Lives Whole

Ellen Bennett

"I LOVE when our fridge at home reminds me of the walk-in refrigerators at the restaurants where I used to work," says Ellen Bennett, CEO & Chief Apron Officer of kitchen essentials company Hedley & Bennett. "Everything was always visible, sorted by type, labeled and easy to see how much you had left of every product." Inspired to achieve this feeling in her own kitchen, Ellen made a productive trip to The Container Store and picked out an assortment of fridge organizers, including The Home Edit by iDesign Produce Bins and Large Divided Bins. When she got home, she cleaned out her fridge, sorted the contents, threw out any old or unwanted food, decanted milk and juice into glass bottles, and labeled each bin and compartment accordingly with a white chalk marker. She also used our Weck Sturz Glass Canning Jars to keep her herbs fresh in water. "Then I stood there and basked in the glory of it for about two minutes while I ate an apple, and then went to bed with a giant smile on my face," she adds. "It's the little things, ya know?"

Photo courtesy of Ellen Bennett