Did you know that in the UK alone, 9.52 million tonnes of food is wasted annually?
A significant amount of this food waste is due to people not storing their food correctly, with the spoilt food then being thrown away.
There are ways to preserve food for longer though and below we’ve listed a few food storage hacks that we think are worth trying.
Storing food in your cupboard: 5 storage ideas for people with a small kitchen.
Having a small kitchen can feel very limiting when it comes to storage space but there are so many ways in which you can maximise the storage space you do have.
1)The First In, First Out Method
The First In, First Out method encourages you to use the items that are nearest to their expiry date first.
The method’s appeal lies in its simplicity. The First In, First Out method would require you to place your older cans at the front of your cupboard so that they get used up first, or placing items on the shelves in the fridge that you’re most likely to reach out to when having a browse for something to eat.
This method helps to significantly reduce the risk of you forgetting about food until it’s too late and means you don’t need to be as conscious about what item you grab when you open the fridge or the cupboard, as it will most likely be something you need to eat soon anyhow.
It’s being organised early on so that you don’t have to think about it again.
2)Investing in a Tiered Organiser
Tiered organisers are like little steps for your food items. They create more vertical space and are perfect for cans and spices. Oftentimes, our cupboards are cluttered with stacks upon stacks of tins, to the point where we don’t even know what we have beyond what we’re able to see.
By having these tiered organisers in your cupboard, you’ll be able to make out each individual item in your cupboard, ensuring you fully use up what you already have in your cupboard, before you buy even more.
3) Stackable Shelves
Stackable shelves add layers to your cupboard, adding 1-2 more tiers of space that can prove absolutely essential when you have a smaller kitchen.
If you hate having to dig for things that are at the back of your cupboard all the time, you’ll want these in your kitchen as soon as possible.
4) Wall-Mounted / Magnetic Spice Racks
Wall-mounted racks can be a great way of extending your storage space beyond your cupboard, as they can be mounted on the side of it. Wall-mounted racks are great for storing things like spices, tea, and coffee.
Bigger racks can also be attached to your kitchen wall itself and are the perfect place to store jars, cans, and other kitchen essentials that are often used but also tend to clutter up your countertops.
A magnetic spice rack works in a similar way but they can be mounted on the outside of the cupboard or inside of it using a magnetic board,
Alternatively, they can also be attached to the side or front of your fridge without the need of a magnetic board.
5) Screw Up Mason Jars
This idea is more of a DIY project, but it’s possible to buy a version of this online – rather than having the tops of the jars mounted within the cupboards, you could buy metal brackets to install inside your cupboards, and the mason jar lids could slide into them, allowing for the jars to be suspended.
Either way, this method allows you to utilise the upper part of your cupboard, hanging up items to free up some space. These hanging mason jars could be used to hang up things like spices, grains, sugar, coffee or things similar in nature.
Other food storage methods – tried & tested ideas to preserve food
6) Ice Cubes
Turning food and drink items into ice cubes is a great way to extend their longevity and there are a number of cool ways in which they can then be used later. For instance, different types of milk can be frozen and used in your coffee on a hot summer day.
Herbs also stay fresher for longer when frozen. You can chop some fresh herbs and mix them with oil before pouring them into an ice rack and freezing them. These can then be used when you’re cooking.
What’s more, did you know that you can buy large freezer-friendly cube moulds that can be used for freezing entire meals? Anytime you make a curry, soup, or anything else, you can pour any leftovers in these containers, freeze them, and then heat them up whenever you like.
7) Bees Wax Paper
With sustainability at the forefront of many people’s minds, wax paper is a great way to store food and keep it fresh. Unlike cling film and foil, it can be washed and reused hundreds of times. Bee’s wax paper can be shaped around the food and is perfect for wrapping up fruit, vegetables, cheese, and bread!
A useful tip to know is that cheese is better off not being stored in the packaging it comes in, especially if you have wax paper available. The nature of wax paper allows the cheese to breathe and, when placed in the back of the fridge where the temperature tends to be more consistent, wax paper can help prevent the cheese from going mouldy for longer.
8) Bread
Bread, along with milk, is one of the most purchased household items.
If you do find you have a surplus of bread and you don’t want any of it to go to waste, simply freeze it and defrost it when you need it. Bread can usually last in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Bread can also be used to prevent cake from going stale. Placing a slice of bread or two on the sliced area of the cake, using toothpicks to hold the slices in place, can help keep the cake nice and soft. This is largely due to the moisture found in bread. The same rule applies for cookies if you wrap them up in a slice of bread and put both in a sealed container.
However, it should be said that the slice(s) of bread will sadly, themselves, go stale.
But, if you do have stale bread, you can use it to make croutons or breadcrumbs you can use when cooking.
9) Fruit
There are a number of ways in which you can preserve fruit. Here are a few of the more popular methods:
- Bananas — When you first buy bananas, they should be stored on their own at room temperature as they ripen. If you want them to ripen at a slower pace, make sure to wrap up the top of the banana with a plastic wrap.
Once the banana is ripe, place it in the fridge. If you happen to have an unripe avocado, you can place it in a plastic bag with a ripe banana to speed up the avocado’s ripening process.
Even if the skin of banana is brown, it is still safe to eat and is great for making banana bread with.
- Berries — To preserve your berries, soak them in a vinegar water bath for 5 minutes to kill any mould spores, then dry them and store them in the fridge in a paper towel-lined container – this will keep them fresh for longer.
If you don’t plan to eat them anytime soon, freeze them and use them later in a smoothie.
- Fruit with a stone — It’s worth noting that all fruit that has a stone in them – think peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, apricots, and mangoes — should be stored at room temperature. Storing these fruits in the fridge can cause them to lose flavour and impact their overall texture.
Other general food storage hacks
10) Food/Bag Sealing Clips
One of the worst feelings is reaching through a bag of crisps or putting some cereal in a bowl only to find that they’ve gone stale. That’s where food sealing clips come in.
These clips mean you can seal up packets again after they’ve been opened, helping to maintain the freshness of their contents.
11) Food Storage Bags
Food storage bags are very useful when you’re looking for ways to store food in your fridge or freezer.
They come in multiple sizes and are reusable, making them the ideal container for all manner of snacks, fruits, and vegetables.
Their leakproof nature means that they can be laid flat in your fridge or freezer without risking spillage.
Several of these methods not only help you keep your food fresh but also free up space in your kitchen too.
If you’d like to explore how you can free up more space in other rooms of your house too, we invite you to look at some of the flexible personal storage solutions we offer here at Attic.
Posted on 19th October 2022 by Shanaiqua Desa | Last updated on 16th April 2025
