3 Markers You Must Have in Your Fridge and Why They’ll Save Your Leftovers

Labeling food containers is such an important habit in keeping our kitchens organized and preventing food waste. Sometimes food storage labels work but I have an easier solution for kitchen labeling – for everything from labeling jars to plastics. 

Every single human wrestles with certain deep, existential questions in life. You know, the “who am I” and “what am I here for?” questions. What’s scary is when we start saying them to our refrigerators:

• When did I make this?
• What is it here for?
• Who put this in the fridge?
• Can I still eat this??

Labeling Food Containers with Dry & Wet Erase Markers

Joking aside, food safety is no laughing matter. If you’ve ever had a touch of food poisoning, you know exactly what I mean.

Sometimes we let food get lost in a real-food kitchen… and no – it’s not a fermentation experiment! I hate it when I waste money in the kitchen by not remembering the leftovers that got shoved in the back.

So let’s upgrade our food labeling organization by using a secret weapon in the kitchen: markers.

RELATED: 5 Ways to Use Leftover Potatoes

The best food storage label isn’t a label at all! It’s a marker. Kitchen labeling is as easy as writing directly on the containers.

I keep a dry erase marker tucked into my circular spice rack – turned upside down so it always has ink at the tip. I grab this fabulous tool whenever I need to label and date a container. For example, we enjoy making kefir – a dairy ferment that happens at room temperature. I always write the day and time on the lid so I don’t forget when I started fermenting.

Refrigerator Food Labels  

But don’t stop at kitchen labeling ferments. I was standing in my friend’s kitchen just yesterday and she pulled out a WET erase marker to label all leftovers in her fridge.

Unlike a dry erase marker, wet-erase markers (like the Vis-à-vis brand used on transparencies) can’t be smudged off with your thumb – whether on purpose or on accident. Need to remove the marker? She just pops her containers in the dishwasher and the markings come right off.

As a busy mom, she maximizes her time by prepping her food at the beginning of the week. She writes the date on her container, as well as what day she plans to use it. This lets her hungry middle-school boys know if the food is up for grabs (or off limits) when they come home hungry from school.

RELATED: Organizing with Shoe Boxes in the Kitchen

Labeling Jars Made Easy

Bonus? Wet erase markers can be used on both glass jars and plastic.

But don’t just stop with the fridge! Do you have any mixes in your pantry?

Permanent Markers In The Pantry

I took a permanent Sharpie marker to label all of our homemade seasoning mixes, including taco seasoning, Italian salad dressing, and ranch salad dressing.

I write the ingredients that make up the bulk mix on the back of the jar. On the front, I write what wet ingredients I will need to mix it with. What a relief to cut out time to find my ranch dressing recipe! Now, it’s always there.

Permanent markers can be removed from glass jars with a little elbow grease and rubbing alcohol. Don’t use it on plastic.

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Katie here!

Another tip I learned from my friend Lisa Woodruff from Organize 365 is to use a Lazy Susan to not lose condiments and leftovers in the fridge. Genius! 

I hate when I reach for something in the back of my fridge and I knock everything down in front of it. It’s even worse when one of my kids spills something that way. 

Using a Lazy Susan to organize the fridge makes it easier to access everything in there. It’s perfect for small jars of fermented foods you want to remember to eat at every meal, refrigerated probiotics, or things like ground flax, whey, or small jars of flour for soaking oatmeal properly…

My Other Secret Use for Dry Erase Markers

Sometimes I can be a bit…forgetful. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten about my yogurt, letting it sit out overnight, or neglected to pull my 5#-frozen-rock-solid chicken out of the freezer, or forgot to pull my fruit leathers out of the dehydrator…until I find them a week later.

Can You Write on Mirrors with Dry-Erase Markers?

Yes! I now use a dry erase marker to write notes to myself on the bathroom mirror. 

You know, things like: “DON’T FORGET THE YOGURT AGAIN” or “check fruit leather 7:00 pm.” It’s been extremely effective. And while you have the dry erase marker handy, go ahead and leave an encouraging note or doodle for a family member! Who says bathroom mirrors need to be boring?

Need More Baby Steps?

Here at Kitchen Stewardship, we’ve always been all about the baby steps. But if you’re just starting your real food and natural living journey, sifting through all that we’ve shared here over the years can be totally overwhelming.

That’s why we took the best 10 rookie “Monday Missions” that used to post once a week and got them all spruced up to send to your inbox – once a week on Mondays, so you can learn to be a kitchen steward one baby step at a time, in a doable sequence.

Yes! One Change a Week please!

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