The Basic Principles

• A deep-freeze works best when it's tightly packed with food, creating what amounts to a solidly frozen mass. Refrigerators are the opposite, because they must actively circulate cold air around your food to maintain the items at a food-safe temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. If you've experienced the frustration of having milk spoil and lettuce freeze in the same fridge, it's often because it's cluttered, and air is not moving freely. If you purchase an inexpensive fridge thermometer and monitor its temperature -- always a good idea -- you'll note that the doors and front areas of shelves are consistently warmest, while the rear of the fridge and its bottom corners are typically coldest. A well-organized fridge takes these principles into account.

The Warm Spots

• Your refrigerator door and the front of the shelves are the warmest spots, because they're exposed to room-temperature air every time you open the door. This means these areas should ideally be reserved for low-maintenance, marginally perishable foods such as pickles, condiments and well-wrapped cheeses. A butter compartment is usually built into the door, because the slightly warmer temperature makes the butter easier to cut and quicker to soften for later use. Other dairy products such as milk and cream are highly perishable and should not be stored on the door, unless you routinely use them up within a day or two.

The Drawers

• Most refrigerators are furnished with at least two, and often three, drawers for specialized storage. One is generally designated for vegetables and a second for fruit, because the two should not usually share an enclosed space. Many fruits release ethylene gas as they ripen, and mixing them with other fruits and vegetables speeds the ripening process of those as well. That's a positive with fruit, because they're usually picked unripe and need to mature. Vegetables, on the other hand, are ready to use and the exposure to ethylene simply hastens their spoilage. The third drawer, when present, provides a drip-proof enclosure for segregating meats.

The Broad Strokes

• Use a few broad rules to arrange your foods and beverages in the fridge's main compartment. Leftovers, prepared foods and any salad greens not relegated to the produce drawer should go on the top, the next warmest spot and a place where they can't be contaminated by drips from uncooked foods. Highly perishable meats, poultry and fish should be kept in the rear corners of the fridge, where it's coldest, and near the bottom, where they can't drip or spill on other foods. If you don't have a meat drawer, contain them in a drip-proof container for safety's sake. Milk and cream should also stay to the rear, with less perishable foods such as cottage cheese or yogurt closer to the front.

Temperature and Airflow

• To help your refrigerator work efficiently, be mindful of airflow. Arrange your foods and beverages loosely in the fridge, and try not to create solid walls of containers that can lead to warmer and cooler areas. To seriously minimize spoilage and waste, invest in two to three inexpensive fridge thermometers and position them in the upper, middle and lower regions of your fridge. Check their temperatures in the morning, when the door has been closed all night, and again at night after a day of normal use. If the temperatures vary by more than a few degrees, re-arrange the shelves and food until you achieve a consistent temperature throughout.