Kitchen inventory: temperatures, fridge, freezer, pantry, staples and storage card

Weekly thermometer readings, what is in the fridge and what must be eaten first, the freezer list with dates, the pantry by category, the staples you always want on hand, and your storage card. Everything you type stays in this browser.

For a first pass, four sheets are essential: a thermometer reading for the fridge and the freezer and the freezer list (Kitchen inventory), the staples (Kitchen inventory), and the storage card with ten foods (How long food keeps). The fridge and pantry lists can be rough or skipped on a first pass; a reader who skips them still has the eat-first shelf in the fridge itself.

Thermometer readings

Read the appliance thermometers once a week (Kitchen inventory). The targets are 40 °F (4 °C) or below for the refrigerator and 0 °F (-18 °C) or below for the freezer.

Fridge and the eat-first shelf

Opened and perishable items, with the day each should be eaten by from the storage table (Kitchen inventory and How long food keeps). Tick eat first for anything on the eat-first shelf.

Freezer list

Everything in the freezer, with the date it went in (or "date unknown"). Quality by comes from the freezer column of the storage table; food kept at 0 °F stays safe after that date, but its quality falls.

Pantry

Shelf-stable food by category (Kitchen inventory). Write the date you opened anything that changes once opened.

Staples

The items you always want on hand (Kitchen inventory). Keep at least is your household's own choice. Mark an item low or out and tick add to list, and the shopping list picks it up when that list is still empty.

Storage card

The foods your household buys most, with their times from the storage table (How long food keeps). Type says whether a time is a safety limit (refrigerator times) or a quality limit (freezer and pantry times).

How to use these sheets

• Read, then record. Read the appliance thermometers at the same time each week and write the reading before you change a control. Note any adjustment and read again the next day.
• Date what goes in. The freezer list takes the date frozen, or "date unknown" for what is already there. Quality by comes from the freezer column of the storage table.
• Staples are yours. Keep at least is the household's own choice. Mark have now as low or out, tick add to list, and a still-empty shopping list starts with those items.
• The storage card is a copy. Copy each time from the storage table with its type: refrigerator times are safety limits; freezer and pantry times are quality limits.