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I currently use plastic food containers like those in the below picture of different sizes.

  1. Is it better (in terms of energy consumption) for the fridge?
  2. Should the containers be sealed or not?
  3. Would plastic bags or freezer bags be better?

How should I store fruits and vegetables in the fridge?

Here's an example of the containers I am using (from here):

Plastic tupperware food containers

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    You are over thinking this. How you store your items in the fridge does not affect the efficiency of the fridge. The limitation in efficiency comes from the imperfect insulation in the fridge.
    – Aron
    Jul 22, 2015 at 0:43

4 Answers 4

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As for saving energy in the fridge, vegetable storing does not make a difference.*

If you want to prolong the life of your produce to reduce waste, it depends on the vegetable. Many veggies and greens generally need to 'breathe', so non-sealed bags/containers or just in the 'crisper drawer' is good. You can buy specialty bags such as perforated ziplocs or mesh fabric. I generally freeze things if I don't think I can eat them before they go bad. I've also heard that wrapping celery in foil helps, but haven't tried it myself.

Finally, there are many things which don't actually need to be refrigerated, or do better at room temperature. Tomatoes are one of them: unless they're overripe, store them on the counter (which is also better for flavour). Here's a list foods that do better outside the fridge:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/08/foods-in-fridge_n_5280137.html

*As an aside, you can save power if you put large bottles of water in empty spaces in the fridge (if you have any). When you open the door, the water stays cool longer than air in an otherwise unused part of the fridge, using less energy to maintain a cool temperature.

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  • For vegetables that have the tendency to 'dry out', experiment with paper, which will serve as a moisture buffer. I have good results with wrapping leafy vegetables in an ordinary newspaper. My mushroom vendor suggested storing the mushrooms in a sealed container with a paper tissue. A paper tissue on the bottom of a box of berries will reduce the speed with which they go bad. YMMV
    – user2451
    Aug 19, 2015 at 13:12
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    "you can save power if you put large bottles of water in empty spaces in the fridge" can you provide an authoritative reference for this? I thought this would simply mean less energy is require to recover from opening the door, because of increased thermal mass. However, overall energy use is higher because there is more mass to cool.
    – Dan Gravell
    Sep 29, 2015 at 11:50
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In order to sustain the vegetables as much as possible, I use vegetable bags and put them in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. The veggies need to breathe. They last longer that way.

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As sustainability is concerned, you might want to go all plastic free.

Here is one of the many resources you can easily find online, may it be about avoiding plastic or best storing ways (there is a loooot to be said about): http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-store-fruits-and-vegeta-152591

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I would also like to add another point sustainability-wise, to save energy, a filled fridge is better than an empty one (even with dummy elements) because it's harder to cool air and it escapes a lot easier.

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