How To Use Chopsticks To Double Your Fridge Space
Even when it seems like there’s no free space left in your fridge, there’s likely some free vertical space that you aren’t taking advantage of! Stacking items is the best way to make the most of that vertical space, but what if those items aren’t easily stackable?
This is a common fridge organizing conundrum, and it’s one I’ve faced dozens of times in my own fridge. But I recently came across a brilliantly simple hack that solves this storage problem!
And the best part? All you need is a pair of chopsticks! :-)
See this brilliant space-saving hack in action in the video at the end of this post!
To stack items in your fridge, simply lay a pair of chopsticks across the top of an open container. The chopsticks will create a sturdy surface that will allow you to stack something else on top!
How clever is that?! Even though I have a set of stainless steel mixing bowls with lids (read more about those here), there are plenty of occasions when I have other containers I need to fit in the fridge too.
This hack is going to make it so much easier for me to fit more in the fridge, especially on those occasions when I’m feeding a crowd. (If only I had known about this fridge organization hack during the holidays!)
In addition to helping solve your fridge storage woes, there are plenty of other useful things you can do with chopsticks! Here are 7 more compelling reasons to stash a supply of chopsticks at home!
Bonus: 7 More Creative Uses For Chopsticks
1. Drying Rack
Don’t have quite enough room in the drying rack for all the dishes you just washed? Set a microfiber towel on the counter, then set a pair of chopsticks on it side-by-side with a couple of inches between them.
Set your clean glasses upside down on the chopstick, and they’ll be able to drip dry while you dry off the other dishes in the rack.
2. Clean Crevices
Wrap a damp cloth around a chopstick to help clean nooks and crannies around the house. Use it to clean air vents, faucets, the rim of your Instant Pot, and more!
3. Support Plants
Young plants sometimes need a bit of support until they are ready to stand on their own. Fashion a simple plant support by sticking a chopstick into the soil next to the plant, then using a twist tie to loosely secure the stem to the chopstick.
4. Pit Cherries
If you have a chopstick handy, you don’t need a dedicated gadget just to pit cherries! Place the end of a chopstick at the stem end of a cherry, then push it through to force the pit out the other end.
5. Stir Paint
Forgot to grab a paint stirrer when you were at the hardware store? You can DIY one by holding a pair of chopsticks parallel to each other, and save yourself the second trip!
More Ideas You'll Love
6. Level Flour
Keep a few chopsticks in the same drawer that you keep your measuring cups. A chopstick is the perfect tool for leveling flour for baking!
7. Clean Shoes
Worried about tracking mud, snow, or dirt onto your clean floors? Keep a spare chopstick by the doors to your house! You can use them to scrape any offending substances off the soles of your shoes before you walk inside.
Share your clever chopstick hacks in a comment below!
Don’t have any chopsticks but cheap bamboo skewers will work for most of the same things
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love the idea of using chopsticks. However, I don’t have any, but I do have a good supply of straight knitting needles in several lengths, so can put them to use in this fashion! Thanks for sparking that idea.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I used chopsticks to keep the layers of a cake together while frosting it. It was a 3 layer cake and the layers were not totally flat so they did not fit together perfectly. I figured I could fill in any spaces with extra frosting but I couldn’t keep the layers from slipping. Then I remembered that I had a couple of chopsticks from the last time I went to a Chinese restaurant. I don’t know why I kept them because I can’t eat with them. So I got them out and stuck 4 of them through the cake layers and finished frosting the cake. I didn’t need the cake until the next day so I put it in the refrigerator overnight. By the next day the frosting was not as soft so I was able to remove the chopsticks and smooth over the little holes in the top. It looked perfect. If I was going to use candles, I could probably arrange them to use the chopstick holes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a disposable “free with takeout” chopstick when refilling my bird feeders to scrape out any leftovers or stuck seeds before rinsing, drying and refilling the feeders. I also use freebie chopsticks with loose twist ties to hold up seedling or starter plants and herbs before they get big enough to go into larger pots or the ground.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a chopstick to prop open my drip coffee maker lid to let it dry out and keep mold from growing inside.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am making my own pasta drying rack for homemade pasta
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a chop stick to push out corners when I am sewing. As opposed to “pushing” the chop stick, I place the corner over the chopstick and wiggle the fabric until I am satisfied with the look of the corner. That way I am assured of not prodding right through the fabric.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ah yes, I usually stack my 9x13s with a cooling rack in between. Works for the fridge, the cooler, even my casserole carrier! I’ll keep the chopsticks in mind for smaller things though!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.To let all ingredients drain out of a jar, I put chop sticks over a container, then balance the jar on the chop sticks until it is all drained. Small jars , like catsup, May have to have something to lean against to keep from toppling over. It’s amazing what one can come up with in a pinch.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I always keep a chopstick in my flour bins. It’s more convenient (for me, at least) to keep them there rather than in a drawer. I also keep a measuring cup in various containers – a half cup in the oatmeal, a third cup in the coffee canister, etc. as those are the ones I use most often with those ingredients.
Another handy chopstick tip – if you have a recipe that calls for boiling a liquid down, rather than pouring the hot stuff back and forth into a measuring cup do this: say you want to boil stock down to one-half cup. Pour a half cup of water into your saucepan and mark the depth on a chopstick (Pencil works fine; it’s nontoxic) then toss the water and pour in your stock. From time to time, put the chopstick into the pan to see if the stuff has boiled down to the proper amount.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great idea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks, Jill — another great idea! I have been using a similar concept with extra cake/cookie cooling racks. The 10″ cooling rack used for a round cake layer is perfectly sized for a 9″ square baking dish. Take care that the “legs” of the rack don’t cut through the foil: create dimples in the foil before completely sealing the food or use the rack flat-side-down. I also up-cycle the wire shelves from toaster ovens for the same purpose.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You can also use chopsticks as a fabric turner when sewing!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use chop sticks or skewers in pans , when a rack is needed to keep meat of the bottom
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Use to use rolled up tin foil
Can also use shish kabob skewers.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was also thinking that bamboo skewers might do many of these same jobs, maybe better as they’re longer. The only hitch is that they’re round in cross-section so rolling might be a problem, whereas chopsticks are squarish.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Another hack I find invaluable, is to put a turntable or two in the fridge. I have one on the top shelf for salad dressings and Frequently used condiments. Easy to find them and no “digging” and tipping things over.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just place a dinner plate on top of a container and place another food item on it. It may be more sturdy than chopsticks.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When I had long hair, I used to use a chopstick to hold up a twisted bun.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ingenious, Jillee…again! I love starting the day with the optimism that is part of your posts….
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you Carol Ann! You made my day! :-)
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