Packing and using top load refrigerator/freezer HELP!

[Cheechako]

Having a sliding, to left and right orto front back basket/shelf helps a lot. Put things like cheese snacks etc on it. I'm not convinced that a top loader loses much when the door is open for a minute or two. You really don't feel the "cool" coming out, like you do with a front loader.
I love top loaders that also have a front door. Very handy for grabbing the "bottom stuff", especially drinks.

[jstevens]

I've attached (I hope) a better pic of the baskets I use in my frig. The smaller one on the left fits under the freezer compartment and fits the bottom of the frig, including the sloping side. I use a piece of elastic cord to hold the lid in place so I can lift the basket out of the frig without the contents spilling out.

The larger basket sits under the frig hatch and I can remove its contents without lifting the basket, just open the lid. I do have to remove this basket to get at the smaller one.

John

[Juho]

We have a refrigerator with two layers, and with plexiglass plates between the layers. In the upper layer we have one large plastic box and a large plastic basket on top of the box. They fill about 80% of the upper compartment. If I need something from the lower compartment I lift the basket and box out, move some bottles towards the rear, and then lift out one plexiglass plate to access the lower compartment. The lower compartment is more unstructured (since I have long enough hands to access everything there). The key to usability is the basket+box that can be taken out very quickly.

[lookinggoodrock]

Looks good! I guess you only eat lettuce and butter though! Lol

[jrbogie]

keep in mind that with a top loading fridge the cold air doesn't spill out very much. hot air rises, cold air descends, simple physics so you can leave it open for quite some time without losing much cold air at all. where can it go? for sure not up.

[Pearly]

Thank you everyone, many good ideas ... And likely the best ... Resolve to contend with it, there will always be something on the bottom! We have a digital thermometer and the usual lunch making raises the temp in our fridge about 3-4 degrees and that stuff is usually toward the top. If we have to dig for all of our dinner ingredients we can see a 7 degree change, and that is in New England, thinking that will be amplified in the tropics.