How to make sure no food spoils in your fridge ever again
Poor fridge of yours. Completely stuffed with stuff, only to start stinking horribly when we once again forget that we bought that deliciously smelly cheese from the cheesemonger 3 weeks ago. Or because we didn’t realize that we weren’t supposed to cook for an entire orphanage, but ‘just’ for 2 people last week. With these tips, you’ll make sure that nothing from your fridge spoils from now on.
1. Empty and clean your fridge
Make a clean sweep: bliss. So start by emptying and cleaning your fridge. This is a little painful because you’ll undoubtedly discover that there are 15 sauces wasting away in that corner at the back, but at least with a clean, empty fridge you can move on with your life. Don’t forget to clean everything. So take out the shelves, drawers and any non-slip mats (highly recommended!) and scrub everything you come across. You’ll see that it’s actually quite a relaxing little task.
2. Cook with what you have
You know the feeling. On FavorFlav (of course) or in your favorite cookbook, you see a delicious recipe and absolutely want to make it tonight. So you go to the store and buy everything new. Every time. The result: your fridge gets filled to the brim. With stuff you use once and then forget about. This is where food waste begins. Although we love it when you cook the recipes we share with you, here’s our tip: cook your fridge empty for once. Gather what you see and make something with it. You’ll see that if you have rice or pasta as a base, you’re already well on your way. Maybe you can even turn that one smelly cheese into a delicious cheese sauce. And: be creative. You can make countless things with just that half a carton of eggs.
3. Give it away
Sometimes you have an unbelievable craving for something, but that damned cauliflower is still staring at you from the vegetable drawer. Ugh, you really don’t feel like eating that right now. And probably not tomorrow either. What are you supposed to do with it? Maybe your lovely neighbor or grandmother would be incredibly happy with it. So take a critical look at what you have and give away what you no longer want. If only everything were that easy.
4. Buy less
The least fun tip of the bunch. But once you manage it, you’ll make huge strides in your process. Simply buy fewer groceries. And the very best advice here is: don’t buy anything when you’re hungry. Because then you’ll throw everything you see in the store into your cart, and you’ll regret it. Control yourself. You can do it. Maybe online grocery shopping works for you? That way, you can plan everything precisely in advance. Focus on your goal: NO MORE SPOILED FOOD!
5. Shop smart
Okay, buying less is one of your goals. Then it’s useful to make sure that whatever you buy actually gets eaten. This is where smart meal planning comes in again. But you can also look for products that are very fridge-friendly. Things that sometimes stay good for 2 weeks in the coldest room in your house. Then you won’t have to worry about them much at all. Just set a reminder in your calendar for two weeks from now, before you relapse and completely forget about the contents of your fridge again.
Read also:
- Can you put hot food in the fridge or freezer?
- Heinz finally tells us whether ketchup belongs in the fridge or not
- Eddie’s food annoyances: that layer of water at the bottom of the fridge
Source: TheKitchn
