You're welcome! Apparently, it was named a national day to encourage people to clean out their refrigerators in preparation for the upcoming holidays. And I just want to say that the picture above is clearly not a real person's fridge. I mean, there's actual shelf space in there! That is not normal.
I don't think I've even seen the shelves of my refrigerator since the day we bought it. Plus, there are no weird lab experiments of moldy growing things that have acclimated to the cooler temperature and have started to evolve into sentient beings. What? Just me?
I don't think I've even seen the shelves of my refrigerator since the day we bought it. Plus, there are no weird lab experiments of moldy growing things that have acclimated to the cooler temperature and have started to evolve into sentient beings. What? Just me?
Hub, bless his heart, is the great condiment collector. He loves to barbecue and every time he fires up the grill, he has a new sauce to try. For some reason, we never seem to use the entire bottle, so the lowest shelf in our fridge is where condiments go to die.
My issue is different. I buy a lot of fruits and vegetables, because I really want to be the person who is going to eat them. Sadly, I'm not her yet. They tend to linger in the crisper, which more aptly should be called the wilter, until they get mushy and are then shuffled out to the compost pile in the backyard accompanied by the sound of my dry heaves.
Another fail (mine) is leftovers. No one in my house eats leftovers unless it's meat, potatoes, or homemade mac and cheese. That's it. Everything else should just go straight into the garbage, do not pass Go, do not collect $100 dollars. And yet, I carefully box the leftover spaghetti, fried rice, tuna casserole, and assorted whatnot into snazzy Tupperware containers (Ugh, plastic!) that fill every nook and cranny until we celebrate the great removal day, which is apparently today!
I don't know about you all, but refrigerator cleaning is not on my short list of things I want to do -- unless I'm on deadline -- and it generally falls somewhere between taking the car through the carwash (Fun!) and doing fork recon in one of the Hooligans's rooms (Eek!). However, given that I could not shove one more item of Tupperware into the fridge last night, I have a feeling National Clean Your Refrigerator Day is coming for me!
How about you, Reds and Readers, how is your refrigerator maintenance? Do you need a national day to get it done? Also, do you eat leftovers? I might have some for you!
Okay, I had no idea there was actually a “clean out your refrigerator” day . . . and while my refrigerator might appreciate the attention, there’s still plenty of room in there. [And no science experiments that I am aware of, so no worries on that score, either.] At any rate, I hate refrigerator-cleaning, so I’m just claiming ignorance and letting the day pass us by.
ReplyDeleteAs for the left-overs, yes, we do eat them when we have them. [Actually, they usually become part of some other dish so they no longer resemble left-overs.] But I have to say that I’m truly lucky because John will eat whatever I cook . . . .
I’m with on the repurposed food - like leftover chicken into enchiladas - sadly, with teens the leftovers are seldom enough to carry a meal. Maybe I just need to cook more. Hmm.
DeleteI'm going to claim bad timing on this one. Garbage day was today, so doing refrigerator clean-out tomorrow doesn't make sense for me. I feel quite good about that excuse. And, I just freed up a bit of space when we finished off the chili, and that dish came out of the refrigerator. We do eat leftovers, well, some of them. I think I already got rid of the fruit I talked myself into buying. Next time I eat it for sure. Of course, I will have to do some sort of refrigerator clean-out before stocking up for Thanksgiving, but I'm trying to pace myself in getting ready for it.
ReplyDeleteNext time...LOL. So me!
DeleteI grew up eating left overs, so that was never an issue for me. In fact, there are some things that are better cold. We didn't have a microwave, so I grew up not reheating things, and I still tend to eat left overs cold.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't have that much in my refrigerator. I don't cook, so there isn't that much to go in there. The freezer on the other hand, is fairly full, but nothing that needs to be cleaned out since I cycle through what I buy on a consistent basis.
If I were single, that’d be me!
DeleteHard to see how you can get by without cooking. Do you eat out or drive thru all the time?
DeleteTV Dinners and take out for dinner. Sandwiches for lunch
DeleteI was just thinking I needed to do this. Now the Universe has spoken and I MUST.
ReplyDeleteA year ago, I had a fridge loaded with science experiments shoved to the back and wilted veggies filling that crisper drawer. Then we had two major power outages, which forced me to purge EVERYTHING. I made a vow at that time to keep the fridge's contents more manageable, and for the most part, have succeeded. However, a lot of travel in October resulted in my farm share veggies piling up and I fear there's some spoilage lurking under the stuff on top.
This national holiday has come at the perfect time.
The back of the fridge - gasp! - I’m legit scared of that space!
DeleteFunny you should ask. Three years ago we got a new fridge, french doors, counter depth, extra wide, bottom freezer. The design has changed my life. I can see everything in there all the time, so wastage has decreased and science projects are a distant memory. Leftovers are eaten next day or frozen. Money is saved.
ReplyDeleteLast week the freezer was getting full, so we had fusion experiences. The Manhattan clam chowder combined nicely with the leftover minestrone for a couple of soup meals. And the chili was stirred up with the red beans and rice, added a little browned ground beef and a can of chopped green chilies . This was particularly good. I called it Nawlins Tex Mex.
Since my neighbor's husband has been in the hospital and then rehab after a femur shattering fall, I've been sending meals over to her several times a week. What a satisfying way to keep the leftover count down. She's a frail 78, and she tends to live on cheerios and the odd fried egg when stressed. It is good knowing she is fed at least.
If I have wilted vegetables, and that does happen, I make soup from whatever is there.
You can't step in the same river twice. At my house, you will never eat the same soup twice!
My sister used to purge her refrigerator by making Gotta-Go Soup. As you can imagine, the ingredients depended on what had to be purged from the fridge. But it was usually delicious!
DeleteMy people are not soup eaters - can’t really argue when it’s in the triple digits for a third of the year but perhaps this winter, I’ll break them in. Love the “ you can’t step in the same river twice” line!
DeleteThank you for the smile, Jenn. I needed it this morning! We're good, mostly with leftovers and vegetables unless it's that last inch knob of ginger that gets forgotten until it fossilizes. I'm a little bad with top-shelf stuff (for me, the shelf I can't see or reach too well) - the half inch of miso left in the pint container, the half jar of lemon marmelade I know I'm going to want for some meat roast, the fish marinade I didn't want to just toss. Right now, by some miracle, half the mail shelf is empty and that's when I usually take a sponge to it (but haven't yet) cause I can see what's stuck to the glass. Uck...
ReplyDeleteEdith, I freeze fresh ginger, then grate it while frozen when I need it. IMHO it is as good as fresh, and it lasts until I use it up. I used to pitch moldy ginger until I tried this. I don't even peel it before freezing. Fiber is good for you!
DeleteThat’s a great idea!
DeleteI freeze it, too, Ann, and it's almost easier to grate that way! But sometimes an odd knob goes all fugitive on me in the veggie drawer. ;^)
DeleteAh, yes, the ick on the glass. I know it well.
DeleteAnn, I used frozen ginger too. I grate it with my micro planer. Is there anything better than ginger snow?! :)
DeleteNational Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day should fall on a Saturday or Sunday--who's going to clean out their fridge on a weekday? I usually clean out a week's worth of stuff on the weekend before I do the grocery shopping. I have two big issues. a) Condiments. I like to try new things, so the condiments tend to breed on the top shelf. And b)veggies, because I eat a lot of things that dear hubby does not but I have a hard time using up the portions.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time we manage to eat leftovers. Leftovers for lunch are totally fab!
I’m the only veggie eater here. H1and H2 will eat some of them but Hub and I have been marrried 20+ years and he’s rarely if ever eaten anything green.
DeleteI didn't know there was a day for refrigerator cleaning but I can't say that I'm surprised, there seems to be a day for everything no matter how mundane.
ReplyDeleteI clean out the fridge when I need to get rid of stuff but since it is just me in the house, I don't keep a whole lot of stuff that would go to waste in the first place.
Do I like leftovers? Yes, depending on what the food is.
Complete ownership of a fridge. I like it! I honestly think mine would be almost empty if I lived alone.
DeleteI keep a few things in the fridge so if anyone comes over and has to go into it, they don't think I don't have any food or something.
DeleteBut since I don't do a lot of cooking, there's not really a whole lot of stuff I need to have on hand that is perishable. Milk, eggs and sandwich meat is about it. Anything else is stuff that I eat before it goes bad.
Or I just buy a sub on the way home.
Wednesday night is usually get rid of science experiments and runny veggies and yes leftovers that I can't eat any more of (freezer is almost always full), because trash pick-up is Thursday morning. I like most leftovers, but don't know where I went wrong, because guys mostly hate them. Maybe before the holidays (cue crazy laughter), I will get the whole thing emptied and washed.
ReplyDeleteMaking the same crazy laughter here! :)
DeleteAh, the refrigerator -- where bad grocery shopping decisions go to die. In my case, it's the "oh, that looks good" syndrome and too many things get added to the shopping cart. I've lived alone most of my adult life and should know by now that I'm only buying for one. But, at the moment, the friggie looks pretty good; it's the freezer section that's out of control. I need to follow Ann's example and try some "fusion" dishes!
ReplyDeleteI’m with you. I try to never shop when hungry otherwise I have to explain the wasabi Oreos in the pantry and, really, there’s no excuse!
DeleteI LOVE leftovers, because that means I can come home from a long day at the bandshell and just stick conveniently pre-cooked meals into the microwave. There's no way I'm going to cook a healthy meal from scratch after work, so it's either leftovers or takeout. When I buy a roast I also buy tortillas for all the tacos and quesadillas that will come after.
ReplyDeleteBut then, once a month, there's Concert Week. Concert Week starts on Sunday and ends on Thursday, with as many as three 10-12 hour days in there. During Concert Week I'm almost never home to cook, so all the leftovers from the week before begin to evolve, the veg goes mushy, and the apples sprout new trees. Today happens to be the first day of the weekend after Concert Week, so, yes, I will be observing the great national holiday and cleaning out my fridge.
That is a killer schedule. One thing about spoiled food - I find I get suspicious of food doesn’t go bad. Like bread should not have the shelf life it has these days. I find I’m buying things that I know will go bad sooner - weird right?
DeleteNo, I completely get it. If bread doesn't have obvious mold on it in a week, then there must be covert mold, because what kind of bread doesn't get moldy? That would be the kind that's made entirely of gluten and preservatives, I think, and I don't want to eat that even when it's fresh.
DeleteJenn, you are so funny. I can relate to the trip-to-the-compost-gagging. Eww.
ReplyDeleteMy husband, bless him, is the leftover king. His mom loved that his first act after walking in the kitchen door was to open the fridge and start choosing what dribs and dabs to consume.
But when we met in 1978 I had the magical appliance of his dreams: a microwave. Suddenly leftovers were elevated from always cold to piping hot if needed. Waste not, want not, you know.
Also, like Ann, I can make a meal out of almost anything, after being married to Steve all these years. And again like Ann, it's never the same dish twice. However, I gave up on fresh ginger, and I buy the stuff already minced in a tube. If you know how they make it so it never goes bad, please don't tell me. Lalalala.
Glass fridge shelves are the bomb. They keep spills contained, so I wipe as necessary. And clean out the veggie drawer when something wilts. Or liquifies, like the red pepper I found the other day, shudder.
I don’t remember life before microwaves. Blocked it out? I’m positive I would have starved in college without one. Glass shelves are amazing. I love getting reacquainted with mine - once a year. :)
DeleteI'm a Professional Organizer, so this one is a well-known holiday for me! It typically arrives around now, helping to get people's refrigerators prepared to take on a turkey and some sides!
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested in some fun, I worked with a family this spring for a bit on Inside Edition on how to clean out and organize your fridge a bit more! (PS -- this family, a family of 7, goes through a gallon of milk a day, otherwise, we wouldn't put it in the door. That bit got dropped on the cutting room floor.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diiaIUGy1KE&t=3s
Fascinating! A fridge for a family of seven? I can’t even imagine!
DeleteI, too, am blessed with a husband who will pretty much eat anything I put in front of him, so leftovers usually aren't a problem. And over time I have become much more disciplined about cleaning yucky stuff out of the crisper drawer promptly. I hadn't thought about it, but I think Ann above is right -- once I finally got my new refrigerator where I can see things better, I do a much better job of keeping it clean.
ReplyDeleteI am a fairly adventurous cook, though, so like many of you, it is condiments and oddball sauces that tend to accumulate in my refrigerator. But it is a price I am willing to pay for my experimentation. And I'm much too old-school to throw something away without parking it in the refrigerator for a period of time first. Like, I had good intentions and MEANT to use it, right? And that is somehow less of a guilt?
It is the oddball items - drives me nuts! Maybe there needs to be a condiment cookbook.
DeleteI'm cracking up! Refrigerators, where condiments go to die. HA HA HA! But leftovers are my favorite thing. And I often make soup and just toss dying vegetables, leftover pasta sauce, whatever, into it.
ReplyDeleteI love how those of you who have been blessed with the "cooking" gene use the word "toss" in describing how you create such amazing meals! When I try to toss I usually just get failed food stuff.
DeleteI'm with you, Lyda. I'm not a toss it together sort of person unless I've made the recipe before then look out.
DeleteNational day is a good reminder. As a Canadian I can do as if it doesn't concern me. Ah Ah !
ReplyDeleteLiving alone helps to keep the control of what is inside the fridge. Loving leftovers helps too. For the condiments I always write the date of first use on the bottle because the in between can be long.
Like many ones here I sometimes buy more vegetables and fruits that I can eat but I try to make soup or dessert before wasting them.
I've often thought a fruit dryer/dehydrator might help, but...haven't bought one yet.
DeleteOh, luckily I am not home today! And I agree, it is much easier to throw away something ..later. I’ve wrapped them in Tupperware or plastic or aluminum foil, and put them in the fridge, and then when I no longer recognize them through them. Three day old food is much easier to toss!
ReplyDeleteAs for the wilting vegetables, sigh, sometimes I think: why don’t I just tear up the money instead, and stop wasting time at the grocery :-(
I keep trying to make things organized, like have all the condiments on the upper right, and a little containers of cheese and dairy things on the upper left. But Jonathan does not seem to care about this.
And it’s interesting, too, because when my refrigerator is gorgeous and organized, it’s really fun! it has happened from… Time to time.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteNo, o Hank. The condiments go on the upper LEFT and the dairy on the upper RIGHT. I'm sure this is a life-changing revelation. ;-)
DeleteLOL, Rick!
DeleteIt's definitely time to clean out and restock the fridge ("Mother, you do realize this expired a year ago?") and run the oven cleaning cycle. It's been too hot all summer. Already salivating over Thanksgiving leftovers: Louisiana sweet potato casserole for breakfast followed by a sausage stuffing and cranberry sauce sandwich for lunch.
ReplyDeleteDear Margaret- Would you consider adopting a senior citizen for the weekend following Thanksgiving? You would have no responsibilities other than to feed the designated adoptee. Asking for a friend.
DeleteMy Mom is the Queen Of Expired Salad Dressing. Sorry, mom, you know it's true!
DeleteJenn, how timely! The 27 year old fridge is about to be replaced and we have been cleaning out the shelves. Yes, I eat leftovers. Some leftovers are really good like bean salad. Yum! I did not like bean salad when I was a kid. As an adult, bean salad leftovers are among my favorites! The lettuce wilts in the fridge so all of the salad is eaten right away! Cucumber leftovers work. There is always a jar of cucumbers in the fridge. Sometimes leftovers are wonderful, depending on which food dishes they are. Once I have a working oven, I am going to try the cauliflower crust pizza with dairy free cheese then try and see if the leftover pizza still tastes good?
ReplyDeleteNot only is November 15th clean out fridge day, but also another special day? I am not sure if it is Native American Month or Native American Day today ?
Diana
Hi. It is Native American Month. Native American Day always coincides with Columbus Day. This year it was October 14th.
DeleteSo, there's lots to celebrate this month! Excellent! Good luck with the new fridge!
DeleteCoralee, thank you :-)
DeleteJenn, looks like there is a lot to celebrate this month. Thanks for the good luck. It's needed.
Diana
I make a meal plan for the week so I try to just buy what I need. And we use leftovers for lunches or sometimes another dinner so we very seldom have to throw anything out.
ReplyDeleteI have one very organized friend who does this. I like her anyway :)
DeleteIt's the condiments that only come in large sizes ( around here, anyway) and the recipes that only need a little, that destroy my organizing. Salsa verde, tahini, miso, and more. Essential for one or two recipes, and only I like them. OH, yes, ant the packages in the freezer that I stored unlabeled because "I'll recognize that." Ha-ha. And I was a librarian. Organizing is in our DNA
ReplyDeleteRage for order - I hear you!
DeleteLike Deborah, I have condiments breeding in my refrigerator. Even though I try to purge the fridge on the day before trash day, but the number of condiments never seems to decrease. We are good about eating leftovers, though ~
ReplyDeleteSo, you're winning half the battle! Well done.
DeleteFortunately my family will eat leftovers and soup. I put the leftover veggies in a freezer bag to use on Kitchen Sink Soup. Both fridges still always seem to be full.
ReplyDeleteI must break my people into soup!
DeleteIt helps that it is cooler here in the mountains. I used to live in Florida and summer was just too hot for soup.
DeleteOh, Jenn, this is so funny and so real. My big frig failing? Organic vegetables. As I have since 2015, I got a Community Share membership at our lovely, local Bumbleroot Farm. The difference is, this summer and fall it's been just me and the cat at home, and the cat doesn't like vegetables (unless coated in butter, in which case she'll try to lick them.)
ReplyDeleteThis means I've had something of a buildup, which has, yes, resulted in some very expensive compost pile material. And of course, I only shift them to the compost pile after they've withered, shriveled, or begun the fermenting process. Because gosh darn it, I might still cook something with those desiccated beets!
Right? They have to reach optimum gross level to be carted out.
DeleteI grew watching freezers being defrosted which meant the fridge would get emptied too. Frostbitten would get tossed but if it was TOO far gone. Leftovers were regularly consumed, pot roast makes the best beef stew with an additional carrot and potatoe and any chicken became chicken and dumplings. "Wasting food" as wasting dad's money. Mom grew up frugally so she would make whatever it was stretch as far as she could. But today, different story, I try to save for the next day but rarely want to take the effort when that day arrives. The one exception is pot roast, I will reheat into a stew and make the smallest batch of biscuits I can. And then dessert is a warm biscuit with butter and strawberry jam. Condiments are a different issue, the containers are never small enough for one .....
ReplyDeleteSingle serving condiments, it's a need.
DeleteWe just did this a couple months ago, but only because the fridge died. Then the hard part was trying to figure out where to put things into a fridge with a different design than we had. Nothing ever quite fits in the same way.
ReplyDeleteWe replaced ours three years ago - it took months to get there new system down. Change is hard.
DeleteIn the Disney Cartoon Alice and Wonderland, the bird shrieks "SERPENT!'. This is Nome st. code for something is dead in the fridge -- don't ask. We try to clean quarterly. We actually clean sporadically. I reminder to me. Next time I buy a refrigerator be sure I can reach to the back of the appliance and the top shelf. Food items can turn into kindergarten art projects; I would never know. Thanks for the morning giggle Jenn. Tell the Hooligans soup is a new form of sports drink (it might work).
ReplyDeleteYou're clever. Sports drink, indeed!
DeleteUgh. My fridge. Can't deal with it right now. Our family unit is up to four now with granddaughter's addition. What happened to empty nest? There is all sorts of stuff in the fridge that I didn't buy. Japanese condiments for when my son cooks. I can't tell by looking if it's good or gone bad. My husband has his own needs: ketchup, yellow mustard, honey mustard, mayo made from olive oil. He buys too many cartons of berries and sacks of salad and then leaves town. ????? My granddaughter has her quirks; one of them is large containers of cold brew coffee which take up too much room. Ditto creamer, almond milk, kombucha, and lord knows what else. On those increasingly rare occasions when I do cook there is little to no room to store leftovers. I've gotten very good at rearranging and stacking things. Right now the thought of Thanksgiving is unthinkable. Well, says Scarlet, I'll think about that tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteA walk in fridge is what you need. Seriously.
DeleteMy fridge does not get cleaned as often as it should, but at least I have avoided any science experiments.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I eat leftovers -- only because no one else does (I really don't like leftovers) and my grandmother, a Depression baby, left me with a horror of throwing out food. I did manage to pawn the leftover salmon and grilled chicken on my dog. He liked it. :)
Ha! Thank good ness for pets! I have a lot of "Oops, dropped it" moments.
DeleteBy the time I get here, there are already 50 comments. I always figure mine will be ignored as everyone has moved on. Regardless:
ReplyDeleteWe clean out the fridge every 3 months, have that on the calendar. It's scheduled for this weekend, as a matter of fact. It's a counter depth french door model, and for me (at 6'1") it's easy to see to the back of the top. We have a bottom freezer, but most frozen stuff is in the upright freezer in the garage, so frozen things in the fridge freezer are at a minimum. We freeze all bread products, so it doesn't mold. It takes just a minute to thaw on counter or in toaster. We cook for two but make sure to have leftovers which we eat within three days or out they go into the yard debris/compost thingy. Usually, the leftovers are eaten the next day, either lunch or dinner.
On refrigerator cleaning day we take out every shelf and bin, wash, scrub, disinfect, all that. After the bins are dried, we line them with paper towels. Condiments? We've pared down a lot. If there's a recipe that calls for something exotic, we look up a substitute we have and decide if we can use that instead. Regardless, if they are old, tired or 3/4 gone, out they go. We figure the taste goes away by that time anyway.
The day after refrigerator cleaning is PANTRY CLEAN OUT AND ORGANIZE. This to both remove old stuff we don't use/want, and to organize so the things we access most often are in the handiest location. Since the wife has gotten the habit of just sticking stuff anywhere, it's also my chance to find and move stuff we usually have together.
Refrigerator cleanup usually takes less that half a day, pantry a little longer. But it's worth it, just four times a year!
Um, Rick, could you all come over? I have a project for you :) Please, pretty please. I'll be your best friend!
DeleteRick, I come back a couple of times a day to see if somebody else commented . I'm sure I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be well organized and very neat, bravo.
I pop back, too, Danielle. I think Rick could start and emergency fridge/pantry cleaning service. Just sayin'!
DeleteWow, Rick, we all bow to you. I just wipe out my fridge as needed. I do like and use leftovers. I seldom buy lettuce because it wilts so I get bagged spinach instead. It works for salads, sandwiches, and is thrown in soups and most leftovers so it gets used up. My mother made soups and just kept putting leftovers in all week. My dad loved it. He was an adventurous eater, which helped make Mom a great cook and baker.
ReplyDelete