Have you ever lost your appetite just by opening the ice box (Refrigerator for all you that have never ventured to the South)? Is this maybe because it's way too cluttered or you are just grossed out by all the spills? Seeing this in my ice box over and over finally took its toll and I had to do something!
The first thing to do is to empty all the contents into a cooler. This gives you access to all those crumbs and spills that have been hiding behind your food (gross)!
Now to tackle all those spills. I recommend a mixture of baking soda and water. This way it deodorizes while not leaving an odor of its own to get sucked into your food. I absolutely hate eating butter and only tasting something else entirely.
Now it's time to put everything back. Before you do this, make sure you have looked at the "best by" date on everything and thrown away what is bad or going bad in the next few days, unless you plan on using it TONIGHT!
A few things to remember about your ice box, is that it's a shrine for you food. It doesn't only store your food, but it's the place that inspires your creativity and it's the meeting place for your relationship with food. Treat your ice box with love and it will give you love in return.
We spend so much money on good quality food for ourselves and our loved ones to enjoy, so why not do everything you can to make sure that the food stays that way? Make sure the temperature to 40°F (5°C) or below. This will keep the bacteria that loves our food just as much as we do, at bay.
Have you ever wondered what those little flappy things with wholes on the front of your lower drawers are for? Those are the humidity settings. Each needs to be the correct setting to maintain the optimal freshness for either your vegetables or fruit. Usually they have what it should be right on the drawer to make your life easier. Just make sure you take the time to put the right food in the right drawer. Contamination leads to spoilage and food waste (we don't want that)!
If you're like me, you cook for an army no matter how many people you're actually feeding. This means you are no stranger to leftovers. These leftovers sometimes can be forgotten and pushed to the back to rot. Make sure you always date your leftovers and only store them for up to 4 days in clear glass containers. This way you can see what is inside, and it hopefully will make you hungry to eat it all over again.
I only use glass storage containers because they do not stain or hold onto the taste of food like the plastic ones can.
When you are trying to defrost meat and seafood for the nights dinner, always defrost it in the ice box to make sure bacteria doesn't decide to enjoy your food before you. Place whatever it is your are defrosting on a rimed platter and place it on the bottom of the ice box to prevent drips from getting into other things below it. Also make sure you wrap meat products properly (if you don't go to the butcher who will wrap it for you).
I think one of the things I do most often is collect condiments. I have endless amounts of ketchup, mustard and don't even get me started on salad dressings. This tends to create a lot of clutter. The thing I decided to do was to downsize my condiment supply. Air needs to circulate around food to keep it cool. An over stocked or crowed ice box can create warm spots and that leads to spoilage.
Did you know that chopped mean, fruit, and veggies tend to spoil faster than if they were whole? I've seen already chopped veggies at the store and thought to myself "that would speed up my prep time." Sadly yes it would save me time when it comes to cooking, but it wouldn't save me money. I would rather save a few extra bucks by chopping my veggies right before I use them than allowing them to rot in my ice box before I even get to use them.
Each and every time we go to the store, we load our ice box with new and yummy food. This also tends to push food to the black hole that is the back of our ice box. Before your grocery trip, move older foods hiding in the back and move it forward. This will also keep you from buying something you already have, just cluttering it up even more.
Last but not least.... KEEP YOUR ICE BOX CLEAN! Wipe up spills and messes when they first happen to keep the ice box tidy and clean. Remove expired items to save space for fresh food coming in.
Hopefully this helps you in your journey into forming a loving relationship with your ice box and the food inside it.
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