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We had a little bit of an ant problem in the kitchen, so we started storing some items in the fridge that we normally wouldn't, like bread. Other items that I would normally leave in their packaging got put into containers or storage bags. It took a couple of weeks to get rid of the ants, but now that they're gone, we're back to normal.
I do store all fruit (other than bananas) in the fridge because we definitely prefer it cold.
Mostly the fridge holds things best stored cold, but it is also a well stocked pharmacy, with a lot of medication best stored cold. Lots of antibiotics and assorted meds for the dogs and livestock.
The pantry has dry goods and cans, but about 1/2 the pantry is filled with cooking tools and small appliances
I keep canned fruit in the fridge because I like it cold in salad or cottage cheese. But why store other canned goods in the fridge---like vegetables, soup, etc?
I just thought of this as I had my head in the fridge looking for a snack. I never go to my pantry for a snack; it is always my fridge. I even keep bread in the fridge, even though I have often read not to do this. DH insists that jelly and jam be kept in the fridge, for some unknown reason. I keep dairy, produce, and meats in there, with eggs, pickles, olives, condiments. All of this makes up most of my diet.
I keep extra bags of coffee in the freezer, along with extra bread and margarine and butter. And meat.
I have a large walk in pantry. The food in it takes up about 1/8 of it. I'd say that my fridge is more my pantry than my pantry!
However I do keep baking supplies in a cabinets, along with dried beans. Root veggies are in a bowl under the counter.
But most of the everyday foodstuffs in our house can be found in the fridge.
I am curious. In your kitchen, has the fridge become your pantry?
No and yes.
A meal yesterday was the veggie & beef (very little beef) stew that I made last week, It has been in fridge all this time and as a ready meal using the veggies I have before they go the ghost, it gets consumed.
But on Monday, I had avocado, sardines, and spices soft tacos. The tortillas came out of the fridge as the the avocados but the sardines and spices came from the pantry.
Use up the things in the fridge before they go bad but for me, it is a drive to make meals than to resort, more often, to quick easy meals such as those made with tortillas.
It also depends on the situation. If my region is on a hurricane alert such as with Harvey, then I am eating more out of the fridge than the pantry, more frozen fish than canned, so long as power is available. Add to that the point that now I have an ice box and a chest freezer, so I have a lot of frozen storage from fish and huge sides of "beef" for me, to frozen pizzas and other (potentially, they didn't have pigs in blankets the last time I was frozen shopping) items for the younger members if a family bugs out to the ranch. Another item to toss into this is that it is now the ranch, not a place in the city. The ranch is only about 11 miles from the grocery store, one way, but that is still a long way to go on a whim. Therefore, I tend to stockpile such as things like day old bread which then goes into a freezer until needed.
So I want a pizza one night and I don't want to do a labor of love (making the dough), I'll pull a frozen pizza out. If, however, I want to eat Italian and I don't want to be lazy, then I will make a spaghetti. Spaghetti itself comes off the counter out of a container, garlic out of the pantry, white wine from a wine rack, fish out of the ice box, capers or olives either from the pantry or, if opened, the fridge, cheese from the fridge, spices and olive oil out of the pantry, anchovies if whole from the pantry but if paste from the fridge, Parmesan from the pantry, croutons from the pantry but if "french" bread, then from the fridge.
Things vary.
Last edited by TamaraSavannah; 09-13-2017 at 03:11 AM..
Help me out here. I've always kept jams & jellies in the fridge because that's what the jar advises: refrigerate after opening.
Same with pickles, mustard, and olives despite the high salt content. (I notice that you do keep them in the fridge, but not jams and jellies.)
Many years ago, I bought a 1 gallon container of mustard. There was no instruction to refrigerate so I kept it out on the counter. For a lonnnnggggg time, and with no problems.
When I was a kid, mom kept peanut butter in the fridge which really tore up the bread when trying to spread it. I keep it out. Peanut butter is another one without any instruction to refrigerate but maybe back in the 1950s it was different.
Anything I have to stick a utensil into, I refrigerate. I don't want to have to think about cross contamination. My mayonnaise is in the refrigerator. It would be fine in the cabinet, but knives and spoons go into that jar. My utensils are clean, but they're not sterile.
You know I've frozen coffee beans for years and my coffee is always drunk and appreciated.
We are refrigerating some of our fresh tomatoes. If we don't keep them too long in the fridge, they taste fine. In fact they taste great! They can get too ripe if they are on the windowsill too long. We had BLTs for lunch, matter of fact.
There's nothing wrong with freezing coffee beans. I once had to take a coffee class. Seriously.
I keep canned fruit in the fridge because I like it cold in salad or cottage cheese. But why store other canned goods in the fridge---like vegetables, soup, etc?
i usually dont store much food in the house, couple days worth, so if i stop by the store for sandwich material and a can of soup. or what im cooking that night, I just dump everything in the fridge
You will NOT find in my fridge oils, honey, vinegar based stuff like salad dressings, mustards, soy sauce, or pickles.
If you're buying high quality jam, you need to refrigerate it after opening. It will turn into a science fair project pretty quickly otherwise. If you're buying mass market chemical factory jam laced with preservatives, store it wherever you want. I suggest storing it in the trash.
A lot of things have longer shelf life if you refrigerate them. It can take me a year+ to use up Heinz Catsup. If you go through it in a month or two, you don't need to refrigerate it.
I have actually greatly reduced the types of food I keep in the fridge.
I sued to take the phrase printed on food packaging, REFRIGERATE AFTER OPENING, as gospel.
Not necessary. Why on Earth would one need to refrigerate Worcestershire sauce?
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