This was a popular thread in another forum I was on a few years ago so I’m starting a thread here. I just cleaned out my fridge and freezer and took inventory of everything - I have enough food to last awhile!
Lunch ingredients go on the top shelf - right now two containers of boiled potatoes for potato salads this week. Milk on the left, greens powder and whey protein powder on the right. Breakfast ingredients go on the middle shelf. Berries for smoothies are in the front, eggs and yogurt in the back.
Dinner ingredients are in the front. Fixings for stuffed peppers, dal. Leeks and an English cuke I couldn’t fit anywhere else Random veggies in the crisper on the left, onions, herbs etc in the one on the right.
Various meats wrapped in individual servings, a couple of casseroles for dinner on the nights I go out right after work.
Veggies on the bottom shelf except two naans that will get finished up within the next couple of weeks.
I recall a thread on the subreddit r/AmITheAsshole where a poster was sick to death of their spouse’s “fridgescaping” , which consisted of stacking apples and other items in twee baskets and draped in fabrics. Apparently it was a Pinterest or TikTok ‘thing’
There’s little organization to our fridge. There’s a cheese drawer (also for tortillas for some reason), the bottom drawers are veggies like carrots and lettuces, but currently they hold a stash of local beers of various stripes for the missus. Condiments/butter on the door as is usual.
When my ex and I first started dating, he asked me if I was preparing for an apocalypse and I said yes, doesn’t everybody? He told me at one point if he ever gets snowed in anywhere he would like to get snowed in at my place because at least he would have food to eat.
@moderator-team could we merge this thread with the one @bbqboy posted above? I didn’t realize there was a similar thread already. My bad for not searching.
The tortillas live wthe cheese in our fridge too. Partially because they are flat and more so everyone knows where they are so they don’t destroy my minimal organization when searching for them
And this is why I don’t do either Pinterest or the Clock. Some of the “recipes” I’ve seen on Tik Tok or FB Reels are ridiculous (although the comments are always fun to read!) And “fridgescaping” is for people who don’t really use their fridge. Sort of like people who buy houses with drop-dead gorgeous kitchens…and they don’t cook and get takeout every night.
I have set areas in my fridge for dairy, jams, eggs and cheeses, and veggies and fruits.
My upstairs freezer is a Tetris hodgepodge, but I know what’s where, and my Excel spreadsheet reminds me of what is in there or in the 2 garage freezers (chest and old apt-sized fridge/freezer). Which reminds me I need to update the Excel doc.
Until I need something I know is on the back floor of the freezer. Then it’s a disgorge the stuff in the front/shove everything back in after I find what I wanted. That’s always a process and leaves me with cold fingers for awhile.
For instance, I have about 6-7 two-cup bags of fresh corn stripped from their cobs last summer in the lower right-hand corner of this freezer. (Some of the cobs became corn stock, which is in 2-cup containers downstairs.) Perhaps some chicken corn chowder is in order.
That actually happened to me during my youth. I was living with this woman (East Coast - US) and a HUGE snowstorm dumped on the area. They hadn’t predicted it to be that big. Any who… we were snowed in with no power.
This woman started to panic and asked what are we going to do?? I told her, we are going to fire up the Kerosene Heater (for heat), break out the propane camp stove and open the box in the basement labeled “Snow Food”. It had non-perishable canned food, stuffing mix, instant coffee, dry milk, etc. She looked at me with this puzzled look on her face and said “We have a box in the basement labeled ‘Snow Food’??”
That’s the best kind of fridge…provided that the bits and bobs get used. I have small containers of various sauces to use on with chicken shrimp, pork tenderloin…just have to plan to use them!
My fridge is the repository of dozens of jar of sauces, dressings, condiments, both store bought and homemade. Whatever space is left is for dairy and veg and alcohol. Freezer is for ice cubes, fruit juices and ice cream if I am indulging. I have an upright freezer, it contains dozens of jars of sauces, stocks, anything I opened and didn’t use all of, and meat, bread and leftovers.
Since I never participated in the OG thread, might as well reply here
Of course, this is our fridge in the Berlin pad we’re staying this summer, so there’s no abundance of hot sauces, Asian (and other) condiments, dips & jars of various BTB, nor 4-5 Sodastream™ bottles.
Similarities: an abundance of lemons, with which I have a long-term love affair, bubbly water, various cheeses, fresh herbs, boxed up leftovers , and box wine.
Differences: trout caviar (up top in the door), different kinds of herring salad (one with dill sauce, the other with red beets, apples, onion ), skim milk, MÂCHE (not at the mo’, but soon!), German beers, and currently almost 2 lbs. of white asparagus for tonight’s highly seasonal German dinner
My SO and I merged households last year. He is constantly surprised at how well stocked we are. I explained that I take after my grandma who always had something to eat at the ready, plenty of paper goods, and a stock of coffee that would outlive her (that coffee thing was true–there were 12 cans of Chock Full O’Nuts and 2 of Medaglia D’Oro in the pantry when she passed).
I often whip up dinner on the fly because his work schedule can be erratic, so keeping a good pantry and fridge stock is important to our household.
I currently have a counter depth fridge with about half the space of my previous fridge.
It’s usually at least three quarters full. It’s completely packed before holidays. I have to move jars and shelves around to defrost a duck or prime rib. Most recently I moved shelves so a cake box would fit.
I shuffle leftovers into smaller dishes and stack a lot of things to make them fit. I shop every 3 days for produce because there isn’t enough room for a full week of fruit and veg. Maybe there would be if I got rid of half my condiments, pickles, jams, and relishes
Random veggies in the crisper on the left, onions, herbs etc in the one on the right.
That’s always a process and leaves me with cold fingers for awhile.
), skim milk, MÂCHE (not at the mo’, but soon!), German beers, and currently almost 2 lbs. of white asparagus for tonight’s highly seasonal German dinner 
