What's in your fridge?

amother

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 2:39 pm

My friend and I were talking and she said she doesn't understand why people need huge fridges. She only has food in her fridge on shabbos otherwise it's condiments, a package or 2 of cheese, a milk bottle, eggs and some vegetables. It doesn't take up all that much room.

I'm curious what's in your fridge? How's your fridge space?

Dolly151

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 3:17 pm

Same.
I also have lots of yogurts (and spices bc I live in Israel.)
I do have a big fridge tho bc when it's shabbos I really pack it well. I mage lots of diff dishes for each of the 3 meals

amother

Cherry

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 3:21 pm

Mines almost always full. We eat tons of dairy, eggs and fruits and veggies. Plus we buy 3 different kinds of milk.

amother

DarkOrange

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 3:21 pm

I have a big fridge and it’s mostly empty except Yom tov time. I don’t understand having it full all the time. When does all that get eaten?

amother

Hydrangea

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 3:25 pm

Ours is always full with bags of lettuce, cartons of eggs, milk, grape juice.
Dips, condiments, vinegars, pickles.
Yogurts, a number of different cheeses and cream cheese.
Loads of vegetables, fruits, hard eggs, quinoa rice and fish for lunches.
Turkey and cold cuts.
I organize before our weekly order and delivery.

amother

Hydrangea

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 3:27 pm

amother DarkOrange wrote:

I have a big fridge and it’s mostly empty except Yom tov time. I don’t understand having it full all the time. When does all that get eaten?

Every day I have from the lettuce, veggies, fruits. From the milk, eggs and the turkey.
And that's just me.
Each person eats their daily things.
And I transfer poultry from the freezer to the fridge most days to thaw for dinner.

amother

Petunia

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 4:01 pm

amother OP wrote:

Huge Grape juice and apple juice, wine, condiments (sauces, peanut butter, jelly, big mayo, chrein), 4-5 milks, big yogurt container, cheeses, cream cheese, lebens, butter, eggs, Shabbos leftovers and other leftovers, prepped lunches for the week, produce, bread/bagels. Sometimes meat that is thawing. Water pitchers on Shabbos. Beverages alone are almost half my fridge space.

amother

Indigo

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 4:03 pm

TONS of veggies and milk/cheese.
I wish for a separate fridge designated for vegetables, with lots of temperature controlled drawers. In my dreams I am building a walk in fridge like Kim k

amother

DarkOrange

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 4:30 pm

How do you eat that many vegetables fast enough? We buy a decent amount it takes up a shelf. The door is filled with condiments and the draw with milk products. Half a shelf with drinks. Still have the rest of the fridge empty.

amother

Viola

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 4:31 pm

No one seemed to mention supper leftovers! Often have that un my fridge (in addition to yogurts, eggs, fruits and veggies, cheese, cream cheese, 2 different kinds of milk, tons of condiment jars, pitcher of water).

mha3484

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 4:32 pm

The drawers of my fridge are full and the side shelves. The center of the fridge where the main shelves are, varies from 25-50% full on a regular day. More on shabbos and yomtov.

amother

DarkOrange

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 4:33 pm

amother Viola wrote:

We don’t have leftovers. I have the amount down to a science. This is what living paycheck to paycheck does I guess.

Bnei Berak 10

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 5:38 pm

amother Forsythia wrote:

I would assume family size is a big factor

Actually not. It's only me and DH and we have two fridges (each one approx 80 cm) and when I was divorced with only once fridge it was *packed* because of all the vegetables/fruit.
Two fridges isn't a luxury.

amother

Mistyrose

Wed, Apr 03 2024, 5:58 pm

Sadly my fridge holds lots of out of date stuff or stuff gone bad. It's very deep, (and I'm pretty short) and I can't even see the stuff at the back, esp on the top shelves.

I consider myself pretty functional in most areas, but somehow my fridge is a disaster and I need to learn how to organize it better Sad

Bnei Berak 10

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 4:39 am

amother Mistyrose wrote:

Have your considered a top freezer/bottom fridge that isn't that deep?

amother

Quince

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 7:49 pm

Leftovers, planned-overs, and items I buy in semi-bulk. I'm not about to go to the supermarket every other day to buy two yogurts, three oranges and a quart of milk. Nor am I about to cook soup 2 portions at a time. When I make soup I make a whole pot and we eat it for several days. I buy milk a gallon at a time, eggs two dozen at a pop, yogurt six to ten at once.

When I make challah, the whole mixing bowl goes in the fridge to rise overnight.

I don't have a huge fridge, in fact it's pretty small. On Pesach it's really a problem because all the food for the sedarim takes up a lot of space, plus you need to buy all your eggs before Pesach. In countries where eggs aren't pre-washed you can safely leave them out if they're uncooked, but here where they're pre-washed, they must be refrigerated.

chocolate moose

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 7:56 pm

full fridge at home and at work I take up a whole fridge too! I never eat out so I am always prepared. for the record my pantry is stuffed right now and so are my desk drawers.

we have an all fridge at home, and we're only 2 at home right now. (we have an all freezer too and it's always stuffed.)

the whole bottom is beer for dh. the whole top is other drinks - orange juice, wine, protein drinks, hard seltzer, diet soda.

both bins are full of fruits and veggies. I have a drawer for dairy. that leaves 2 and a half shelves - onehalf shelves is for eggs. one shelf is for dinner things. the other shelf is for misc grab and go foods - fruits, cherry tomatoes, humus, etc.

amother

Grape

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:59 pm

It really goes by your food lifestyle & family ages/stages.

If you cook from scratch, have many adult sized eaters, and eat loads of produce, you need tons of room.

If you have a few younger children or picky eaters who like pasta & fish sticks & bread with butter or buy takeout, condiments sound about right.