Will I regret this fridge organization??

[Moxie]

www.athomewithnikki.com

 

I especially like the condiments decanted into squeeze bottles.  Would I regret doing that?

 

Does anyone else keep bagged salad in mason jars??  Does it really keep it fresher??  I eat bagged salad everyday and would love a way to make it last longer?

 

[Word Nerd]

I like a lot of those ideas and that everything has a place. I don't personally see the point of putting all condiments in squeeze bottles, especially without labels, but maybe it would be useful to have everything in roughly the same size container. I haven't tried the mason jar salad idea, but I have heard from an IRL friend that it works.

[Moxie]

If you watch the video, she labels the other side of the bottles.  I like the idea because it looks so tidy and everything would fit better BUT it would drive me nuts if the mustard didn't all fit in the jar.  I buy the big family size!

 

Ah well, maybe when the kids are all raised?!?

[fraidycat]

Oooh, salad in mason jars lasts longer? Great to know!!

[kewb]

Yes, items stored in glass containers stay fresh longer.  It would drive me nuts to spend time transferring my condiments but I would enjoy the benefits.

[JudoMom]

Salad does keep longer in mason jars.

Does she not ever have leftovers, though?  And it looks she can fit maybe 4 water bottles in her holder?  It appears that the plastic bins take up extra space :/.

It's very pretty, but not practical for this family of 7 with 5 boys who would despair the lack of food and not appreciate the beauty :).

[Slartibartfast]

 

Would cutting up strawberries extend their life or make them go bad faster?

 

I would think washing berries and cutting them up would make them go bad faster.

[Slartibartfast]

I don't have a fridge problem really but my ds is only five. Maybe I will rue these words when he gets older. :lol:

 

I may try the mason jar salad thing but I am not going to put condiments in squeeze bottles.

 

I did see the mason jar salad thing on another site that explained how to keep it from getting soggy.

 

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-pack-the-perfect-salad-in-a-jar-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-192174

[Mothersweets]

Wow - beautifully organized fridge! I can only dream. :)

 

BUT I think the key to her method is found in the last sentence of the second paragraph " ...it works great for both my husband and I."  She is doing this for two people. Two. 2.

[Stratford]

Pretty, lovely fridge but waaaay unrealistic for my crowd.  I do like to prep food ahead of time, though, and our days go more smoothly when I do.  

 

I've done the mason jar salad thing, but I use the foodsaver attachment and vaccum seal the jars.  They stay fresh for at least a week.  I can't imagine that storing them without the vacuum would prolong their life all that much.  

[Plateau Mama]

Would cutting up strawberries extend their life or make them go bad faster?

They will go bad faster but I find if I prep them my kids eat them faster so I actually waste less.

[Annie G]

I've looked at the containers she has the eggs in and decided eggs already come in a nice container. Dated, safe, easy to store. So I'm not spending more money to make it look pretty. 

The water bottles, yogurt, and oranges in a container aren't saving space or making them last longer. Not going to spend money to put a water bottle in a container. 

 

Chopping things and having them in ready to go baggies is a good idea when you have little kids, make lunches on the go, or need to ration fruit to make it last all week.  No complaints there.  

 

I did think it was a little unusual that when a container is empty she washes it and puts it back in the fridge until she goes grocery shopping again. 

[bluemongoose]

Ok...

 

Where is the super organized person who makes their fridge look pretty and has a family of 6...4 of them males?

 

And they live rural, so they shop every other week to save on time and gas?

 

And how are the strawberries and tomatoes not mushy after you cut them and store?  They never taste like fresh cut after they have been in the fridge.

 

I would love to see a pretty and organized fridge that was stocked after a 2 week shopping trip for 6 people (and include 6 people with lots of boys lol).  Show me how that is possible!  

 

P.S. I have the egg cartons she shows in there (3 of them actually) because we have our own chickens for eggs. Made more sense than buying paper cartons or begging them off of egg buying people. They are nice.

[aggieamy]

I think Nikki must have a lot of time on her hands and eat out a lot.  I did a quick compare to my fridge and think she's missing:

• Lunch meat
• Buttermilk
• Leftover ham
• Chicken that's thawing for dinner tomorrow night
• Two half used containers of OJ and Apple Juice
• Applesauce
• Kraft sliced cheese

[bluemongoose]

I agree that she must eat out a lot or all her food is in the freezer side (she didnt show that side).  The amount of food (not including the condiments and drinks) she had in the fridge wouldnt feed my family for a day. 

[Ellie]

 

I think Nikki must have a lot of time on her hands and eat out a lot.  I did a quick compare to my fridge and think she's missing:

• Lunch meat
• Buttermilk
• Leftover ham
• Chicken that's thawing for dinner tomorrow night
• Two half used containers of OJ and Apple Juice
• Applesauce
• Kraft sliced cheese

 

 

She did have a container for sliced cheese.

 

She might have put the buttermilk in one of those bottles with the stainless steel lid. Ditto the OJ and apple juice. I think she decants all beverages into those bottles.

 

Lunch meat...wasn't there a drawer where the bacon was that had lunch meat?

 

She might also have put applesauce in those same little jars she put the sliced strawberries in.

 

She would probably have sliced/cubed the left over ham and put it in a container of some kind.

[happi duck]

...

 

I did think it was a little unusual that when a container is empty she washes it and puts it back in the fridge until she goes grocery shopping again. 

 

We do this with containers that are dedicated for certain things.  For example: We keep nuts and seeds in the fridge in glass containers.  I don't want to lose that fridge space because I know the container will be filled within the week.  I also don't need to find temporary housing for the empty container.  It works out well for us!

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I like portioning out certain items, it would be especially useful if you were sending a DH or kids out with a bagged lunch each day. 

 

But I fit probably 3x more food than that in my Euro-sized fridge, which is basically the size of a US freezer turned on it's side.  I don't store fruit in the fridge except berries.  I only buy bagged salad if I'll be eating it within 2 days, otherwise I buy a whole head of lettuce.  I don't store (or use) disposable water bottles in the fridge- I do make ice though.  :-) 

 

Out of necessity, I've decided to love having a small fridge.  We always use up our leftovers, I never "lose" stuff in there, and it is pretty much fully empty at the end of the week and ready to be wiped down and re-filled.  I make my own salad dressing and we eat that batch until it's gone before I make more or another kind.  We keep 1-2 jars of jam, and again, use those up completely before we buy more. 

 

When I go visit my mom and find 5 salad dressings, 3 kinds of mustard and 4 jams/jellies, I always feel overwhelmed.  :-) 

[mom31257]

Following

[Slache]

We have our snacks like that instead of having bags of chips and snack bars.

 

I have one shelf of bins in my fridge for fruit, cheese/meat, and the aforementioned snacks. It works well.

[Ellie]

Glass containers for storage...not in this house. I'm imagining picking one up with wet hands, or just not being able to get a good grip on it, and dropping the thing.

[Desert Strawberry]

We have a smallish fridge for the size of our family. I pack it till it groans. I shop every two weeks, feed four boys, and we eat almost all fresh.  Pretty isn't a priority.

 

My dh would love her fridge. Everything visible, neatly portioned, easy to find, easy to grab. If it were just the two of us, I'd be all over this.

 

I considered putting neat bins and such in our fridge. I just don't think I can squeeze everything in that way.

[Annie G]

So a question- she keeps her milk in a glass container. She keeps her mayo in a squeeze bottle. When she buys new milk, is she already out of milk? Because she doesn't want to mix old with new. Same with mayo, ketchup, etc.  Condiments are a bit easier- she can store them in the pantry until she actually runs out in the fridge. But does the whole mayo jar fit in a squeeze bottle? 

 

I didn't see any cartons of milk or juice as backups in the fridge. 

 

I was actually surprised that she's so well organized and yet writes on her squeeze bottles with a marker instead of making labels.  Not that I'm against markers, but it just seems less precise. And her fridge is organized with a military precision!

[umsami]

It looks beautiful, but yet unrealistic for most, kind of like Yolanda's fridge on RHOBH.  

 

In general, I think decanting condiments and stuff is a waste of time, but it might make it easier for you to fit more in your fridge.  I just think it would be a lot of trouble for what it's worth (as some are sticky, etc.)

 

I like the salad in jars, but no idea if that helps it keep longer. I'm a fan of mason jars though…we use them to store dry goods.

 

 

I like the yogurts all in the little mesh thingy…and I like in general the fruit/carrots.  I guess for us, it would look nice for 3 seconds, and then would start to decline.

 

 

If you can do it, though, more power to you!

[prairiewindmomma]

I do premake salads and put them in mason jars. Dh is on a special diet. His 6 jars plus glass egg organizer (pre-boiled) take up an entire shelf of the fridge. We have five other people living here. Her plan isn't super feasible in a life with lots of kids.

 

We do use glass snap ware from costco, and leftovers do taste fresher than those stored in plastic.

[Desert Strawberry]

So a question- she keeps her milk in a glass container. She keeps her mayo in a squeeze bottle. When she buys new milk, is she already out of milk? Because she doesn't want to mix old with new. Same with mayo, ketchup, etc.  Condiments are a bit easier- she can store them in the pantry until she actually runs out in the fridge. But does the whole mayo jar fit in a squeeze bottle? 

 

I didn't see any cartons of milk or juice as backups in the fridge. 

 

I was actually surprised that she's so well organized and yet writes on her squeeze bottles with a marker instead of making labels.  Not that I'm against markers, but it just seems less precise. And her fridge is organized with a military precision!

When I lived alone, I mostly ate out. I picked up what I needed for my days off on the way home from work. So I would only buy milk if I was out of milk, and probably had been for three days. 

I imagine she buys small packages of mayo or juice frequently.

[unsinkable]

I have put some condiments in squeeze bottles, things like taco sauce that come in a wider mouth top and pour out quickly. It is easier to control how much you use.

[momacacia]

I saw Nikki's picture on the sidebar. That made me realize this was not going to work for me. ;)

 

(although I will use the salad thing to send salads with DH to work. I keep large amounts of salad pre-mixed in Pyrex containers. We just have way more food crammed in our fridge. ;))