I saw an article in WSJ called “Yes, you can Marie Kondo your refrigerator” which was accompanied by this beautiful photo of Kristen Hong’s fridge.
I looked up her blog and it’s awesome, lots of healthy veggie centric recipes and lots of insta worthy pics of her fridge. I’ve tried to do this and it looked amazing. For like a day. Before kids got in there, before I cooked dinner and hubs went looking for greek yoghurt. What’s the point of decanting orange juice into a prettier bottle or putting blueberries into a different container. Unless you wash them first, which means you have to lay them all out to paper towels to dry completely before refrigerating, otherwise it will be a moldy mess in a minute. I have 2 refrigerators and neither looks like this. This is currently the state of affairs
Ok? I am due to clean both fridges out but before I get there, let me tell you why the first photo and all the others you see on Instagram don’t work and what to copy. I do dislike these insta photos, fun to look at but so unrealistic. As you can see she only has one row of containers, nothing is in the back. So basically the entire family eats nothing but fruits and vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Good for them. That’s not my family and I am guessing not yours either! Here’s what to copy!
- Cutting up vegetables and fruits, in moderation. First and foremost, unless you are getting ready to make bulk quantities of gazpacho, this isn’t going to last you more than 3 days. Strawberries cut up will dry up or get moldy within 3 days max, ditto cucumbers etc. However, cutting up melons etc makes sense. I do also cut up some strawberries and toss other fruit on the plate and just put it out on some afternoons or weekend breakfasts, kids will eat them if they are ready on the counter. I do cut up vegetables but not all of them! 1 pepper, some broccoli, radishes etc for us to snack on with hummus or bit of ranch dip. If you have it ready on the counter, no-one will get the chips out.
- Assign different food groups a set place. I’ve tried to do it but am not sure it shows, LOL. Eggs and dairy on the left, fruits on the right.
- Using uniform containers. Its not a must, any container will do but it will look s much prettier and more professional. Container Store is selling these and I am tempted to buy some, I like that they have clear lids so you can see what’s in there. Not cheap at $4.99 – $8.99 each but have great reviews.
4. Put the herbs in a glass of water. Basically like flowers in the vase, they’ll keep longer.
5. Personalize your fridge. My main fridge is ridiculously deep, I can’t see what’s in the back or reach it without climbing halfway in. I used a Lazy Susan (amazon, container store or local TJ Maxx will have these, measure first) and some larger clear bins.
Adjust the shelves so that all tall items can be on one spot etc. If you keep wines in your fridge, get this.
I actually thought Khloe Kardashian’s fridge was more realistic than most Insta ones. And she has staff!
