Fridge thoughts...

What do you keep in your fridge? It all comes down to personal choice, but there are some things that are definite refrigerator items (meat, fish, champagne) and others that are debatable.

Should you really put tomatoes in the fridge? I say ‘no’ and my wife says ‘yes’ because ‘she’s always done it’. Tomatoes in the fridge lose their firmness and really don’t taste of much at all, but I think I’ve lost that discussion. I have however (and after much debate) finally got my wife not to put the garlic in the fridge.

It’s odd what some people think needs to go in the fridge. If it says keep refrigerated then fair enough, but cauliflower and carrots? My mother in law keeps mustard and tomato ketchup in the fridge, now just why would you keep mustard, which is unlikely to go off, in the fridge? Mind you she keeps bread in the freezer and why would anyone freeze bread in the first place?

Now I know that some people keep eggs in the fridge and I used to have one with those totally useless egg rack things on the door, but I prefer not to. Likewise butter. Butter in the fridge simply won’t spread, so why do it? My daughter keeps her honey in the fridge, which is also totally unnecessary. You can keep honey in the cupboard forever without it going off, and I do mean forever. Besides, it has a tendency to crystalise in the cold.

You should never keep basil in the fridge as it wilts, or sage, or onions, or avocados, although parsley is perfectly fine. I once opened the fridge door at a friend’s house and found a big bag of ground coffee. We argued for hours about it. I said: ‘Not in the fridge, keep it away from moisture in an airtight tin’. They said: ‘Yes in the fridge, it keeps it fresher’. This is the same friend who kept CD’s in the fridge as he believed it made them sound better.

If you think that’s weird, I once knew a girl who kept her lipstick and tights in the fridge, claiming that it made them last longer.

Apparently nuts last a lot longer if kept in the fridge, but have you ever eaten freezing cold nuts? No, don’t answer that.

I keep my vodka in the fridge and of course beer. In fact I think beer may be what fridges are really for.