“Refrigerator Decorating,” TikTok’s Latest Trend, Isn’t That Bad (but Mostly It’s Bad)
I don’t like to start my Friday by screaming with my mouth closed, but today I did just that. One of TikTok’s latest offenses (they’re starting to feel like a personal insult) is the “fridge escape.” Having taken a short journey through the five stages of grief, I can say with peace of mind that fixing the refrigerator is stupid and potentially wasteful, but there are good things happening here that can help us store food smarter.
What is refrigerator design?
Refrigerator is a combination of the words “refrigerator” and “landscape design”. It reminds me of “tablescape,” a term that Sandra Lee popularized (at least to me) in her semi-homemade days. This Hobbit style fridge scenery is one of my favorites that makes me shake my head. (Mostly because I’m a Lord of the Rings fan and hobbits don’t have refrigerators, they have pantries .) Here’s another one with the text: Where’s my food? “At first I thought it was a man looking for help after losing food while collecting items.
Like all “scapes,” refrigerator design changes the appearance of your refrigerator by manipulating existing things (let’s call them “food and storage containers”) and adding non-original items (let’s call them “dumb things”). It seems like silly things include, but are not limited to: candles, tree stumps, mirrors, a handwritten note, decanted candy (decanted everything, actually), glass or ceramic cat figurines, battery-operated garlands, and flowers in open glass vases.
Decorating your refrigerator doesn’t help your food most of the time.
Apparently, the design of the refrigerator is made to make your refrigerator look more attractive when you open it. Also, I’m not sure why people do this. Maybe to impress yourself? Ask your guests, do you know what a refrigerator is?
Decanting some foods, such as milk (cow’s or otherwise), can actually expose them to new bacteria if you’re not careful, causing them to spoil faster. Leaving other food items open in baskets may cause them to dry out or absorb too much moisture. And listen, I’m a big fan of string lights, but batteries don’t tolerate moisture while they’re running. Fabrics and wood – well, they can also do poorly in a humid environment. Essentially, you’ll have to refresh your refrigerator daily or you might end up finding some interesting growth.
Unlike your living room or your most attractive front aisle, refrigerators have nothing to do with appearance. They are designed to extend the shelf life of perishable products. It’s an efficient, cool, damp cabinet, and it’s good at it. Before you go into the refrigerator, ask yourself if it improves food storage or the way you cook? Just like Sandy shouldn’t have changed who she was at the end of Grease , your refrigerator shouldn’t have changed either. Wicker baskets don’t help anyone, but there are some aspects to refrigerator design.
Store food smarter
Go there and clean the shelves from time to time. Each of these refrigerator landscaping videos starts with a person emptying the entire refrigerator and wiping the damn thing down. You don’t have to do this every week, but it’s a good idea to go in there every once in a while and wipe down the shelves, runners, and drawers. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to throw out old seasonings and other hidden petri dishes.
Stay organized. While you don’t have to buy seven custom wooden storage containers, it’s a good idea to reorganize your refrigerator. An organized refrigerator where you can actually see everything will make it easier for you to practice FIFO (first in, first out) and prevent waste. Perhaps the eggs should be easier to reach, and the fresh vegetables need a home that’s closer to the center so you stop forgetting about them in the back.
Reduce clutter. I enjoy my refrigerator best when I can properly place my food in there. Once I start dangerously balancing containers on top of cans, I’ve lost. At any rate, a landscaped refrigerator is mostly uncluttered. This means you can see everything and will probably eat it all; overall the appearance is more pleasant. Again, you don’t have to keep eight mini vases of flowers in the refrigerator to achieve a nice look, save money, and spend less. Try not to buy more food than you can properly store.