Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door.
~Emily Dickinson
My sister and I used to babysit a lot when we were teenagers, and one of the perks (other than looking after cute cherubs of course) was scoping out the fridge or pantry. After our respective babysitting gigs, my sister and I would then compare the loot we snacked on.
Me: They totally had Chef Boyardee.
My sister: Well, I got Twinkies and Dr. Pepper.
Me: Well . . .
My sister: They had cable.
Me: Fine you win.
It was like it was the day after Halloween and we were unloading our bags. Other people’s fridges ended up being ranked like candy bar sizes.
Back then it was mostly a snack thing, but I still have a curiosity about other people’s fridges.
When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.
~Walt Disney
Like medicine cabinets, fridges are revealing. And personal. You not only see what people eat (or maybe don’t eat), but how they cook and clean.
Do you see specialty oils and sauces, or ketchup packets?
Lots of home cooked leftovers or takeout containers?
Packages labeled organic? Lots of brand names?
Is the fridge full or bare?
Is it organized, clean?
Speaking of clean. I don’t pay much attention to that if I sneak a peek into a fridge, because I hate cleaning the fridge. I mean I do it, but I dislike it so much that I line the shelves with foil after I clean it so I can make the clean last twice as long (I remove the foil once it’s dirty and then have a clean shelf for at least a little while).
And in case you’re thinking this is a bizarre topic–I’m not the only one who wonders, what’s in your fridge?
One quick search on the internet and you might land on a site called Fridgewatcher. Or Fridge Raiders. Or Fridge Food.
Either way there are pics of fridge interiors all over the internet. Even celebrity fridges, like George Clooney.
But Rob Lowe doesn’t seem to have bared his (while you wait for that, you can get yourself a Rob Lowe sexy fridge magnet on Amazon).
And since I’m going to ask you the personal question of what’s in your fridge, I figure it’s only fair to show you mine:
I considered editing the photo with a sepia tone, if only to remind my husband that this fridge is 17 years old (hint hint). Except he would then just remind me of our fridge’s special features. Like the top shelf”s left corner–it will freeze solid any food I put there, especially eggs.
Fridge diving! It’s all the rage. And it’s good for your brain too!
Because when you are curious, you are in the moment, you are engaging and you are learning. Bonus–it’s excellent for creativity (makes for a better writer!)
Oh and I’m sure it must lower your blood pressure, right?
All that from a fridge.
I’ve often entertained paranoid suspicions about my fridge and what it’s been doing to my poetry when I’m not looking, but I never even considered that my fan was thinking about me.
~George Murray
Just don’t get me started on what’s inside your purse or wallet. . .
So what’s in your fridge?
I’m curious!
Coleen Patrick 
Ugh….been delaying the trip to the grocery store, so mine is prettty bare. But there is a big jug of green algae juice that for some reason no one like (?)…LOL
I remember MTV Criibs would have people open their fridge. I think they stopped doing it when all the celebrities catched on and started stocking their fridge with Cristal Champagne to keep up their image! 🙂
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*caught* …It’s early. LOL
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I just cleaned out my fridge yesterday because today is garbage day. Sometimes I tend to buy too much, especially with vegetables, and then some of it goes to waste. That is sad, so I’m trying to be more thoughtful when it comes to grocery shopping. But it’s one step at a time!
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We are very big on leftovers –much to my kids’ disappointment. I am not afraid to throw any veggie into a chili before it goes bad–i feel like the fridge is challenging me to come up with something creative. Ha ha. 🙂
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My “hidden” can of Mtn. Dew that my family knows is there, but knows better than to touch LOL. Probably a few science projects, too!
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I have my own section in the fridge too Jennette! And in the freezer and in the pantry–got to have my own snacks!
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I HATE cleaning the fridge and only do it when absolutely necessary. LOL! What’s in our fridge, hmmm. Bottled water (that we refill and reuse), Milk, a couple beer, cheese, a variety of condiments, lettuce, eggs, tomatoes, Asian Pairs (YUM), peppers, onions, and sweet potatoes….etc etc…but that’s the bulk of it. LOL!
Luv the fridge pictures. I’d be afraid to post mine. 🙂
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Reading your list I just remembered I need to get peppers–I’ve been craving the taste of them when they are grilled on the bbq!
Thanks for sharing Natalie 🙂
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I clean just enough to keep the health department away – and that includes my fridge. So, I’m not going to show you my fridge, but I’ve been really making an effort to stay away from prepackaged precooked food, so right now (even half-way through the grocery week) my fridge still has a lot of fruits and veggies, milk, cheese and eggs.
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“Clean just enough to keep the health dept awa”y–that really is what has become of my cleaning motto. I only seem to have time to do surface stuff—deep cleaning is RARE around here!
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Hmmm…
Whole Organic Milk, Half and Half, Almond Milk, Naked Green Juice, Orange Juice, Leftover Pasta and Sauce, a vast array of condiments (including more than one with no English on the package), a large jar of pesto, Greek Yogurt, half a loaf of sourdough bread, salad, eggs, goat cheese…
That’s what I can remember off the top of my head. 🙂
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I don’t know why, but as I read everyone’s lists I start thinking about what I could make with them. It’s like a Top Chef Quickfire!
My son is a big fan of Naked Juice–we always have Blue Machine in the fridge 🙂
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You don’t want to know! I do think that some of those refrigerators were staged since my broccoli would be limp if it didn’t go right into a crisper!
I have some organics, lactose-free milk, and lots of fruits and vegies. And ketchup of course!
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Yes, I agree very staged. And I’m sure they called in the housekeepers before the photo was taken LOL
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My fridge is overdue for a cleaning. Forgive me if I don’t thank you for reminding me of that fact, Coleen.
I enjoyed the photos, but Alicia Silverstone’s fridge seems overstuffed, and my internal clock warns some of the items in her fridge wil go bad before she can use them. Un, oh. That internal clock just sounded the alarm for a container of cottage cheese in mine.
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I should’ve mentioned that I only really clean my fridge once a year (other than the random spill). I meant it when I said I HATE it. That’s why the foil lining is so important !!! 🙂
And when I turned labels forward before we took the photo I caught some expired things–whoops.
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Your fridge is so clean! Mine’s totally full right now because I just went to the market. I was just thinking this morning that I should’ve cleared it out before I went, but alas I was too lazy. I’ve got three jars of stuffed olives. Why? I have no idea. I don’t eat stuffed olives and as far as I know, neither does anyone else in this house. Must be from our Christmas party which was, yep you guessed it, before Christmas! Time to toss.
Here’s a little fun tidbit for you ~ my husband’s aunt works with animal rescue and at any given time might have a dead opossum or raccoon in her freezer. Mind you, I try to never eat at her house. If she has a party, I’ll eat before we go and then only snack on food I know wasn’t refrigerated. She seems to think dead animals in the freezer are normal and therefore okay. Um, no!
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Dead raccoon in the freezer? Tameri that sounds like a blog post-LOL 🙂
I think my fridge is simply photogenic–in reality it doesn’t look that clean. And when my hub took the picture I made sure he didn’t get the edges or the vent–it was just gross.
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Mine is emptying because I’m getting ready to leave on vacation next week. So it is fairly orderly. I clean when I notice. George Clooney’s fridge looked like a bachelor’s fridge, and kind of OCD. Too orderly.
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Yes, George;s fridge is in need of a significant other. 🙂
Enjoy your vacation Patricia!
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Love the bottle of Bragg’s organic vinegar in George’s fridge. I knew i liked that guy. What’s in my fridge. Since the entire thing has resembled a science project lately, it’s anyone’s guess. Right now all I care about is the leftover taco meat. Some of it will wind up on a plate for lunch soon. 🙂
What a fun article, Coleen!
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I really like leftovers! I like not having to think about what I’m going to eat sometimes.
Thanks Kristy!
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I have lots and lots of condiments. I like to use marinades, sauces, salad dressings on everything so there’s always several open bottles of something along those lines. And hard boiled eggs. Always a bowl full of hard boiled eggs (Ginger Calen would be so proud).
There’s usually an entire shelf full of my husband’s bottles of Gatorade and soda. I wish there was something really cool in there to talk about, but there’s just not.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
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I don’t think it’s cool to look in my own fridge either–but I am still fascinated by others!
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How fun! I can’t believe anyone can see famous people’s fridges like that. Interesting!
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Thanks Catherine!
Nothing is sacred anymore, right?? 🙂
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What a fun, unique post, Colleen. I love the dialogue between you and your sister comparing snacks at the babysitting jobs! The aluminum foil covering the shelves is a pretty good idea. My sister-in-law puts tea towels on her shelves. I did that for a while and it works pretty good if something gets spilled. Just pull it out and wash it. Then with the process of moving, nothing stayed neat and orderly (as if it ever is!) at our house. We need to go shopping, so the fridge has a lot of empty space, but there’s milk, plenty of condiments on the door, some of my husband’s homemade salsa, which I plan to snack on tonight, potatoes, eggs, leftover chili, refried jalapeno beans, and I’m afraid to look to see what else is in there. Oh, there are some cans of generic cherry-flavored cola, and it’s gross. And two lonely cans of beer that have been in there a month or so. I love the quotes you added to your post and the cat in the fridge pic!
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Refried jalapeno beans! That sounds good actually–something my husband would probably love. Is it homemade??
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Coleen, your fridge looks so nice and neat. I recommend coming over to my house to clean mine, because you know, doing thing we hate to do is good for the soul. 🙂
I have milk, water, eggs, leftovers, apples, oranges, strawberries, broccoli and cauliflower in my fridge, some mustard, ketchup, and some no-fat mayo.
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Sheila–I am going to have to use that good for your soul line on my kids later 🙂
Thanks!
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You always come up with the most creative and fun posts! =) I’ve never really thought about how much a fridge tells you about someone before. Hmmmm, I wonder what mine says about me? Probably that I love home cooked leftovers! I really liked all the pictures you put, I think I’m going to go google some more celebrity fridges now…
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Thanks Amanda!
Yes, celebrity fridges are another form of procrastination for me–sigh. 🙂
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I love how you’ve used Emily Dickinson’s quote and your brilliant solution to cleaning the fridge! (Thanks for reminding me mine’s overdue, hmmm). What’s in my fridge? Some veggies and a lot of little annoying bottles with ‘skerricks’ left in the bottom. Mum always told me not to waste…don’t think that’s what she meant 🙂 (BTW, credit to Lynn Kelley for bringing me here)
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A bit trigger happy this morning…wasn’t trying to be anonymous on purpose 🙂
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I find myself drawn to using people’s quotes slightly out of context–just a strange quirk I guess 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Alarna and for teaching me a new word. I had to google skerricks!
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Lol! Mine will go from stuffed to empty since I tend to cook up a bunch of food at once, then Hub and I graze through it. Fun post!
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I think cooking up a ton is super smart! I love when I have leftovers to choose from–it’s so quick and easy!
Thanks Serena!
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Wow! You feed a whole family with that? And it’s so clean! Hmm. I have milk, cheese and fruit in mine. If makes you feel any better mine is 15 years old. But it is also built into the wall. 😐 We did have the motor rebuilt five years ago. The thing I missed the most when we moved in was the ice dispenser, but I have gotten used to it now. I try not to buy any soda or junk, but the hubby will pick up some diet soda still. I haven’t managed to wean him off of it yet.
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I didn’t do a big shop this week. I kept putting it off and buying bits here and there all week.
And I had no idea you could rebuild a fridge motor. I am NOT telling my husband that. 🙂
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I totally love to check out what’s in other people’s fridge. But mine is really boring. The good stuff (high fat foods) are in my freezer. I even keep my baking nuts and chocolate chips in there because they last longer. 🙂
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There’s at least one mold-growing science experiment in the back of my friedge…
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Totally normal, it’s how you will get your secondary super power. Or so I’m told. 🙂
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I picked a good day to read this because I haven’t gone shopping for days (going tomorrow) and the fridge is practically empty. Eggs. Butter. Barely enough milk for tomorrow morning’s coffee. Condiments (ketchup, soy sauce, jam – that’s a condiment, right?). 1 apple. 1 orange. And a piece of cheese that has science experiment written all over it 🙂
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