Who is guilty?

You open a container in the refrigerator, unsure of what might live inside. You sniff. It doesn’t smell great, but it probably isn’t bad, so you package it back up and return it to the depths of the fridge, until you can be convinced it has gone bad, or for someone else to make the decision to toss it.

It’s time.

November 15 is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day

In a normal year, November 15 is a great clean-out date before the influx of food expected during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. That’s why “the holiday” was created. Even though most holiday gatherings won’t be happening [as usual] this year because of the pandemic, it’s still a great time to clean out the old.

You will probably be doing a lot of cooking and baking, because, what else do you have going on! It’s time to update your ingredients and make room for new leftovers.

Remember that Jello mold from Labor Day? Mold is an appropriate description.

How about that Cookie Confetti ice cream you bought because it was on sale but nobody really liked? Can you say “freezer burn?”

What about the meat drawer? See those ends of cheese? You keep buying new ones. Open the turkey cold cuts and they have a green shimmer.

Your refrigerator and freezer are probably filled with old condiments, neglected Tupperware containers filled with leftovers, and other stuff that no one will ever touch.

Just because something is kept cold or frozen does not mean it will last forever.

It’s time to get to work and really clean things out.

Do a Deep Clean

First off, to do a deep clean, you need to take everything out of the fridge.

Everything! Resist the urge to say you will clean around the hot sauces. Unknown sticky things lurk below!

How many jars of pickles did you find? Salsa?

Get rid of anything you don’t remember, won’t use again, or seems off.

Old yogurts, jam with crumbs inside, leftover soup — out it all goes.

Just because a product has reached a “sell by” or a “use by” date does not necessarily mean that it is bad. Don’t buy items after the “sell by” date, but have some flexibility with the “use by” date. It is really just a guideline so you know if your ketchup predates the opening of Hamilton.

If it’s not a take-out disposable, resist the next urge to throw out a perfectly-good storage container just because the lasagne inside it is disgusting. Hold your breath, and scoop the offender either into the garbage disposal or into the trash. Run hot water in your sink, douse it in dish soap, and soak it. You'll be glad you have it the next time you are looking for a suitable container for leftovers.

Wipe down all the shelves. If your shelves are removable, take them out and soak them in warm soapy water. The same goes for all drawers.

If you can, pull out the fridge and vacuum behind it.

Change out the box of Arm & Hammer.

For storage:

Place your fish and meat on a plate before you put it in the fridge to avoid drips making a mess. Keep this on a low shelf, because drips still happen.
Put dairy items in the back of the fridge where it stays coldest. If your refrigerator has open vents coming up from the freezer be sure not to cover these as air flow is needed to keep items from freezing.
Put wrapped cheeses in a drawer.
Don’t put your tomatoes or onions in the fridge — tomatoes belong on the countertop and onions in the pantry.
Don’t wash fruits like berries until you are ready to eat them.

For fun, change the level of your shelves — maybe this can solve a problem of too-tall seltzer bottles.

Now that your fridge is all clean and tidy, make a commitment to keep it organized and current. Use up leftovers in a timely manner. Keep ketchup, mustard, pickles etc. in the same space so you don’t keep rebuying what you already have.

And if all else feels, meet me back here next November 15 and we’ll do it again.