What do I do with this?

I'm taking a break from cleaning out my refrigerator, because I had too much in it, because there were too many condiment bottles, and because company is coming, and because it was driving me to drink, and because I have friends/family who love me and give me little bottles of things. Luckily, there are two adorable kids at the Farmer's Market who are already saving money for college and bring small bouquets to sell each week, along with their parents who grow medicinal herbs, dark leafy green things, and have a dancer's retreat, and because the kids want bottles for their bouquets. So here are my thoughts. So many bottles were commercial condiment types, green olive tapendade, fancy mustards, fancy relishes, you get the idea. Once open, used once or twice, and not to my liking, they sit, for months. In the meantime I keep thinking of what to do with them to make them better, but they sit.
So, I have wondered for a long time how a forum would go over dedicated to commercial foods, canned, bottled, in squirt bottles, just anything packaged and ready to eat, where we could post how we liked it, what we did with it, how did your guests like it, and did the kids like it. Of course the same would apply to foods you bought, hated, used once, threw away, and why.

One of the cooking sites I visit used to have 'Product Alerts' about ones they loved or hated and why. A new crowd visits now, and the alerts have gone away. A dear friend recently told me that she needs to rest her back, under doctor's orders so she went to Trader Joe's and bought all sorts of ready to eat meals. She is keeping me posted on those, not that I would ever buy any, but if something was especially good, I may stock it for one of those days I don't want to cook or bother going out.

In thinking this over, some of you probably have ideas on how to structure such a forum, or even if there is anyone with the time and know how to do it. Just thought I 'd toss it out.

I keep warning my wife that I'm going to buy a condiment refrigerator. And this is just for the ones I like.

The ones I buy - or are gifted - and do not like get dumped annually if we make no progress with them.

The condiments actually drive me crazy...even if I do like them, one can only consume a small amount of them at one sitting. Even after cleaning out my fridge, I still have one shelf dedicated to them. Let's see, from left to right are rows of mustards, then two types of mayo (good stuff, and low fat), then pickles, then relish, next to that is salsa, sun-dried toms, last is home made jam, orange marmalade, cranberry, horseradish sauce, then a huge jar of freshly processed Parmesan. This takes up the entire top shelf in a Sub-Zero! Sick!

I love your post Karen! I understand completely what you are talking about. I also have many condiment bottles in my refrigerator. It is so hard to throw them away when nothing is the matter with them. I just MIGHT need them some day!

Don't laught, but I solved the problem when I purchased a new refrigerator this year. I bougth a large sub-zero fridge with no freezer - just refrigerator! I love it and wish I would have done it sooner. Since I have a large freezer in my garage, I felt I didn't need a freezer in my kitchen. I have not missed it yet! I still have room for more bottles.

I can't figure out how to put a photo with this text. I must be easy, but I couldn't do it.

Linda Stradley

Linda, hello..
I was just talking with you a few minutes ago. How nice to see you here. Posting a photo is not hard. When you reply to a post, scroll down the the bottom and you will see an upload photo prompt. You need to have your photo stored in a file, and it needs to be less than 600 x 600 pixels. Somebody correct me if I am wrong, please. Then just follow the prompts.
The question about the condiments is... do you like them? And if you like them can you use them all up in time before they look slimy?

I'm taking a break from cleaning out my refrigerator, because I had too much in it, because there were too many condiment bottles, and because company is coming, and because it was driving me to drink, and because I have friends/family who love me and give me little bottles of things.

Now I feel guilty and will have to clean out my fridge when I return from my business trip!

There are condiments in the refrigerator that are growing. Perhaps I should do something about them.

John

For what it's worth, my wife advises against a condiment forum. She says they all taste awful, and the ribbed ones don't work.

I think everybody suffers from 'condiment creep'. I periodically go through them and taste them; many flavors fade severely just sitting there (e.g., chutneys, mustards, horseradish).

[Jenise]

For what it's worth, my wife advises against a condiment forum. She says they all taste awful, and the ribbed ones don't work.

OH my god, I'm going to die. Oxygen! Oxygen!

Don't ya' just love it when men turn into hormonal teens?

I think everybody suffers from 'condiment creep'. I periodically go through them and taste them; many flavors fade severely just sitting there (e.g., chutneys, mustards, horseradish).

That is exactly what I did when cleaning...out they went. I had a half used jar of pomegranate molasses that had turned to sugar crystals. My refer feels so much better now!

I think everybody suffers from 'condiment creep'. I periodically go through them and taste them; many flavors fade severely just sitting there (e.g., chutneys, mustards, horseradish).

That is exactly what I did when cleaning...out they went. I had a half used jar of pomegranate molasses that had turned to sugar crystals. My refer feels so much better now!

SIGH!

I think everybody suffers from 'condiment creep'. I periodically go through them and taste them; many flavors fade severely just sitting there (e.g., chutneys, mustards, horseradish).

That is exactly what I did when cleaning...out they went. I had a half used jar of pomegranate molasses that had turned to sugar crystals. My refer feels so much better now!

SIGH!

Oh my, Jo Ann, not looking forward to condiment elimination?

Don't ya' just love it when men turn into hormonal teens?

Waddaya mean "turn into"?

There IS another state for us?

[Jenise]

I think everybody suffers from 'condiment creep'. I periodically go through them and taste them; many flavors fade severely just sitting there (e.g., chutneys, mustards, horseradish).

I would be the exception. Fortunately for my refrigerator, my phobia for strange white goops extends, though with less severity, to odd little jars of stuff you apply to other foods (I eat ALL sandwiches and ALL burgers dry) that I don't already have a trusted relationship with. So where I can talk myself into trying *some* of those things, the scenario "Wow I can't wait to rip off that lid and stick a spoon in there and put whatever it is in my mouth!" just doesn't happen, and those things don't accumulate.

Good one, Tom.

My only problem with condiments is that out of sight out of mind issue. The ones that get pushed to the back of the bottom shelf are not going to be in my mind when I mentally inventory what I have to cook with, so they'll never get used unless I have a recipe that calls for them, at which point I will embark on a condiment quest, quite possibly to find the carcase either dessicated or mouldy.

There are some things you just don't use every day. How many times a year do I NEED a preserved lemon for some North African dish, yet I keep them so I won't need to go shopping when the tagine urge hits.

I buy some things in bulk - sun dried tomatoes in oil, capers, etc. and they don't risk being ignored, but I agree that the less used items seem to crawl into the nether recesses of the fridge to die.

The condiments actually drive me crazy...even if I do like them, one can only consume a small amount of them at one sitting. Even after cleaning out my fridge, I still have one shelf dedicated to them. Let's see, from left to right are rows of mustards, then two types of mayo (good stuff, and low fat), then pickles, then relish, next to that is salsa, sun-dried toms, last is home made jam, orange marmalade, cranberry, horseradish sauce, then a huge jar of freshly processed Parmesan. This takes up the entire top shelf in a Sub-Zero! Sick!

Karen,
Aside for the jar of 'freshly processed Parmesan", I'd swear you were itemizing the things in my refrigerator! One thing that has helped reduce the clutter and the lost little jar of fuzzy capers, for me, is to put them all in the vegetable bin in the bottom of my frig. Most of the condiments have the name printed on the lids, or are readily recognizable. I can see at a glance that I already have stone ground cajun mustard (for example) and do not need to introduce another to the larder. Periodically, I open the drawer and start the purge..much easier than contorting my body in unnatural ways to see what is lurking in those waaaaaay back there crevices.

This was a good post! Made me realize I am not alone in the condiment conundrum!
JuliaB