“I heard you and my husband Bill went on a tour of our pantry recently,” Mary says. “Somehow you magically shrank down so you could get to the back of the cupboard.”

It’s true, Bill and I had a nice time inspecting the cupboards.

“Do you think we could explore our refrigerator, too?” she adds. “He said he had fun, and I don’t want to be left out!”

“Let’s grab our jackets and shrink to doll size,” I say. I grab my flashlight and some heavy-duty string with a hook so we could rappel to the lower shelves.

“It’s really cold in here, and dark, too!” Mary says as we land in the refrigerator. “I always wondered if the light went off when the door closed.”

As I turn on my tiny flashlight, I suggest checking the temperature of her refrigerator first. I tell her the fridge should be set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or a little lower.

“Brrrrr – it’s 39 degrees!” Mary reports.

A carton of eggs, a luxury at the moment, catches my eye first.

“Good job having your egg carton in the main area of the fridge, where it’s colder,” I say.

Mary says she hard-cooked a dozen a couple of days ago so they could last longer. I have to confess to her that hard-cooked eggs last about one week, which is shorter than raw eggs’ span. 

“Raw eggs will keep their quality for three to five weeks in the fridge,” I explain. “You might want to make some egg salad or a chef’s salad with those cooked eggs soon.” 

Mary shines her flashlight over at the bright red and yellow bottles.

“Are the ketchup and mustard safe? They have been in the fridge six months,” Mary says.

“For best quality, we recommend using condiments within a year,” I note. I suggest considering recipes like sloppy joes to use them up.

Mary wanders between bottles and looks at the date on a milk carton.

“This is two days past the sell-by date. Is it still OK to drink?” Mary asks.

“Milk in a refrigerator at the proper temperature will maintain its flavor about a week after the package date,” I respond. “Sniff it to detect if it is sour.”

“Should I be switching to raw milk?” Mary asks, hoisting herself up to the top of the carton. “I heard online that it’s healthier for me.”

“Raw or unpasteurized milk is considered very risky, food safety-wise. Anyone could be sickened from the salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and other bacteria associated with raw milk outbreaks,” I note. "Older adults, pregnant women, children and people with compromised immune systems are more likely to get potentially life-threatening foodborne illnesses."

“In that case, I’ll stick with this stuff,” says Mary, patting the carton.

I suggest we rappel down to the crisper drawer. Mary leerily follows me over the shelf’s edge.

We see red and yellow peppers, celery and carrots on our journey down.

“Enjoying colorful veggies and fruit is linked with reducing our risk for cancer, heart disease and many other diseases as they contain natural disease-fighting plant chemicals,” I say as we explore the drawer.

“These are carrots looking whitish,” Mary says. “Should I toss them?” I say they’re just dehydrated.

“Instead of throwing them away, try them in soup or stir fry,” I suggest. She could also roast them with a bit of oil and some spices.

We continue our exploration down to the meat drawer. I commend Mary for thawing meat in a pan on the lowest level so the raw meat juices won’t contaminate her fresh veggies.

“Remember that ground meat has a shorter refrigerator shelf life than steak or chops,” I note. “Ground meat will only last about two days, but you can place it in freezer bags and overwrap with freezer paper to prevent freezer burn.”

“I hope we are not going into the freezer,” Mary says with chattering teeth. “It’s, like, zero degrees in there, and I didn’t bring my heavy winter coat.”

“You’re right – zero degrees is the recommended freezer temperature,” I explain. “Use your freezer to help avoid food waste, especially for meat, cheese, extra veggies and bread.”

“Let’s use up some of those eggs, celery and yogurt to make egg salad for a quick lunch when we are normal-sized again,” Mary suggests.

“Sounds good to me!” I exclaim as we hop out of the fridge. When we’re done, we can check out the preservation and preparation sections on NDSU Extension’s food and nutrition website at www.ag.ndsu.edu/food for more information.

Egg Salad

6 hard-cooked eggs
1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons lemon juice (or substitute some mustard)
1 teaspoon dried minced onion or 1 tablespoon fresh green onion
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Mash eggs with a potato masher or fork. Add Greek yogurt, lemon juice, onion, celery, pepper and salt and mix together.

Makes four servings. Each serving has 120 calories, 7 grams (g) fat, 11 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber and 120 milligrams sodium.

(Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., is a North Dakota State University Extension food and nutrition specialist and professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences.)

NDSU Agriculture Communication – April 24, 2025

Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, 701-231-7187, julie.garden-robinson@ndsu.edu

Editor: Dominic Erickson, 701-231-5546, dominic.erickson@ndsu.edu