Long ish life fridge food

[eyesbiggerthanstomach]

I have never been a prepper but am trying to make sure I have enough food and cleaning items in to last me and my toddler for 10 days - 2 weeks.

My freezer is tiny and already full. I have some store cupboard items.

I'm new to this but I'm not touching what I have in and instead will buy fresh food and eat as and when.

I did realise though my fridge has plenty more room.

I appreciate things in there won't last for ever but things like halloumi that I bought have an expiry date in October.

I have bought

• cravendale
• cheddar cheese
• babybel
• yoghurt
• jam etc
• pickle

As I say many of these things won't last forever but it's still better to have something that won't go off for another couple of months in the fridge as my freezer is full.

Does anyone have suggestions for items for the fridge that have a long-ish shelf life?

Cold meats might be an idea but also might be among hard to get items. Cured stuff like chorizo maybe?

A lot of stuff has a longish life until you open it so smaller packs of stuff like pate/different cheeses.

Smoothies in small cartons, fresh soup, a small stock of fresh ready meals?

Also, not sure what the shelf life is like on fresh pasta. It’s more expensive though.

Halloumi
Feta
Eggs
Olives
Mustards
Tortellini and other prepacked pastas

Fresh pasta and sauce can normally go 3 weeks, it’s a bit more expensive though.

I have
Feta
Greek Yoghurt
Bacon
Sausage
Gin

Cabbage lasts weeks in my crisper drawer (coldslaw, as a side, stuffed cabbage leaves etc)

Pepperoni, salami, chorizo - all these can be useful in pasta dishes (dried pasta).
Get some mustard cress seeds, they will grow when lightly sprinkled on a saucer of damp cotton wool on the window sill. Good for iron and vit c and it grows very quickly. A pack of seeds will last a long time.Sprinkled on meals and in sandwiches.

Tofu
Fake meat crumbles and the like.
These both last for ages, my dc have been pushing us to be more veggie and it turns out this is very helpful now as veggie stuff lasts weeks longer than meat.

Thanks for the ideas. Keep them coming!

I would say this has definitely changed my outlook and my eating habits, hopefully long term. I am ashamed to say things would be wasted before.

eggs and especially egg whites last ages
lower-fat cooking creams last quite well
apples, carrots, onions, garlic last best in my fridge

Hot dogs/frabkfurtersc in packets last weeks

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.thespruceeats.com/the-shelf-life-of-refrigerated-foods-1389306&ved=2ahUKEwjYn6XvrJ3oAhXUh1wKHe8CAtAQFjABegQIChAJ&usg=AOvVaw1otl7n9ltD91L7G0BpWOcD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.thespruceeats.com/the-shelf-life-of-refrigerated-foods-1389306&ved=2ahUKEwjYn6XvrJ3oAhXUh1wKHe8CAtAQFjABegQIChAJ&usg=AOvVaw1otl7n9ltD91L7G0BpWOcD

Bacon
Sausages
Eggs
Cheese (I've got 10 kinds in, but that's fairly normal for us)
Salami
Petit Filous
Greek Yoghurt

I've got a week on chicken breasts and beef mince too, so would do the 7 days

Chorizo lasts a while
Smoked salmon

Veg wise bagged salad is the worst life wise and root veg are the best (not potatoes) with peppers and mushrooms somewhere in the middle. I've had carrots and celery last over a fortnight many times

Good god Frankfurters

Roor veg last for ages

Chinese lettuce lasts much longer than normal lettuce.

Great tips thanks all, also broccoli and tomatoes seems to last forever in my fridge.

Bacon tends to be relatively long life in fresh meat terms - so if you have a lockdown, a joint could be good uncooked until middle of 2nd week and leftovers are good for sandwiches, omelettes, quiches, pasta sauces etc.
Generally, a big joint is likely to have longer life, especially if vac packed, compared to things like mince, chops, chicken etc. So a roast beef, leg of lamb, shoulder of pork etc could be good for a few days into a lockdown also, and again, leftovers used in many ways.

Smoked salmon can last a long time if still sealed in vac packs. And other than cold, it can be cut into strips and can be added to scrambled eggs or pasta.

Hard cheese is better for longevity, especially mature cheeses sealed in their packs in blocks by manufacturer. Cheddar, Leicester, leerdamer, feta, Parmesan etc all last a long time.

Long life veg includes butternut squash which doesn’t need the fridge. I like to roast the whole thing at once (usually in large chunks) and have some as a veg for main meal and leftovers made into soup.

Eggs can last longer if you turn them upside down once a week - and turn them back upright again in another 7 days. Do that every week and they can last 4-6 weeks easily. They are a staple of sailing life for that reason. And don’t need to be kept in the fridge, but the fridge would further extend storage life. To test before using, put into a jug of cold water: if lie flat on bottom, perfect; if stand on pointy end but stay on bottom, use soon; if float to surface, don’t use.

Vacuum packed stuff keeps for ages of you don't open it.

Things that have an element of preservative - cured meats (my Spanish friend doesn't always keep her chorizo in the fridge), full fat cheese, fermented foods - yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and other pickles/things in vinegar.

Things in oil or brine.

Also consider what you could take out of your fridge to make space.

I just bought some bacon and the use by date was at the end of May, so a good suggestion by the PP. Thanks

Great thread. I'm veggie so got plenty of egg whites in cartons and cheese. Halloumi was all gone sadly but plenty of other cheese including some frozen for Brexit preps and not used. Eggs can last for months if stored in cool dark cupboard- I ate some with early Feb date at weekend. Good tip about turning them over.