Condiment Envy - How many condiments are in your fridge?
I went to a friends house last night for our weekly Wednesday dinner and was amazed at how many condiments he had in is fridge. So I started counting... 81. Wow... so I went home and counted mine... 41. I called another buddy... he has 7. Maybe before you go over to anyones house that is going to cook for you, you should ask how many condiments they have. If they have a lot are they a good cook? A cook with a wide range? A bad cook trying to cover up something? Makes you think.
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26 Comments:
Good point. I think it's definitely true that if you have a lot of condiments you probably cook a lot. Whether you're good at it is completely subjective.
arm1970 at 9:49AM on 08/13/09
I agree @arm1970. It just means they cook a lot, or that they're overeager consumers.
That being said, this thread just helped me do a bit cleaning up in the fridge and after everything expired and/or mouldy has been thrown out the results are:
43 condiments in the fridge
27 in the pantry
SqueezeBottle at 10:21AM on 08/13/09
I should add that I don't consider myself a very good cook. I can cook a few things very well and others without embarrassing myself, but I have no training and lack a lot of the basics. I'm just a curious cook/eater who likes to try out a lot of ethnic cuisines.
SqueezeBottle at 10:29AM on 08/13/09
@OP - more important than asking how many condiments if they're cooking for you is asking how many they have before you agree to cook at their place. I made dinner at my friend's house a few weeks ago and he didn't have olive oil, and his entire range of condiments included: soy sauce, multiple asian chili oils, and rice vinegar. and he was seriously lacking in pots and pans. no, he never ever cooks except for the occasional bowl of ramen late at night.
then again, i have another friend with a wide range of every kind of grain, wrapper, condiment, and good quality cookware, and she never ever cooks, and only in a limited range when she does. so it really goes either way on how predictive someone's pantry is.
off the top of my head, i think we have like 15 condiments in the fridge: soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, sriracha, three kinds of honey, two kinds of mustard, tabasco, cholula hot sauce, worcestershire, two kinds of horseradish, two kinds of jam...i'm sure i'm forgetting things, but those are the most used i guess.
billyburgwife at 10:52AM on 08/13/09
What are we considering "condiments". Must they be liquid? are we considering oils? No spices? Rules must be set :).
nelson5757 at 11:27AM on 08/13/09
Condiment - Improves the flavor of food. Can be salty, spicy, or savory and may be in the form of a relish, sauce, or mixtures of herbs and spices.
Or as I like to call it, yummy goodness
happyeats at 11:32AM on 08/13/09
At first I thought I would be in the 10 or fewer category. Then I started thinking about all the oils and vinegars and whatnot that I ACTUALLY have in the kitchen, and I think I'm probably in the 35-40 range. Amazing what you accumulate over a bit of time.
I have limited pantry space, though, and my fridge always seems fairly full (stupid side-by-side; I hate it so much), so I can't imagine I would ever have room for 80+ condiments.
dbrackst at 12:10PM on 08/13/09
I'm afraid to count. And if you make me count the oils and vinegars...and spices. I have a whole cabinet full of spices. It might be easier to count the things that aren't condiments. That would be the rice, beans, flours, other grains, sugars...hmmmm....there are a few canned goods, like some hearts of palm. A bunch of jars of pickles and orange marmelade. I don't even have any canned tomatoes at the moment that would count in the non-condiment food column.
I think I need a 12-step program for condiments.
dbcurrie at 1:03PM on 08/13/09
At these criteria, I must have well over a hundred including everything in the pantry. And I can't think of the last time we had a condiment go past its expiration.
Yeah, I think it'd be easier to count what's not a condiment.
MarvinDog at 1:55PM on 08/13/09
I thought the new rule was that only spice combinations counted as condiments, not individual spices. I can't imagine there are more than a few people on a board like this that don't have at least a shelf full of herbs and spices.
dbrackst at 2:02PM on 08/13/09
dbcurrie-
I'm afraid to count too. Laughed out loud when I read, "I think I need a 12-step program for condiments."
I can relate.
CJ McD at 2:05PM on 08/13/09
I was just talking about whats in the fridge... If you include whats in the spice cabinets... hundreds... easy.
happyeats at 2:30PM on 08/13/09
Ahh-- fridge only-- maybe 40-50.
MarvinDog at 3:08PM on 08/13/09
Well if you count space rather than different things, at least a fourth of my fridge is condiments. Lots of homemade refrigerator pickles besides salsas, mustards, jams and jellies, maple syrup, etc. (I love blackberry jam and soy sauce with a touch of sesame oil as a dipping sauce for potstickers.)
lemonfair at 4:27PM on 08/13/09
Ouch! Reality check. I started counting and just stopped at 35. I do use them all. Really, I do.
finsbigfan at 4:32PM on 08/13/09
What would a world be without condiments... no tabasco on my eggs, no sriracha mixed with soy sauce, no ketchup for fries or mustard for the dog, no relish for tartar sauce or mayo, no franks red hot for wings, or bbq sauce for chicken, what about a spanish oliveless bloody mary?
hmm...
no vingar, no lime and lemon juice, no fish sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, no ginger, no lemon grass paste....
I am getting sick... a world without condiments is pointless... almost as bad as a world without salt.
POWER TO THE CONDIMENTS!!! STOCK YOUR SHELVES!! FILL YOUR FRIDGES!!! YEAH!!!
happyeats at 5:02PM on 08/13/09
Oh my GOD...I am a very frugal cook - I can make anything out of anything, and hate waste. But I have a serious weak spot for condiments. I have not one or two, but FOUR kinds of Nam Prik in my fridge. And there's that half-used jar of pickled garlic. And harissa. Three mustards but of course. I'm not sure the kinds of chili paste - at least three. Several misos. Many, many kinds of vinegars and soy sauces in the pantry. Did I mention the fermented tofu cubes? Ketchup goes without saying of course, except I just said it. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Most of my fridge is condiments. Condiments and vegetables. Condiments, how I love you...
Dcarl1 at 5:49PM on 08/13/09
@dbcurrie and @CJ McD - Hi, my name is bareneed and I am a condiment addict! Me too, for sure - I have lots of stuff to accompany meals - Branston pickle, olives, mustards, ketchup, hot sauces galore, Major Grey's chutney, mint sauce - I could go on and on - I hate having a buffet because my condiments take up a full quarter of the table! I haven't added it up but I am willing to bet there is a very large chunk of change tied up in my condiment collection. That being said, I honestly feel they (well, most) are necessary to finish off my culinary efforts.
bareneed at 7:15PM on 08/13/09
Guilty!
dmcavanagh at 7:46PM on 08/13/09
I am too a condiment addict. Is there any hope for us? I like to have all my options open when I do get creative and I don't want to stop in the middle and run to the store. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
mamalou at 7:50PM on 08/13/09
we seem to collect a lot of condiments in our fridge that we never use. or at least don't need until we throw them out, figuring we'd never use them....like those capers that sat there, i kid you not, for at least four if not five years. i distinctly remember buying them, and then just the other month i finally tossed them out, figuring they would be no good to me.
now i see recipes calling for them everywhere. i'm not sure if they're a condiment exactly...but they came to mind.
we collect ketchups in our cupboards, jars of relish get pushed to the back of the fridge, there's at least three kinds of mustard....numerous asian condiments i picked up. oils buried in the back of the pantry. i couldn't even begin to count them, and frankly i'd be a little scared to. the thing is....i'm not a condiment gal at all. i eat boiled eggs with sriracha sauce on them...tabasco... and mustard. that's all i use on my own. i get sucked in by condiments. right now i'm resisting the urge to add mayonnaise to the stock.
eggyzhe at 11:30PM on 08/13/09
OMG i don't even know what I have in the fridge as far as condiments except the usual ketchup, mustards, mayo, dressings, steak sauces, jams/jellies, Asian, Mexican and Indian sauces, it is so filled up with shit yoou just reminded me that I need to go through all of it very soon.
pjracz10 at 3:09AM on 08/14/09
i don't have nearly the amount that you guys do-i don't even have ketchup!
however, i am guilty of mustard madness...4 or 5 varieties, methinks?
gastronomeg at 11:17AM on 08/14/09
OK... including spices in all areas... 193
happyeats at 12:53PM on 08/14/09
81 condiments? Holy cow. Now I need to go home and count our condiments. I did just add dumpling sauce and hoisin sauce to the bunch but I think I'm still in the lower quantity sect.
Chew on That at 12:54PM on 08/14/09
I live with my boyfriend and our condiment count went up considerably after moving in together. He likes miracle whip, I like mayo; he likes thin salsa, I like chunky; he prefers margarine, I can't live without butter; Italian dressing vs. Ranch; spicy mustard vs. plain yellow; Texas Pete vs. Frank's...
As much as I'd like to downsize the refrigerator door clutter, I suppose that we are both just too stubborn to allow that to happen.
Molly23 at 2:42PM on 08/14/09