Have you ever come back from a large shopping trip, proud of the month’s-worth of food that you’ve picked up, only to find a good portion is already growing mould the next day? It’s true that fridges – even very big fridges – can’t always hold everything you need them to.
What’s more, not everything does well inside a refrigerated environment, with tomatoes, potatoes, bread, and bananas, among countless other foodstuffs, actually having their flavour affected.
But what can you do? It’s no good spending money on replacing the food you lose, as you’re essentially just throwing money down the drain – or into the bin if you want to be more literal!
Well, if this is a problem that’s been bothering you for a while, we think we might have a good answer for you. Be warned, however – it will come at an initial cost – but will ultimately save costs in the long run.
The Concept Of The Larder
With the word “larder” meaning “a place for meats”, this is a small room inside the kitchen that will store food that is likely to go off but should not be kept in the fridge.
Think of your larder like a large silver etrog box – the same used during the Jewish festival of Sukkot – designed to keep the contents safe, fresh, and long-lasting without being refrigerated.
Originally, this was the only room in the kitchen to cool foods, with the refrigerator for home use only invented in 1913. When the home fridge was invented, larders seemed to fall off the map a little, but over the last couple of decades, they have been finding their way back into modern homes.
This is mostly due to the aesthetic beauty they add to a kitchen – everyone loves a magical cupboard that takes you to a room of food! But also because of the energy crisis that has been gripping us over the last few years.
With more people wanting environmentally friendly homes and electric-free kitchens, the larder is a way to store food without having to use up the energy that a fridge uses up.
The Renovation Project
Of course, if installing a larder in your kitchen is something that you are interested in, then it cannot be done halfheartedly. To create an effective larder, it must be located on the north or west side of the house – or wherever gets the least amount of sunlight.
The shelving and worksurfaces should be made of thick slate, while the floor should be made of stone – helping the room to stay at a cooler temperature.
This would mean renovating the kitchen entirely, but as mentioned before, the benefits of a larder are wide-ranging – allowing foods to last longer, taste better, and cut the costs of buying new foods and cooling them in the refrigerator – and a renovation like this would also put up the value on your house if you ever think about selling.
So if you want to solve your food storing issues with something that is green, aesthetically pleasing, and cost-efficient, then we’d highly recommend you start planning your rejuvenation project!