Things that don't Really Need to be refrigerated

[tav-2020]

hdr wrote: if they float in water they are bad, if they don't float they are bad

just a bad egg all around. which is it?

 

[highdesertranger]

oops need more coffee. if they don't float they are good. highdesertranger

 

[wagoneer]

Beer: cheap beer must be cold, Better quality bottled beer room temp is best.

 

[Trebor English]

Whole vegetables like bell peppers and onions keep quite a while.  I like to cut them up real small to add to an egg to make an omelet or to add to a cheese sandwich.  If I didn't already have them cut up I wouldn't bother to cut for a single serving.  Once cut up they spoil quickly so they go in the fridge.  Onions get double baggied.

 

[VanForNow]

To avoid  the problem of partially used onions going bad, I buy containers of "boiler onions." Each boiler onion is small - gold ball size or less - which means I cut up only as many as needed for a recipe. To me, boiler onions taste the same as regular yellow (Spanish?) onions.

 

[crofter]

Having ice cream is difficult without some type of refrigeration. 

When I lived off grid as a camp host, I had access to a company freezer and could plan my days around hitting the company compound at break time. Sometimes the ice cream would be gone, and I would have to hear confessions from my mates instead of eating ice cream.

Another alternative is freeze dried ice cream, but not the same thing imop.

~crofter

 

[closeanuf]

If you do double dip the mayo or butter be sure to lick the knife before the second dip.

 

[Dingfelder]

You folks must live in mild climates. Where I've lived, something like a tomato or an orange could go bad in a single hot day. And in the summer, that was all of them.

I don't fridge ketchup or mustard usually. I figure if all the diners I've ever seen leave them out on the table, I can too.

Mayo, I wouldn't. I certainly would try the tingle test first if in any doubt. Spoiled food often tingles on the tip of the tongue, signalling either bacteria or LSD.

 

[egbk]

soda is bad for you but you dont need to put in fridge after you open it, just as long as as it has a screw top, I drink it at room temperature too.

The BEST way I've found to keep soda  fresh...  SO easy... ALWAYS turn it on a slant or upside down enough that liquid covers the cap area.  My theory is that tiny gas molecules eventually "leak" out the cap, but if you KEEP the threads "under water," er, I mean soda,  the liquid molecules BLOCK the tinier gas bubbles from leaking out of the cap.  I do it with NEW AND opened bottles, anything carbonated..... AND I DO NOT squeeze or shake before or after closing.....just use normal volume, normal pressure and my Coke lasts MUCH longer this way.  Hope it works for y'all.

 

[xinetate]

I grew up eating the chicken and duck eggs we collected at home so I was surprised when I learned that they are "supposed" to be refrigerated. Turns out commercial processors wash the naturally protective layer off of eggs. Of course, they had to find a way to screw up the simplest thing. It's a little risky to keep store-bought eggs out, but I would not worry about farm eggs at all. And if you happen to find yourself in a civilized country, even the store-bought ones are safe. 

Butter in a little water (enough to cover it) keeps better too. Just change the water every other day.

 

[GreyWulf]

Very good information but as far as all the food that you mentioned like condiments eggs and so forth when living in a van, vans get really hot in the summer, wintertime I can see it nothing will spoil but when your van is always above say 90 degrees in the summertime how do you keep everything fresh cuz I do love eggs but I thought I couldn't buy them because I don't have a refrigerator yet, I have one more month before I get my RV and I have been living the past 10 years without a refrigerator and only buying things that are either in cans bags what ever I don't have to refrigerate but at least now I know I can buy eggs can anybody create a list of stuff that I can buy that I don't have to refrigerate and what temperature is your vehicle needs to be for it to last and the amount of time that they will last without being in a refrigerator like say eggs for instance how long can I keep eggs before they go bad in say a 90-degree van in the summertime.

 

[Wanderer]

Beer: cheap beer must be cold, Better quality bottled beer room temp is best.

Disagree. I have had Steel Reserve at 75-80 degrees and at 8.1% by weight, it's stunningly effective.

 

[Wanderer]

Very good information but as far as all the food that you mentioned like condiments eggs and so forth when living in a van, vans get really hot in the summer, wintertime I can see it nothing will spoil but when your van is always above say 90 degrees in the summertime how do you keep everything fresh cuz I do love eggs but I thought I couldn't buy them because I don't have a refrigerator yet, I have one more month before I get my RV and I have been living the past 10 years without a refrigerator and only buying things that are either in cans bags what ever I don't have to refrigerate but at least now I know I can buy eggs can anybody create a list of stuff that I can buy that I don't have to refrigerate and what temperature is your vehicle needs to be for it to last and the amount of time that they will last without being in a refrigerator like say eggs for instance how long can I keep eggs before they go bad in say a 90-degree van in the summertime.

You can buy eggs and they'll last or you can buy the dehydrated ones (Pretty dang tasty) and cook them over LOW heat (Too high burns it) and I have tasted no difference between fresh eggs and dehydrated.

 

[Trebor English]

what temperature is your vehicle needs to be for it to last and the amount of time that they will last without being in a refrigerator like say eggs for instance how long can I keep eggs before they go bad in say a 90-degree van in the summertime.

I usually eat one egg per day, sometimes two.  I buy a dozen when I am down to one or two left.  They may keep a month or more particularly if treated with oil or water glass, sodium silicate.  Just in a drawer, a dozen works for me.  

Mayonnaise comes in a 22 fl oz squirt bottle.  I have seen a mayo squirt bottle on the table in a diner just like ketchup.  With the squirt bottle you can avoid contaminating the bulk of the product.  With a big jar of mayo it is easy to contaminate.  Then it goes bad.  A squirt bottle lasts me a long time but I seem to use it before it goes bad.  

I don't keep ketchup or mustard.  

I usually get bell peppers and onions one at a time unless I have a specific plan to use more than usual.  

I like italian salad dressing to marinate meat.  I get the small size and avoid contaminating.  The oil can go rancid but the vinegar helps keep the bacteria down.  

What I keep in the fridge is cheese and meat.  Sliced ham, chicken, beef, burger will go bad quickly.  Cheese gets gooey.  Butter gets gooey too but doesn't seem to go bad.  

I have a thermometer that shows the high and low.  This time of year the low is above 80 and the high is 100 inside the back of my van.

 

[Dingfelder]

Ever see pickled eggs in a bar? They seem to last fine at room temperature when hard-boiled and thrown in a salty vinegar brine. Makes them taste better too.

Generally people boil the brine first, by my understanding anyway. That along with the salt and vinegar go a long way toward killing germs.

I still put my pickled eggs in the fridge, but I think there is probably a way around that, considering pickled eggs used to be a common bar snack.

 

[AreWeLostYet]

We only use the mayo squeeze bottles and make sure that the tip area stays clean.

Oh,  and eggs.  We don't refrigerate our eggs.  Over 6 years not refrig'n eggs, average of 1-2 weeks keeping eggs and no issues so far with getting sick.  This has been my personal experience.

Keep eggs,  mayo, butter etc out of direct sunlight.  One reason for an icebox is the ICE itself.  For drinks alone it's worth the price to me. Or just to crunch on.

 

[crofter]

You folks must live in mild climates.  Where I've lived, something like a tomato or an orange could go bad in a single hot day.  And in the summer, that was all of them.

I use the smaller denser fruits like Roma or grape tomatoes. Place in basket type container in a single layer. Can wrap the fruits in paper. 
Also the fruits may have been irradiated, therefore not spoiling. ~crofter.