Ice cream na nangamoy isda. Salad na hindi lumamig. Gulay na nabulok.
If you’ve experienced these issues more than once, it might be time to upgrade your refrigerator.
Today, this appliance does more than just storing and preserving our food. It has evolved, becoming more efficient in organizing our food staples and extending their shelf life.
Chef Myke Tatung and celebrity mom Joyce Pring-Trivino discuss this in detail on June 23, 2024.
One of the chef's restaurants, the Azadore in Tomas Morato, Quezon City, serves as the venue.
It turns out that many of our food concerns can be solved by picking the right refrigerator.
Read: Chef Myke Tatung vows to go on cooking, crisis or no crisis
SPACE PROBLEM due to SIZE OF REFRIGERATOR
Is price the deal breaker for the size of your refrigerator?
If it is, you should also consider the size of your family and the frequency of your food preparations. Because in the long run, you may actually be spending more due to food wastage.
The two personalities review the TCL Free Built-In Refrigerator and scrutinize its features.
The restaurateur/ author/ influencer finds its size—521L capacity—just right.
"Ang hirap kasi bumili ka dahil hindi kasya,” he says.
"So sometimes, ay lulutuin na lang natin talaga. How many times have you gone to the grocery, bumili ka ng frozen items, [pero] dahil hindi kasya, mali yung estimate mo sa size ng ref mo, lulutuin na lang. “
"'Kakainin na lang natin ito ngayon.’ And that's not healthy, ha…
"And it is also very costly. Nasisira yung budget mo. Because akala mo, you can store it for next time, [pero] kailangan mo na siya ubusin ngayon.”
Joyce agrees, pointing out that she’s able to save time, effort, and money because she has been going to the supermarket less.
“Nabawasan yung market time ko…Dati, every week, kailangan ko bumili ng gulay and ng foods…Di ba, iba-ibang grocery pa?
“Kapag kailangan ko ng mga pantry stuff, and then pupunta ako sa ibang grocery kapag kailangan ko ng seafood...ng meats and vegetables.
"And I think just being able to store all those things really saves a lot of time and money na rin kasi hindi pabalik-balik.”
TCL's latest offering is sleek and ultra thin. It occupies .54 square meters, which is said to be 21% less than the usual floor areas for side-by-side refrigerators. It also boasts an extra 15L capacity storage space.
Read: Juancho Trivino and Joyce Pring break ground for #CasaTrivinoDreamHome
SPACE-SAVING COMPARTMENTS AND CONVERTIBLE ZONES
Chef Tatung finds the "convertible zone" feature very helpful for his restaurant business.
If he has more vegetables this week, he can easily reorganize the drawers.
Plus, “I can also adjust the temperature, until negative four degrees, ha, kasi yung three drawers ay may three temperature settings. So puwedeng frozen talaga yung sa meat, tapos medyo taasan nang konti yung sa veggies.”
With these compartments, he can easily delegate the task of organizing the ref to his staff.
“Ako talaga, ang philosophy ko, simple. Pinag-aralan ko siya, tinuro ko siya, then iutos ko na lang siya.
“Because it’s organized, madali mo din siya ituro…So because it's already organized, it is visually organized for you. It is easy for you to teach other people to follow your instructions.”
LONGER SHELF LIFE
Refrigerator brands have been investing in innovations, so when choosing one, ensure it has technologies that can retain the freshness of your food.
Some have “sterilization” functions.
Joyce says, “...Two to three weeks, it can last long, fresh, for that matter.
"Before, every week talaga akong bumibili ng fresh fruits and vegetables kasi, after a while, dun sa before kong refrigerator, madali siya masira, di ba, and I'm sure alam naman na-experience natin lahat iyan…
“Kakaluto lang kahapon yung binili namin two weeks ago, it's still fresh, I'm still able to use it, it was perfect.”
Some have “pure air” technology.
The host-content creator continues, “Odorless siya, di ba, kasi hindi ko maiiwasan, di ba, minsan kapag seafood yung binibili mo or kung ano man iyan, mangangamoy talaga siya.
“And yun yung lagi kong problema before with my freezer, but this time around, hindi na siya problema for us because of that technology.”
The chef adds that refrigerators should help cooks and homemakers avoid wastage and spoilage.
“Iwas waste. Iyan talaga for me, wasting food is also immoral. Considering the food supply, how difficult it is for the farmers and all that… And it's very important that tayo in our homes and even in our businesses, we are very responsible in using food resources.”
It also pays to know how you can properly store your food.
The chef gives a tip on packing greens so they stay crispy and fresh for two weeks, “For me, you have to wash it properly, dry it, and just put it in plastic bags na airtight.”
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
Lastly, it’s important for Joyce “na hindi siya maaksaya sa kuryente.”
She says, “Di ba, aminin natin kahit gaano kaganda yung refrigerator mo kung mamumulubi ka naman sa laki ng Meralco [bill] niyo, na huwag na lang.
Go for “the quality, the beautiful design, the innovative features, while, at the same time, yung energy consumption niya is so good that you don't have to worry about it.”
Pagtitipid is indeed a major consideration. And it’s not just the money. Think of how your refrigerator can also save you time and effort.
