No refrigeration in the UK?? What is different??

We have a large-ish fridge... probably around 5 and a half feet high and 2 feet wide... but it's always nearly empty.  My other half doesn't like eating leftovers, and doesn't like to plan meals ahead.  He likes to shop daily for what he fancies at the time, and wouldn't dream of eating something he didn't fancy just because it was already bought and paid for.

We've got to do it his way, because he pays for it all!    After 4 years, I've got used to it, but would still prefer to do it 'my way'... planning ahead, shopping with a list, creating miracles out of leftovers, etc.

This is us EXACTLY!!! He stops at the shop every day on the way home from work, without fail, even though I've planned a perfectly good meal. It's so frustrating.

And (to the OP) you'll find generally that the items you buy at the market come in smaller packaging, or rather packaging that is perfectly formed for a smaller refrigerator (i.e. milk containers are narrower to fit into the door of the fridge), so I wouldn't worry too much about fitting your leftovers in too  .

I really like having a smaller fridge. It cuts down on food waste and saves a bit on the energy bills. Plus I've learned a lot about cooking with fresh ingredients due to some tiny freezers! I'm back in the US at the moment and we have a 17 cubic ft fridge which is pretty small for US standards and have serious trouble filling it as we only buy what we need.

We have a large-ish fridge... probably around 5 and a half feet high and 2 feet wide... but it's always nearly empty.  My other half doesn't like eating leftovers, and doesn't like to plan meals ahead.  He likes to shop daily for what he fancies at the time, and wouldn't dream of eating something he didn't fancy just because it was already bought and paid for.

We've got to do it his way, because he pays for it all!    After 4 years, I've got used to it, but would still prefer to do it 'my way'... planning ahead, shopping with a list, creating miracles out of leftovers, etc.

(Just looked, and fridge contains only milk, condiments, cheese, garlic dip, 2 eggs, a jug of made-up Ribena and a few bottles of beer! Oh, and a Lush fresh face mask.)

I fear that is what is going to happen to me! lol. My fiance says he eats whatever fancies or in the mood for at the time so he will want something fresh from the store daily.  I am like you. I like to plan, shop with a list, and at times, create something out of leftovers.  lol.  But he will be paying for the food too so whatever he wants we will have.  lol. 

When I moved to the UK, I was initially quite wary of leaving leftovers and eggs out.  But DH always did it (and reasoned that loads of people in the UK do it and they're not dropping dead left and right), so I started doing it as well.  It's been fine, I've not suffered any ill health effects from it, and I don't even think of it anymore.

Obviously, it depends on what the leftover is and how long you're going to leave it, but I'm totally converted now to leaving more things out.

That's me, too. My husband leaves everything out, and has no qualms about eating something that's been sitting out for a couple of days. I'm still quite wary of it, but leftovers are usually kept for his dinner at work the next day, and I just have a fresh sandwich since I work at home. So I don't have to eat it, and it doesn't seem to negatively affect him.

But I do start getting more insistent that he put things away when the weather gets warmer. During the winter, our house is basically one big refrigerator anyway, but if it's warm enough for butter to melt (not just soften), I make him put things in the fridge. It's the rule that has become the compromise.

I worked in a cafe deli (as part of the natural food market I worked at for a loooong time) and cooked dishes had to be either kept HOT or refrigerated.  If the temps weren't right on the heat or the fridge we'd get in big trouble with the health / restaurant inspectors.  All kinds of nasty bacteria will grow if it's not kept hot or cold.  Common sense, really.

Yeah stuff like crumbles and cakes should be alright kept out, but not for more than a day or two.  I'd feel better with them in the fridge.

I have read that fresh vegetables/salad items/fruit carry the biggest risks for food-borne pathogens and such - whether refrigerated or not. 

If we've got leftovers from dinner and they're not cooled by the time we go to bed, we usually leave them in the (off) oven.  When one of us gets up in the middle of the night or in the morning, we put it in the fridge.  We're vegetarian, so don't worry about meat going off and have never had problems.

We've got an average US-size fridge at home (and since we go to the shop every few days it's never too full), but SIL has a huge fridge.  They call it an 'American fridge' but it's utterly massive!  FIL has a typical American-size fridge.  Large fridges are not unheard of but in small flats in big cities, you wouldn't be able to fit an American-style fridge.

If we've got leftovers from dinner and they're not cooled by the time we go to bed, we usually leave them in the (off) oven.  When one of us gets up in the middle of the night or in the morning, we put it in the fridge.  We're vegetarian, so don't worry about meat going off and have never had problems.

I'm veggie too and the cafe / deli I worked at was vegan so there is still a risk.  I will on occasion leave hot leftovers out overnight to cool as putting something hot right into the fridge isn't a good idea.  But never longer than overnight.

If we've got leftovers from dinner and they're not cooled by the time we go to bed, we usually leave them in the (off) oven.  When one of us gets up in the middle of the night or in the morning, we put it in the fridge.  We're vegetarian, so don't worry about meat going off and have never had problems.

We've got an average US-size fridge at home (and since we go to the shop every few days it's never too full), but SIL has a huge fridge.  They call it an 'American fridge' but it's utterly massive!  FIL has a typical American-size fridge.  Large fridges are not unheard of but in small flats in big cities, you wouldn't be able to fit an American-style fridge.

I am not up to par on abbreviations so what does SIL and FIL mean?? lol.  I just figured out DH means Dear Husband.  lol.   

I am not up to par on abbreviations so what does SIL and FIL mean?? lol.  I just figured out DH means Dear Husband.  lol.   

Sister in  law and father in law 

Oh ok! Thank you for the lingo help!   

When I was here for FIL funeral back in 2011 and staying with MIL, I can remember her making a meal with beef mince, onion, and carrots and some broth type liquid. It smelt lovely as it was simmering all day. I figured that was for tea that night...I was wrong. It came off the stove top to sit on the counter top...all night and all the next day till it was reheated that night. I was a little nervous eating it and quietly spoke to hubby about it. He said she's cooked like that since he was young...
I don't tend to leave leftovers out, but mum does and she's healthy as a horse!

That sounds like Mince Pie. And quite frankly, a friend of mine from church who had relatives in the UK, made it one night for a meet at church.  I tasted it and ugh!! It was not good.  I will never have that again! lol.

That sounds like Mince Pie. And quite frankly, a friend of mine from church who had relatives in the UK, made it one night for a meet at church.  I tasted it and ugh!! It was not good.  I will never have that again! lol.

A mince pie is fruit based - apples, sultanas, mixed peel, etc and eaten at Christmas time.  It has beef or vegetable suet in it, but not meat. 

kbeech06, not quite the same as your MIL, but it reminded me that my uncle used to always have something simmering on his stovetop and he'd just add whatever leftover bits and bobs he had from other meals-  he would keep it going for weeks and weeks or even months at a time,  always at a low simmer - he'd have it for lunches or snacks or whatever, but he just kept it going!   He never was sick and it usually smelled ok, but I couldn't ever try it! 

This is us EXACTLY!!! He stops at the shop every day on the way home from work, without fail, even though I've planned a perfectly good meal. It's so frustrating.

Same here! We toddle up to the shops every day to forage.  And he takes ages reading every label and searching for mark-down items. He claims it's because he's retired and what else is there to do 

We have a tiny under-counter size fridge now but used to have a full-size one plus a separate freezer when the kids were growing up. DH's mother never had a fridge. She had a larder off the kitchen with a tiled ("cool") shelf. She kept the window open so it was pretty cold in there in the winter and they didn't have central heating either.  I only worried about it in the summer.