Organize Your Refrigerator for a Healthier, Happier Life—With 100 Recipes
December 6, 2021
“My goal for you is that... you’ll turn your fridge into your most powerful tool for your health,” writes Hello Nutritarian blogger Hong in a debut that’s packed with plenty of insights but little flavor. After delving into her weight-loss story—she overhauled her fridge with “whole, natural foods” and lost 21 pounds in six weeks—Hong provides an extensive guide to storing fresh produce (whole bell peppers, for example, can be stored five to seven days in the crisper drawer) and where certain foods should be placed in a fridge (doors are warmer in freezer-top models, so she suggests storing less vulnerable foods, such as store-bought condiments, there). The book includes recommendations on items to store in mini fridges (such as precut veggies and long-shelf-life greens) and a fridge-cleaning schedule (Hong suggests a quick wipe-down once a week), leaving no fridge space unused and no veggie spoiled. Hong’s mishmash of vegan recipes, however, lacks the same level of zeal. While she offers some appetizing choices—like garden veggie minestrone soup—they aren’t enough to redeem such underwhelming fare as un-fried rice and rainbow collard wraps. The refrigeration advice is indispensable, but there are better resources for vegan recipes. Agent: Michele Crim, Miller Bowers Griffin Literary.
February 15, 2022
A human in love with an inanimate object? That could happen in real life if readers follow Hong's advice for getting the most out of the average American refrigerator, food-wise, efficiency-wise, and health-wise. Hong, a blogger and Instagrammer (@hellonutritarian), presents a concept born from self-realization after years of dining on processed and fast foods. Even if the book's 100 dishes (which are primarily plant based, like simple rainbow hummus salad, smoothies, overnight oats, cozy corn chowder, and easy potato dal curry) don't appear to be novel, there are wise, frequently ecological principles to follow in reorganizing readers' fridges--and eating habits. Hong provides tips tailored to demographic segments--singles, young couples, families with different-age kids, empty nesters, and retired couples--as well as detailed info about fresh foodstuffs from apples to zucchini, with notes on types, shopping, washing, optimal storage, and making them last, among other tips. Both a collection of green recipes and an appreciation for the coolest metal box in the kitchen.
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