On the infinitesimal chance that some higher-up at a major appliance company stops by this blog (or an entrepreneur looking for a disruptive opportunity), this note is tied to a previous post in which I mentioned the inadequacy of current home refrigerator designs for vegetarian/vegan eaters. I have notes in my files on this going back several years in which I described a refrigerator that would be made up mostly of bins that store fresh food with the proper humidity/temp/air-circulation requirements.
The picture below is what my refrigerator looks like now (usually I have more bins crammed in than this), using air-tight plastic storage bins to keep produce fresh. (I bought these originally at Wal-Mart and have had to repair the tops with duct tape. They crack over time because of pushing down on them to force air out of the bins before sealing. Last time I looked, I could find no air-tight bins among the myriad for sale at Wal-Mart, so I need to keep looking for replacements.)
It would be nicer if these bins were built into the refrigerator instead of having to create them artificially. I'd like to open the refrigerator door and instead of two small produce bins at the bottom of the 'fridge I would see 6-8 large, fresh-produce bins taking up most of the interior space, the majority of them for fresh veggies, the minority for fruit, reflecting the veggie:fruit proportions in a healthy diet. (They are designated as veg or fruit because of different air/temp fresh-keeping requirements.) Only a small amount of space (door shelves, etc.) would be reserved for processed food ("packages with bar codes"). Even a smaller freezer unit (allowing more space for produce) would be okay since, again, most vegan/veggie eaters don't freeze that much food.
I think this is a market niche product just waiting to happen given the transition of eating habits in the U.S. to healthier, fresher foods. Anybody have a creative thought on this? A better idea? Leave a comment or email me your thoughts and I'll post them.
The picture below is what my refrigerator looks like now (usually I have more bins crammed in than this), using air-tight plastic storage bins to keep produce fresh. (I bought these originally at Wal-Mart and have had to repair the tops with duct tape. They crack over time because of pushing down on them to force air out of the bins before sealing. Last time I looked, I could find no air-tight bins among the myriad for sale at Wal-Mart, so I need to keep looking for replacements.)
It would be nicer if these bins were built into the refrigerator instead of having to create them artificially. I'd like to open the refrigerator door and instead of two small produce bins at the bottom of the 'fridge I would see 6-8 large, fresh-produce bins taking up most of the interior space, the majority of them for fresh veggies, the minority for fruit, reflecting the veggie:fruit proportions in a healthy diet. (They are designated as veg or fruit because of different air/temp fresh-keeping requirements.) Only a small amount of space (door shelves, etc.) would be reserved for processed food ("packages with bar codes"). Even a smaller freezer unit (allowing more space for produce) would be okay since, again, most vegan/veggie eaters don't freeze that much food.
I think this is a market niche product just waiting to happen given the transition of eating habits in the U.S. to healthier, fresher foods. Anybody have a creative thought on this? A better idea? Leave a comment or email me your thoughts and I'll post them.
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Good mornin'...
ReplyDeleteLooking at your refrigerator, I have a thought. Does your bottom shelf, holding the two thermo controlled bins, attach to the tracks on the back of your refrigerator? If so, could you remove the other shelves, replacing them with a couple additional shelves with bins, from the manufacturer?
My thoughts (smile)...P.
I'd get a subz pro48
ReplyDeleteSub-Zero PRO 48