The Nonperishable Agenda

Free your fridge

I’ve been playing with this constrained optimization problem on-and-off:

You’ve arrived at a new location for 2-30 days. Most of your meals will be out-and-about—at the office, at events—but occasionally, (e.g. at weekends), you’re on your own. You’re in a cheap rental; your kitchen is shared with others; it’s ambiguously equipped, and the fridge smells awful. I wouldn’t count on tools coming out of the drawers clean.

Today, I’d like to introduce my solution: The Nonperishable Agenda.

The Nonperishable Agenda:

The decision to stock only frozen / shelf-stable food.

Why?

• Perishable food items (bread, tomatoes, refrigerated leafy greens…) spoil too quickly when you’re just one person with an unpredictable schedule.

• Communal fridges are often bad places (though I stand by The Nonperishable Agenda independent of that, and think communal fridges are bad places largely because they stock perishable food).

My current stack:

All available from Whole Foods / Amazon Prime. Fully parallelizable.

Example Meal:

• Butternut squash ravioli, oysters, & kale (bivalvegan!). $7.58

• Gnocchi, tomato sauce, green veg, & chickpeas (vegan!). $8.77

You could add cheese, but that would be perishable, so I don’t.

FAQ:

1. Isn’t this boring?

No.

2. Is it scalable?

Yes—allows one-pot cooking for 10+ guests.

3. What about takeout / delivery?

   • Takes much longer (30+ mins rather than <10 mins)

   • Significantly more expensive

   • Less customizable (in some ways)

   • Unhealthy (esp. in smaller towns)

4. What about breakfast?

I don’t always eat breakfast, but when I do, I eat a Mealsquare.

Helpful Equipment:

• One large metal pot (for boiling water)

• One wide pan (for heating frozen vegetables, pan-searing salmon, sautéing chickpeas)

• Olive oil. Salt + herbs (optional)

• Metal colander (for draining hot water)

• Scissors (for opening packets)

• Can opener (for opening chickpea cans)