Before the invention of the refrigerator, foods were stored in low-tech ways to store food. Refrigerators have been widely in use for less than 100 years, and have become the main way that most of us store our food. Many of the foods in the fridge could last as long and even taste better if they were not in the fridge.
Korean designer Jihyun Ryou, has developed a series of storage designs that uses traditional techniques of storing food that she learned from her grandmother and other elderly people in the community. On her site she writes, “We hand over the responsibility of taking care of food to the technology, the refrigerator. We don’t observe the food any more and we don’t understand how to treat it.”
One unit called The Verticality of Root Vegetables is a shelf/container made of Maplewood treated with beeswax, which houses two containers filled with sand. Carrots, green onions, and other root vegetables can be stored easily in a vertical position, which allows the organism to save energy and remain fresh for a longer time. This shelf and sand gives a place for them to stand easily and the sand helps to keep the proper humidity.
Another piece, called the Symbiosis of Potato + Apple is another wooden unit that has a lower space for potatoes, that are kept in the dark, and a space above for apples to be stored. The apples emit ethylene gas, which prevents the potatoes from sprouting.
Other storage units include ways to store spices, ways to store eggs so they can breathe, and ways to store vegetables that will stay fresh longer when at room temperature.
Ryou’s project aims to re-introduce and re-evaluate traditional oral knowledge of food, and to connect us back to the relationships of food that exist. More of her designs, and a book about the project can be seen on her website.
Image Source:
www.savefoodfromthefridge.com
Links:
www.savefoodfromthefridge.com/