You can’t help it. You’re a curious person. You’ve poked your head into your neighbor’s or friend’s or family member’s refrigerator or pantry and been thoroughly grossed out by what you saw.
Half-spilled boxes of cous-cous, jars of salsa dating back to 1989, sacks of flour with suspicious little nibble marks out of the bottom, Tupperware containers with a greenish inner glow.
(Hey, don’t judge. Sloppy pantries can happen to any of us. Isn’t that a Ziploc baggie packed with freezer-
burned, or more precisely, petrified chocolate chip cookies in the back of your own freezer? What about that leftover box of takeout from Swing Thai which is now, well, moving on its own? And do you really think that the baking soda that you put on the middle shelf of your fridge last April to absorb renegade kitchen odors is still working?)
Here’s your big chance to snitch on those dirty little neighbors and friends of yours … in a good way! With the spring cleaning season approaching faster than a milk-
jug expiration date, we at The Post are on the lookout for the messiest pantry and grossest refrigerator in Colorado: The ultimate candidate for a total pantry and refrigerator makeover.
We’ll pick the most out-of-control pantry and refrigerator for a total organizational makeover. Then we’ll tell the story (and share photos) of Colorado’s once-messiest, now-cleanest kitchen pantry and refrigerator in a before-
and-after Food section feature later this spring, along with more than a few tips for straightening out your own pantry and fridge. Ahem.
Here’s one tip that never gets old: It’s time to change out that baking soda on the middle shelf. It loses its odor-eating effectiveness after a few months.
– Tucker Shaw
The rules
In 150 words or less, tell why your friend or neighbor needs, and deserves, a total pantry makeover. Include your name, address, age, daytime phone number and e-mail address. Also, please include a photo of the pantry or fridge taken within the past three months (photos not returnable). We prefer e-mails with jpgs, sent to kbrowning@denverpost.com, with “Pantry Makeover” in the subject line. Send paper entries to Pantry Makeover, Food Section, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202. All entries must be postmarked or e-mailed by Feb. 10.
