only Seeking42

Tips and Techniques [1401.05]

4-Egg Carton

Here is a method I use to keep track of how many eggs I have in the refrigerator, using an egg carton that I've cut down to hold 4 eggs. While some might call this a "life hack", I prefer the Japanese term "urawaza".

Without this urawaza, if I were to look in my refrigerator and see this:

all I would know is I have 1 to 12 eggs.

Now I save an old egg carton cut down to hold 4 eggs:

When a carton of eggs gets down to less than 5 eggs, I move them into the 4-egg carton, filling from the front. Then a glance in the refrigerator tells me I have:
5 to 12 eggs
2 to 4 eggs
1 egg
no eggs

Usually it's the act of moving the 4 or less eggs to the 4-egg carton that triggers me to put "eggs" on my shopping list. But the carton is a good visual indicator as well.

What made me think up this urawaza in the first place has more to do with compact storage. Since my refrigerator shelf is 19" deep, I can keep a full carton of eggs behind the 4-egg carton. I used to move any extra eggs to a bowl, but the 4-egg carton better protects the eggs, is just the right physical size, and is always ready to go (when empty I keep it on the shelf it behind the full-size carton).

If you wish to comment on this post, see the companion blogspot entry.


only Seeking42
Copyright 2013-2014 by Jean Kodama. All rights reserved.