# Does a crisper actually DO anything? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 29, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214 "2009-03-29T20:23:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/1 "2009-03-29T20:23:56Z")
Especially the older ones, which didn’t have separate humidity controls etc. Seems to me it’s just a drawer (or two) in your fridge into which to put your fruits and veggies, if you want. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/2 "2009-03-29T21:03:49Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > **Does a crisper actually DO anything?** That’s the beauty of it … ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/3 "2009-03-29T21:34:32Z")
The crisper keeps my fruits and veggies organized, if I want. ---
**Author:** ![Batfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Batfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batfish)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/4 "2009-03-29T23:04:51Z")
The crisper encloses the moist fruits and vegetables and protects them to some degree from the dehydrating effect of the refrigerated air. But you probably knew that, your real question is… Really? And how much? I propose an experiment. Place a cup with a small amount of water in the crisper and another with the identical amount on the top shelf. Observe, see which evaporates first. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/5 "2009-03-29T23:12:49Z")
It provides a fantastic place to forget about your fruits and veggies until you have to throw them out. Particularly leafy greens. I keep beer in mine, because I won’t forget that I have beer. I’ll forget that I have, say, kale. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/6 "2009-03-29T23:53:26Z")
> [@Batfish](#): > > The crisper encloses the moist fruits and vegetables and protects them to some degree from the dehydrating effect of the refrigerated air. So does the plastic bag they came in. ETA: Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/7 "2009-03-30T04:53:04Z")
I found in a regular refridgerator the crisper had no effect, but when I had a frost free refridgerator (they kind where you don’t have to defrost the freezer part) it made a huge difference. In those kinds of refridgerator if you put the veggies anywhere else it ruined them. I’m probably way dating myself, I mean are there any refridgerators left where you have to defrost them? Except my current ancient one. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/8 "2009-03-30T04:53:36Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > That’s the beauty of it … You know, I’ve often wondered exactly where that quote comes from. Someone should start a thread about it. ---
**Author:** ![Bluffcityguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bluffcityguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluffcityguy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/9 "2009-03-30T10:44:14Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > It provides a fantastic place to forget about your fruits and veggies until you have to throw them out. Particularly leafy greens. > > I keep beer in mine, because I won’t forget that I have beer. I’ll forget that I have, say, kale. I keep beer or other bottled drinks (most often diet green tea) in mine. Mostly because I’m single and living alone, and so I don’t tend to buy a lot of fruits and veggies (certainly not enough to bother with the crisper), and those bottles tend to take up a lot of space in the fridge. One crisper drawer (I have two, side by side) doesn’t get used at all, because the placement of my fridge in my kitchen is such that the door bangs up against the wall such that it won’t open far enough to get the left hand side crisper open far enough to use it. _grrrr_ Cheers, bcg ---
**Author:** ![Batfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Batfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batfish)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/10 "2009-03-30T11:26:55Z")
> [@Bluffcityguy](#): > > I keep beer or other bottled drinks (most often diet green tea) in mine. Mostly because I’m single and living alone, Well, also a bachelor, and the right one has beer-brewing ingredients in it. However I do usually have fruit at least in the other. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/11 "2009-03-30T13:05:23Z")
It works good at containing the water that runs off the vegetables. The loose produce doesn’t roll off the shelf and drop on the floor every time I open the refrigerator either. Fruits do last better out of the path of the air circulation too. I could use more pull out drawers in a refrigerator, particularly for meat, so it doesn’t leak all over the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/12 "2009-03-30T13:19:25Z")
Well, I lie, I put beer in one drawer and, um, raw cat food and the ingredients thereof in another one, because although it’s all perfectly human-edible do you really want to see that when you’re reaching in to get something to eat? Do you want it touching your food? I don’t care, but it freaks my boyfriend out. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/13 "2009-03-30T13:21:45Z")
> [@ianzin](#): > > You know, I’ve often wondered exactly where that quote comes from. Someone should start a thread about it. You’re evil. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/14 "2009-03-30T13:29:18Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I’m probably way dating myself, I mean are there any refridgerators left where you have to defrost them? Except my current ancient one. Mini-fridges which have a freezer compartment inside the regular refrigerator compartment need to be defrosted still. IIRC, our last fridge in England (bought in about 1994) needed to be defrosted too. IME, the only use for the crisper drawers is to contain the mess when your vegetables turn into green slime after being forgotten for three months. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/15 "2009-03-30T16:48:49Z")
I asked about this [topic](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=487271) a while back. ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-crisper-actually-do-anything/491214/16 "2009-03-30T18:51:05Z")
Does it help anything that the drawers are usually located at the bottom of the fridge?