# When you see something nasty in the fridge, do you smell it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 16, 2010, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399 "2010-08-16T09:48:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/1 "2010-08-16T09:48:45Z")
I see this on TV and in movies all the time. I have mold allergy, so anything that looks fuzzy or green I keep at arms’ length or use a napkin. How often do you smell something to see if it went bad? Or, if it visually looks bad, do you still smell it anyway? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19adc/32.png) [@I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Am_The_Lorax)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/2 "2010-08-16T12:20:05Z")
When in doubt, throw it out. If it looks nasty, it probably is, and I chuck it. If it looks fine, like, “This yogurt’s been here a while but it looks ok”, I’ll sniff it. If still not sure, I let hubby taste it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/3 "2010-08-16T13:57:33Z")
No, but I saw something nasty in the woodshed once, and it’s affected me ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/4 "2010-08-16T14:19:15Z")
God, no. I’m hoping none accidentally wafts my way while I’m running with the stuff to the toilet or outside trash (depending on size, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/5 "2010-08-16T14:27:31Z")
Hee, I love that book! No, god no. Why would you smell it? It’s like how when people say “Smell this!” it’s never a nice smell. ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/6 "2010-08-16T14:42:47Z")
Absolutely not. In fact, I’ve thrown away more than one piece of cheap plastic container that had old forgotten leftovers in it. I didn’t want to take the risk on smelling it while dumping it down the disposal, much easier to toss the whole thing. It’s also why I won’t buy expensive storage containers 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/7 "2010-08-16T14:49:59Z")
After seeing my brother’s reaction to smelling something that had been sitting for God knows how long in the back of my recently-departed mother’s fridge, there is no way I would consider sniffing any unknowns I stumbled across. But then again, I clean my fridge out every week like clockwork. Nothing stays in there more than seven days, and if it hasn’t been eaten by then, it’s gone. To further prevent this from occurring, I try to ensure that there are never any leftovers of anything that is cooked. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/8 "2010-08-16T16:29:48Z")
As far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason to get confirmation by smell that something has gone bad when it’s obvious on sight that it has. There are some things that are a little stinky that I sometimes find mildly pleasant or even satisfying - my son after he’s been sleeping comes to mind (he has that salty, slightly sour little boy smell) - but old food isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/9 "2010-08-16T16:38:29Z")
Depends on just what kind of nasty we’re talking about. Anything that’s fuzzy and not a fresh peach get chucked automatically. Just yesterday though I had a jug of milk that was a couple of days past its expiration. I held it up and it looked like it had separated somewhat so I gave it a sniff and then a sip. Not the best but good enough for the brownies I was making. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/10 "2010-08-16T16:48:45Z")
That’s true, I’ll sniff milk if it’s around the “best by” date. Definitely wouldn’t sniff anything obviously… wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/11 "2010-08-17T08:42:00Z")
Ferret Herder has it. I will sniff milk to double-check it, because the smell of mildly sour milk isn’t exactly gut-wrenching…but nothing else. I’m a bit paranoid about food that way anyway; I won’t eat a lot of things that are probably OK, just on the very slight chance that they aren’t. (Condiments sitting out all day at a BBQ? Unless it’s ketchup or mustard, not gonna go there.) And any leftover in the fridge that’s more than 3 days old is Mr. Levins’ property by default. He knows I won’t go near it ever again. He has the stomach of a goat. I do not. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-see-something-nasty-in-the-fridge-do-you-smell-it/550399/12 "2010-08-18T19:07:45Z")
My husband does that. I’m a firm believer in tossing it. I’ll just toss it if it looks nasty. My husband, on the other hand, insists on the sniff test… unless it’s really visibly nasty. Maybe I’ll give milk a sniff or bread that night be a little stale if I’m unsure. But I tend not to sniff… eewww…