Transparent fridge

Out of sight out of mind, as they say. You’re in the kitchen or walk past it, and the fridge is just this big white opaque box. You don’t see the food - only when you open the door. And even then, items can be hidden behind other items. But if the fridge was transparent, you could walking past, or in the kitchen and happen to see the fridge contents. You’d be more aware of the food being there.

I always end up wasting food because I don't see it and then forget about it. A transparent fridge might help me waste less (especially if I also stored things in transparent containers). And I think there’d be something slightly less artificial about your life if the food you’ve brought home and stored away wasn’t so out of sight.

On the downside, food would be exposed to more light, and there's a question of if you could make one that is as well insulated. With the food more visible, it could also tempt you more to snack. I'm not sure if you'd get condensation fogging up the surface, but if there was it could ruin the transparency. Also, if you didn't keep the fridge tidy, it could be messy - but then again, perhaps that would be a motivation to keep it tidy.

Here's a pic of transparent fridge from some sort of Japanese trade show (see the article accompanying the pic). I don't know if it's something that is actually sold or not.

Here's a suggestion for a transparent fridge from back in 2006. As they point out, it might also help save power, if you didn't have to open the fridge door to see what was inside.