Duskie Estes Reveals The Strangest Item In Her Fridge
What is the weirdest thing in your fridge? Could it be that jar of fruit punch-flavored pickles you bought at Walmart on a whim, or perhaps a jar of Vegemite you were gifted by an Australian frenemy? (No true friend would expect you to eat that nasty stuff). Maybe it's a science experiment moldering in some forgotten corner that might once have been leftover Thai takeout, or perhaps Italian, or ... who knows, since by now it's an unspeakable slime monster that's likely to start stretching out tentacles and sucking other foodstuffs into its horrible maw unless you do some fridge cleaning ASAP.
No matter what horrors may lurk in your own refrigerator, it may make you feel a bit better to know that even celebrity chefs have some strange stuff stashed in their own fridges. Food Network asked a few of their stars to name the most unusual items they're keeping well-chilled, and the answers ranged from dubious condiments (kimchi mayo?) to personal care items (tooth whitener) to just plain gross stuff (mealworms for a fish tank). The one chef you really don't want to mess with, though, is Duskie Estes, since the contents of her fridge are downright scary.
In Duskie Estes' home, it's farm to fridge
When Food Network asked "Guy's Grocery Games" judge, Estes, what might be the oddest of the odds and ends she kept in her fridge, she gave a brief but kind of horrifying reply: "Pig heads or the rooster that John killed because it crowed too early." So, is Estes some kind of barnyard serial killer? Well, she and her husband John Stewart (aka Rooster Slayer) do run Black Pig Meat Co., making bacon and salami from the pigs they raise, and the James Beard Foundation also notes that the couple raises sheep, goats, ducks, and chickens on their three farms in Sonoma County. So yes, we imagine that having various animal parts in the fridge is a regular occurrence in their household — farm to table isn't always pretty, but the end product is pretty tasty.
Although we're not sure what Estes planned for her pig head, should you happen to find yourself in possession of such a thing, Great British Chefs suggests braising it or making it into a terrine. As for the early bird, Our Everyday Life says that rooster meat tends to be tougher than the meat that comes from hens, but it lends itself well to low and slow cooking methods and can actually be very tasty in a coq au vin. If you're as dedicated to "snout-to-tail" eating as Estes is, you'll be sure not to let a single scrap go to waste.