Into the Fridge 😔

Isaac Hindin-Miller on the power of cumin and seeing people who get it

Jun 24, 2026

Isaac Hindin-Miller 😔

Isaac Hindin-Miller is a former writer who became a DJ who became a guy who asks people whaaaaat is the best neighborhood/restaurant/cafe/clothing store in NYC, LA, Tokyo, Paris, Milan, Shanghai, Lagos, Copenhagen, etc. He recently returned to writing—this time personal essays—via his Substack. He was born and raised in New Zealand, and became an American citizen in 2024(!). Isaac is a real delight, as you’ll soon see when he takes us on a… journey… here today.

*This is how my fridge used to look when I had a personal cook for about 3 months. It was amazing but ultimately ended when I started traveling for work.*

What is your fridge philosophy?

Buy the same things over and over and over again.

Your fridge is always always always stocked with ____.

Natural unsweetened Greek yogurt, eggs, mini cucumbers and mini carrots that usually go uneaten, and ground beef and chicken thighs.

Current fridge. Fascinated by the choice to store rice crackers here instead of the cupboard. My hypothesis is that it prevents staleness.

Top 5 condiment picks, go.

1. Manuka honey.

2. Ketchup, but I never have it in the house.

3. and 4. Tabasco sauce, red and green. The green is my favorite at breakfast with scrambled eggs.

5. Is coffee a condiment? If not, peanut butter which also goes uneaten.

This rusty white fridge is my fridge from my old apartment. I couldn’t figure out why it was going brown, and I called my super and he was like, “You’re cleaning it with a bleach based cleaner aren’t you?” and he was right.

Fine, I’ll open it up to pantry too. Let’s hear your favorite snacks / pantry staples:

Rice crackers. Coffee beans, which I grind and make in the Moka on the stovetop. Right now I love the Alphabet City blend beans by Ninth Street Espresso. Paprika. Fresh loaves of sourdough from C&B. Yellow mangoes. Avocados. Blueberries and raspberries (for the Greek yogurt). Oh and cumin, I love cumin.

A meal that’s on heavy rotation these days:

I saw a guy make chicken skewers in the air fryer on Instagram and I’ve been doing it everyday. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, marinate it in greek yogurt, salt, pepper, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, rosemary, paprika, and some chili powder and then cook it in the air fryer for 12 mins on 400. Comes out perfect every time.

But realistically most of the time I make ground beef with salt, pepper, cumin, chipotle chili powder, and paprika, and eat it in a bowl with half an avocado and some rice crackers and some cottage cheese if I have it.

keeping it vegan when his fiancée is in town

Let’s go a little deeper…

What’s the mantra you keep coming back to?

Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end. And stop worrying so much!!! And I LIKE YOU!

What products / practices are part of your regular mental wellness habits?

Lots of therapy, trying (quite unsuccessfully) to meditate (but trying). Getting out of the house as often as possible. Red light mask. Korean face masks. Never leaving the house without sunscreen! Riding a silver Citi Bike over the Williamsburg bridge as often as humanly possible.

business class is an investment in one’s health

And your physical?

I try to workout 2-5 times a week at S10 and Avea Pilates.

What do think is the most underrated part of wellness?

Saying nice things to ourselves. I believe that whatever we focus on becomes our reality so more important than what happens on the outside is how we talk and think on the inside. SO! if we are speaking to ourselves nicely and thinking about ourselves positively then that’s ultimate wellness. But it’s easier to market a cream or pill or mask or product so it’s the most underrated part of wellness.

And overrated?

Self knowledge. I don’t think all the stats and counting protein grams etc. is that helpful because it just makes us obsess about ourselves even more than we already are and constantly gives us an impossible to maintain goal that if we fail we have a reason to feel like shit, which leads me back to saying nice things to ourselves being the most underrated part of wellness.

Picture this: you wake up one morning and feel like shit. What’s your next move:

Get out of the house. Go see people who get it. Workout. Do something fun like ride a bike over the Williamsburg bridge or go to the movies. Try not to drown in a whirlpool of self pity. Smile—it literally releases endorphins!!!

Give us your ride or die wellness products:

My number one of all time was the green Shangpree under eye masks. I wore them every day for years but they discontinued them. Burt’s Bees lip balm all day every day. EltaMD sunscreen and moisturizer. Gran’s Remedy foot powder! Fatboy Hair products.

One thing you do everyday that makes you the most YOU version of yourself:

My hair.

Whose taste inspires you?!

Arman Nafeei.

Eating steak out a bag in Joshua Tree. Nice.

I have interior design questions for someone here

Big thank you to Isaac for sharing not only his current fridge—but his fridge history—with us all. You can follow him on Instagram and read his writing over on his Substack. Find his fridge favorites + more here.

Feel free to leave a comment or respond to this email with questions you want asked, people you want featured, or anything else that’s on your mind. Don’t be shy, I love hearing from you.