251–260 of 384 posts
Nitpick and fun fact: "we avoid opening the fridge and freezer to keep the cold inside." Technically, you cannot keep the cold inside because cold is a word for the absence of warmth (energy), so you're actually trying to keep the warmth outside. Words indicating the absence of something (cold, darkness, ...) are called privatives. h/t Terry Pratchett
The location of the freezer or refrigerator is critical. If you live in a house that has a typical unfinished basement, don't overlook the advantage it offers. With one simple change, you can noticeably lower your electric bill, reduce your carbon footprint, gain extra kitchen space and improve your health. Just move your refrigerator to the basement. Since the basement is normally cooler than the upstairs, the refri…
Sounds like a good idea in theory, in practice though, nowadays very few people have a house with a basement like that anymore, unfortunately. I don't get it myself to be honest, it's more efficient use of the ground surface area a house occupies. I'd go with a chest freezer in the basement and a small fridge in the kitchen for frequently used / quick access stuff (milk, tonight's dinner ingredients).
But that's more or less what I do. I have a (not small) fridge in the kitchen and an upright freezer in the basement. (I find chest freezers can become something of a black hole.)
When I had a 48-hour power outage recently, the freezer upstairs was pretty much defrosted--which was mostly fine because I didn't have perishable meat/fish up there. But the freezer downstairs was fine. (Made a point of keeping it buttoned up the whole time.)
Hi. Actualexperience here... it depends on the ambient temperature and how much stuff is in said freezer. So heres a data point: Freezer: normal upper level refrigerator freezer chock full of frozen fish caught on holiday in Alaska. Place, Time: Houston, TX, Late Summer, Hurricane Igor just hit and knocked our power out for 14 days. Findings: We kept the freezer shut and at about 4-5 days the fish was noticeably thaw…
A simple way to detect power failure induced thawing in a freezer is to store a paper cup about half full of frozen water in the freezer. By keeping a coin on top of the ice it’s easy to see with a quick glance if the temperature has risen for an extended period of time (possibly due to a temporary power failure or the door not being fully closed).
A simple way to detect power failure induced thawing in a freezer is to store a paper cup about half full of frozen water in the freezer. By keeping a coin on top of the ice it’s easy to see with a quick glance if the temperature has risen for an extended period of time (possibly due to a temporary power failure or the door not being fully closed).
This "trick" should not be used in place of proper temperature monitoring
I bought and filled a chest freezer in pandemic preparations. Cost of the chest freezer: CAD 1,000 Cost to completely fill the freezer with good food: CAD 2,700 Given that, during a pandemic or a winter storm in Canada, a power failure can be a prolonged event... Cost of a good gas powered generator to keep the freezer viable beyond a day: CAD 1,000. This article seems to validate the generator purchase.
Problem is, freezers typically run 40% of the time. If you let it get up to -10C, the duty cycle will be a fair bit lower, but still quite high, while only drawing about 100 watts. But that's a lot of money to spend protecting food hoarding. Dry goods would be better for emergency cases.
The generator is insurance, not a lifeboat.
Hi. Actualexperience here... it depends on the ambient temperature and how much stuff is in said freezer. So heres a data point: Freezer: normal upper level refrigerator freezer chock full of frozen fish caught on holiday in Alaska. Place, Time: Houston, TX, Late Summer, Hurricane Igor just hit and knocked our power out for 14 days. Findings: We kept the freezer shut and at about 4-5 days the fish was noticeably thaw…
Ice cubes always taste funny if used without good ice forms, absorbing the fridge odors. Use the ones with silicone cover. Not a hint of the freezer in the made ice.
The location of the freezer or refrigerator is critical. If you live in a house that has a typical unfinished basement, don't overlook the advantage it offers. With one simple change, you can noticeably lower your electric bill, reduce your carbon footprint, gain extra kitchen space and improve your health. Just move your refrigerator to the basement. Since the basement is normally cooler than the upstairs, the refri…
Sounds like a good idea in theory, in practice though, nowadays very few people have a house with a basement like that anymore, unfortunately. I don't get it myself to be honest, it's more efficient use of the ground surface area a house occupies. I'd go with a chest freezer in the basement and a small fridge in the kitchen for frequently used / quick access stuff (milk, tonight's dinner ingredients).
It depends on where you live, and the type of ground underneath you. Where I live, everyone has a basement.