EcoRenovator - View Single Post - How cold should a refrigerator/freezer be?

AC_Hacker · 07-23-12, 02:08 PM

The way many people think about refrigeration is kind of curious... It's almost like it's a magic box that prevents bad things from happening to food. But it just slows down bad things from happening. In fact, some foods suffer from refrigeration. In France, putting good cheese in a refrig is considered a bad idea. Also, certain produce, like melons for instance, don't taste as good after refrigeration.

But back to the question, I tried experimenting with various refrig settings, and found that food like meat & dairy does degrade somewhat faster in a warmer refrig, but the vegetables were just fine. The real problem I encountered was that ants were able to survive at temps a little above 45F, and for me, they were a worse problem than spoilage.

So, I run my refrig at 40F now... it is an ant-free zone.

My freezer (which is down cellar), I keep at 0F. I put a kill-a-watt on it and it consumes about $26 per year, so I'm not very motivated to try to beat that.

* * *

Additionally, I have drastically down-sized my refrigerator. I now use a refrigerator that is 19" wide x 32" high x 18" deep. At first, I was in a panic, because I had to completely rethink how I use a refrigerator. But by being careful how I stack things in the little refrig, and by tossing things that are no longer good, and by being selective what I refrigerate, and by putting things in my separate freezer that should be in the freezer, things are working out very well. The only thing I would change would be to select an Energy Star 'all refrigerator' (that's the trade term for a refrigerator with no freezer), as the freezer compartment in the little fridge is pretty much worthless... an all refrigerator would allow me to have more useful room.

I got the idea of the tiny refrig by watching some BBC TV shows and I saw that families of two adults and three children were able to get by just fine with a tiny refrig... now I am, too.

I actually went shopping recently for a larger refrig, and was put off by the huge amount of space that they occupy. I think I have been forever changed.

-AC

07-23-12, 02:08 PM	#3
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	The way many people think about refrigeration is kind of curious... It's almost like it's a magic box that prevents bad things from happening to food. But it just slows down bad things from happening. In fact, some foods suffer from refrigeration. In France, putting good cheese in a refrig is considered a bad idea. Also, certain produce, like melons for instance, don't taste as good after refrigeration. But back to the question, I tried experimenting with various refrig settings, and found that food like meat & dairy does degrade somewhat faster in a warmer refrig, but the vegetables were just fine. The real problem I encountered was that ants were able to survive at temps a little above 45F, and for me, they were a worse problem than spoilage. So, I run my refrig at 40F now... it is an ant-free zone. My freezer (which is down cellar), I keep at 0F. I put a kill-a-watt on it and it consumes about $26 per year, so I'm not very motivated to try to beat that. * * * Additionally, I have drastically down-sized my refrigerator. I now use a refrigerator that is 19" wide x 32" high x 18" deep. At first, I was in a panic, because I had to completely rethink how I use a refrigerator. But by being careful how I stack things in the little refrig, and by tossing things that are no longer good, and by being selective what I refrigerate, and by putting things in my separate freezer that should be in the freezer, things are working out very well. The only thing I would change would be to select an Energy Star 'all refrigerator' (that's the trade term for a refrigerator with no freezer), as the freezer compartment in the little fridge is pretty much worthless... an all refrigerator would allow me to have more useful room. I got the idea of the tiny refrig by watching some BBC TV shows and I saw that families of two adults and three children were able to get by just fine with a tiny refrig... now I am, too. I actually went shopping recently for a larger refrig, and was put off by the huge amount of space that they occupy. I think I have been forever changed. -AC __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker...