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+--- Thread: Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT (/thread-4123.html)
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Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT - ALEXB - 07-20-2021
I've learned to use "Frozen Bread Dough", in place of "(Blue)Freezer Ice), to keep my RV Freezer Cold.
Basicially, I Fill All Otherwise Empty Space in the freezer with Dough... which acts the same as would the more typical "Ice" most folks use, but with the added advantage that it's "Usable"... eg You can eat it.
The goal being, to Keep the Freezer 100% Full, so as to Minimize Air Space... Results in the freezer "Recovering Faster" (eg Returning to Cold) after the door is open, becuase there is Less Loss of Cold Air that would then need to be replenished.
I make my own dough, either before I depart on a trip, or (if on the road) just set aside a couple hours to make a batch of ~6 Zip Lock Bags Worth; Super Easy and with the win-win of gaining a Colder Freezer/Fridge, and a Great Food Source :-)
Similarly, rather than dough, you can Fill the Freezer with Pre-Made Meals; I use "Brick Sized" aluminum pans that stack efficently... In the pic shown here, this is actually ~60-days(!) worth of meals for 1-person!!! (eg Each brick is 2-3 servings)
RE: Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT - Kyz - 07-20-2021
Premade meals... What a great idea. I would LOVE to start doing that while at campgrounds where clean up is easier.
RE: Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT - rvpopeye - 07-20-2021
There's a song for that ! "RV Dinners"
Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT - Cammalu - 07-20-2021
What kinda of things do you like to cook? What kind of bread? I see the dogs are getting good treats. I’ve been making a lot of dog and catfood myself.
RE: Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT - ALEXB - 07-20-2021
(07-20-2021, 05:21 PM)Cammalu Wrote: What kinda of things do you like to cook? What kind of bread? I see the dogs are getting good treats. I’ve been making a lot of dog and catfood myself.
"What kinda of things do you like to cook?"
> I can cook most anything, however in the RV the kitchen space is of course Limited-in-Size.
I like cooking Breakfast, as generally the RV is cool in the morning and I can live the the resultant heat (from cooking) easier than later in the day:
-Breakfast Potatoes are Fast/Easy (especially if you can par/pre-cook using microwave; to reduce heat in the rv, vs stovetop), then finish for a couple minutes in a pan.
-French Toast: Simple Prep, and short baking time
-Hardboiled Eggs
-Baked Potatoes (easy to make in advance, and store for later)
Dinners: Pre-made Pasta Dishes (since its so easy to cook noodles in Bulk, then stow... especially mixed with sauces; then freeze for later.
Desert: Freezer Pie
"What kind of bread?"
> Bread/Pizza: Easy to make from homemade dough... basically Flour and Water, then add (or not) whatever extra's you like.
--I typicaly make a simple dough for breads, using Bread Flour, Yeast, Water, and Grilled Onions.
--Same for pizza dough, just leave out the onions; easy to freeze (either as raw dough, or even prebaked crusts with/out toppings)
--I use a Pizza Stone in my propane oven, to make it "functional" in terms Even Heating... makes darn good crusts.
"I see the dogs are getting good treats."
> Dogs get all the meat "Trimmings".
> I often boil Liver/Gibblets, then freeze them for Treats... they dance circles to get those :-)
Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT - Cammalu - 07-20-2021
Yes I saw the dog treat label of gizzards!
Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT - Scott7022 - 07-21-2021
Always fill. Yes a full fridge stays colder with stuff. In chest style fridges, not RV specials, water bottles over the top is a great hack. Even if you’re using it as a freezer. Just remember to pour off a couple of inches of water if using it in this fashion. Great tip so many forget. The lonely bottle of vodka living alone is not a happy bottle of vodka. Cost a ton more in energy too.
Always can use water. No such think as too much extra bottled water. Lol.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
RE: Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT - rvpopeye - 07-21-2021
A lot less carbs in the water too.
RE: Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT - GypsyDogs - 07-23-2021
also good uses of space in fridge. water bottles (cold drink?), left overs (don't feel like cooking tomorrow..), I also can keep a couple knee socks with dry beans (excellent cold compress, and shapeable- or drape around neck when weather is hot)
RE: Tip: Keeping Freezer Cold by FILLING-IT - sternwake - 07-23-2021
The volume of cold air which 'spills out' when a fridge or freezer door is open, is a tiny bit of the thermal mass of the objects placed in the freezer.
If one has to rely on a freezer being nearly completely full, so that it can maintain the proper temperatures achieved in the cool of the night before, through the heat of the day with multiple door openings, then they have issues with the insulation of their fridge, or with the ventilation of their condenser/ compressor, or need to realize they should not be keeping the door open for minutes on end while they gather the contents for their next meal.
how much energy does it take to keep 2 Kilograms of food frozen, vs 4KG?
With all factors being equal, 4 KG will take more energy.
Factors are never equal, and multiple door openings of extended duration in the heat of the day, might save some energy, or one could instead just not leave the door wide open while they walk back and forth to the counter.
When a freezer is filled, with little space for air to circulate, it does not magically make the fridge use less energy, or work better, it simply has the effect of slightly less thermal mass escaping with each door opening.
more positive effect can be achieved by opening the door a lesser amount, less often, and leaving it open for lesser duration.
Ultimately 4KG of food consuming 2 cubic foot of space is going to require more energy to keep frozen, than 2KG of food consuming that same amount of space.
My elder sister, last several visits, kept calling her fridge a POS, and every time she was in the kitchen preparing something, the fridge door was wide open half of the time. It made for a nice cold floor, and a fridge whose compressor has to run continuously every time she is near the kitchen, but OMG!!! she can afford the electricity ( but really, she can't) so the fridge is obviously at fault rather than her inability to understand simple physics or is slightly inconvenienced in any way, by having to close the door.
She would always turn the fridge to max cool, and in the morning many of the contents of the fridge would be frozen, and even with this head start, starting with colder overall contents, by the end of the day, post dinner, all that stored cold has hit the floor and the contents closest to door opening had risen to 47f, even though the fridge is set to max cool and the compressor running non stop as soon as she entered the kitchen.
Pointing out the obvious, simply made it all my fault, and kachunk, my whole childhood was put into perspective.
I tried to help the fridge by removing all the dust and lint from fan blades and cooling fins below and behind, but it simply was not designed to cool the whole kitchen , and then not only is the fridge a POS, but It was then also my fault, and the cycle is complete, in her mind anyway.