The Great Freezer Clean: 2019

[Kerry Beal]

It's cold - really, really cold - today. And my garage is not heated. 

 

I've been thinking for a while that it's time the upright got cleaned again. Going down the rabbit hole - I discovered the reason it needs a clean is that the last time it was done was 2010 - report here.

 

Hubby looked at all the ice buildup in there and suggested perhaps we needed a new freezer but when I explained that 2010 was the last time it was defrosted he decided we could keep it!

 

In 2010 I did it a shelf at a time and tried to make use of what I found - this time I decided it was all or nothing - and in about 4 hours I had it all clean. And I had a sink full of chunks of ice, one hair dryer that had taken a bath in the melt and 6 towels in need of a good wash.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

 

Part of my motivation for the freezer needing a clean - I have 4 trays of fruit waiting to freeze dry and the freeze dryer is out of commission for the moment. I was having trouble perching the trays in spots on the ice in the freezer!

 

 

 

The freezer contents in the really, really cold garage.

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

 

A very stubborn box of Boiron Apricot puree and a liter of whipping cream refused to come out without much coaxing.  

 

 

Couple of 3/4 sheet pans inside with a plastic container, a full sheet pan under the door and 3 of the towels on the floor. As soon as the towels got soaked - they went into the washer spin cycle and dryer ones replaced them. 

 

A heat gun got involved too. 

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

The freezer is now cooling - and later this evening I'm going to go through everything and bin what needs binning and return what needs returning.

 

I had one package containing a half rack of beef ribs that ripped open when I was extricating it from the ice - so it was re vac packed and is in the sous vide now for a couple of days. 

 

 

Oh yeah - and two boneless, skinless chicken breasts bathed with it for a couple of hours. Should be a nice accompaniment to the caesar salad I hope to make shortly. 

Edited January 21, 2019 by Kerry Beal (log)

[ElsieD]

Quite the freezer, @Kerry Beal.  Maybe it's time to trade it in for a frost free?

 

I pulled out some pork tenderloin (Nov. 9, 2017😳) and made nasi goring.  The little bottles contain ketjup manis.

Edited January 22, 2019 by ElsieD (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I wish my freezer were frost free.

 

[Smithy]

Impressive job, Kerry.

 

I do like taking advantage of very, very cold weather to store frozen foods while a freezer cleanout is under way.

[Kerry Beal]

For some reason I'm under the impression that frost free is not a good choice for a chest freezer. Not sure where I got that idea though.

[Smithy]

3 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

For some reason I'm under the impression that frost free is not a good choice for a chest freezer. Not sure where I got that idea though.

 

I've read that the frost free freezers work by heating enough to thaw frost and eliminate it, then getting colder again. The result is that the mild freeze/thaw cycles contribute more to freezer burn than a constantly deep freezing temperature. If that's an urban myth, someboday please correct me.

[Kerry Beal]

 

Tabla rosa

 

 

Back in the door we have stocks (ham, chicken, duck, turkey, lamb) some puff pastry, pineapple juice, blueberries, andouille sausage, Italian sausage, lard, bacon fat, gravy, coffee and yeast - still a bit of room left.

 

 

Nuts - almonds of various sorts including bitter almonds and almond flour, pistachio, pecans, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts - also some red fife flour.

 

Can't face any more of it tonight. Need to figure out some sort of containment bins for the rest of the stuff that has to go back.

 

 

[Anna N]

2 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Can't face any more of it tonight. Need to figure out some sort of containment bins for the rest of the stuff that has to go back.

 Check out the ones no longer in use in my upright freezer before you do anything else!  

[SusieQ]

6 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

 

TOTALLY IMPRESSIVE!  

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

9 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 Check out the ones no longer in use in my upright freezer before you do anything else!  

Good plan - will do.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

46 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

For some reason I'm under the impression that frost free is not a good choice for a chest freezer. Not sure where I got that idea though.

 

Only freezer I have is the little one that sits on top of my refrigerator.

 

[Kerry Beal]

24 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Only freezer I have is the little one that sits on top of my refrigerator.

 

I've got two of those - one day I'll clean those too.

[pastrygirl]

Nice work!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

I've got two of those - one day I'll clean those too.

 

Are yours also not frost-free?  ...in the summertime at least I mean.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

 

A very stubborn box of Boiron Apricot puree and a liter of whipping cream refused to come out without much coaxing.  

 

 

Couple of 3/4 sheet pans inside with a plastic container, a full sheet pan under the door and 3 of the towels on the floor. As soon as the towels got soaked - they went into the washer spin cycle and dryer ones replaced them. 

 

A heat gun got involved too. 

 

 

 

 

I was hoping to see Captain America.

 

[jmacnaughtan]

Good job!

 

For some reason, cleaning a freezer is so much more rewarding and cathartic than cleaning a fridge.

 

Must be something to do with calving off sheets of ice.  And possibly the absence of any smell or mouldy unknowns lurking in the back.

[Kerry Beal]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Are yours also not frost-free?  ...in the summertime at least I mean.

 

My fridge freezers are frost free. I suspect my little upright in the chocolate room might be frost free as well - thought I don't open it as often so maybe it just doesn't get as frosty.

[Kerry Beal]

5 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

Good job!

 

For some reason, cleaning a freezer is so much more rewarding and cathartic than cleaning a fridge.

 

Must be something to do with calving off sheets of ice.  And possibly the absence of any smell or mouldy unknowns lurking in the back.

Exactly - I love the calving process! It was aided by some water resistant rubberized on one side gloves that hubby had brought home recently. 

[chromedome]

On 1/22/2019 at 1:28 AM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Are yours also not frost-free?  ...in the summertime at least I mean.

 

I find that mine frosts the *most* in summertime, because that's when the air is at its most humid. Kerrie's 8-year accumulation of ice roughly equals mine after 6 months.

[rotuts]

@Kerry Beal

 

Ive done that myself in the past

 

on a very similar freezer

 

it was no fun at all

 

esp grabbing the ice chunks and tossing them into the basement sink

 

then I wore some gloves.

 

I decided Never Again !

 

I bought a new freezer   :   F_B   

 

and use that rather than depends on the weather to keep the stuff Fz.

 

unfortunately , the Second Law of Thermodynamics took over :

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics

 

basically , Emptyness  is always filled.

 

F_B  is now pretty much filled.

 

Oh and   my freezer opens to the R , and I used a heat gun rather than a blow dryer

 

this one :

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-572-1112-96289.html

 

much faster.  same mess on the floor though

Edited January 23, 2019 by rotuts (log)

[kayb]

3 hours ago, chromedome said:

I find that mine frosts the *most* in summertime, because that's when the air is at its most humid. Kerrie's 8-year accumulation of ice roughly equals mine after 6 months.

 

Unless you're in and out of your freezer a dozen times a day, I'd say you're in the market for a new gasket.

[Kerry Beal]

The ribs that’s package tore as I was extricating them from the ice - sous vide 48 hours at 63 C - then CSO Steam broil for about 20 minutes with some Blues Hog BBQ sauce.