Outdoor Fridge

[sparrowgrass]

My ex-in-laws had an enclosed back porch that was the traditional repository for Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers. It probably was a good idea when they first started the practice, but double glazing the windows and putting a deepfreeze and water heater in the small space warmed it right up.

I lived in fear of food poisoning every holiday season--they never could figure out why I didn't want a turkey sandwich the next day.

[snowangel]

The outdoor fridge is once again in operation.

Reminder to self -- brush the snow off the pot when it quits snowing so I can find it under a pile of snow.

Oh, wait. Today, it's an outdoor freezer!

[Mayhaw Man]

The outdoor fridge is once again in operation.

Reminder to self -- brush the snow off the pot when it quits snowing so I can find it under a pile of snow.

Oh, wait.  Today, it's an outdoor freezer!

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It's sunny and 85 here in the semi demolished Gulf Coast. You could bring that table down here, put on the bathing suit (or not, whatever floats your boat) and sit around and sip boat drinks. We need the bucks and I bet we could find you a deal.

What's that white stuff all over your table?

[yvegeny]

So how cold outside does it have to be to safely put food outside? I live in North Florida, and I feel like it's cold enough during the winter, but my husband disagrees. Can anyone help settle our dispute? Thanks.

[snowangel]

So how cold outside does it have to be to safely put food outside? I live in North Florida, and I feel like it's cold enough during the winter, but my husband disagrees. Can anyone help settle our dispute? Thanks.

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I'd think it would have to be colder than 40 degrees (F) like most fridges, and keep in mind that if the item is in the sun, even if it is 40, you could be borrowing trouble.

At zero, my pot of chili froze pretty darned quickly!

[srhcb]

So how cold outside does it have to be to safely put food outside? I live in North Florida, and I feel like it's cold enough during the winter, but my husband disagrees. Can anyone help settle our dispute? Thanks.

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If it even gets above 42 degrees you'd be asking for trouble. That's no problem around here where we probably won't see 42 again for months.

In fact, I can even use my car's trunk as a freezer!

SB (just don't forget about it!)(especially with frozen fish)

[Pam R]

we never put stuff outside. it's too cold and there's the issue of skunks and cats and dogs.

that's why we have garages. attached to the house, but not heated it's almost perfect (though there's a 19 L water bottle out there that looks like it may be on the verge of splitting). there are periods during the winter when the average temperature for 30 days straight may be -30, so then it is a freezer, rather than a fridge.

[abadoozy]

Ha! I was just remarking to my husband yesterday that I'm happy it's winter. My 5 gallon stock pot full of beef stock went into the garage to cool overnight - there's absolutely no way it would fit into the fridge, even if the fridge was totally empty. The garage, on the other hand, was cold enough to solidify the fat quite nicely.

All my bowls and blades for terrine-making today have been on the front porch overnight. I was actually thinking of doing the whole deed on the porch, until I read in the Charcuterie book I'm using that although you do want all the tools cold, putting the Kitchenaid on the back deck during a snowstorm was probably going overboard. I just about bust a gut laughing, because that's exactly what I was contemplating. They must have had me in mind when the wrote that paragraph.

[srhcb]

It's great to see so many ideas for taking advantage of the organic refrigeration we're blessed with in the northern climes.

I've considered using my attached but unheated garage for making croissants. I have a marble slab which I could set atop two saw horses for a work surface.

With judicious adjustment of the doors on opposite ends of the garage, one leading outdoors and the other into the kitchen, I should be able to maintain the temperature at 23 degrees, which Bernard Clayton recommends in his recipe for the "feather-light (1 ounce) croissant" that was served on the SS France.

In an interesting aside to the recipe, (from Bernard Clayton's Complete Book of Small Breads), he mentions that while the ship's bakery produced traditional crescent shaped croissants for the first-class dining room, the second-class passengers had to endure straight croissants because they took less time to shape and more would fit on a baking sheet!

SB (hardly what I would deem "second-class" fare?)

[jsolomon]

What's that white stuff all over your table?

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Fleur de dihydrogen monoxide.

Deadly stuff. Pretty, though.

As for outdoor refrigeration, I use it all the time. It works great to chill beer when you're in the hot tub, likewise other ingredients.

I will also be using it extensively this winter as I prepare stock with which I will cater my own wedding reception in May.

What I really ought to do is talk one of my friends into helping me build a cooling rack for the outdoor fridge, similar to a heat sink on a processor...

Edited December 12, 2005 by jsolomon (log)

[snowangel]

I'm not going to be doing anything with my chicken stock any time soon. I asked Paul to put it out on the deck. He sat it in some snow, and it is frozen to the deck.

[suzilightning]

I'm not going to be doing anything with my chicken stock any time soon.  I asked Paul to put it out on the deck.  He sat it in some snow, and it is frozen to the deck.

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well, susan, guess you REALLY aren't going to be doing anything with that stock for a bit - warm water around the base of the container?

[Smithy]

I'm not going to be doing anything with my chicken stock any time soon.  I asked Paul to put it out on the deck.  He sat it in some snow, and it is frozen to the deck.

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well, susan, guess you REALLY aren't going to be doing anything with that stock for a bit - warm water around the base of the container?

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Hmm. Heat your ice chipper indoors, then gently use it to pry under the stockpot?

Edited to add: I came very close to the same calamity last Sunday. By sheer dumb luck, I checked it before the pot had quite frozen to the deck.

Edited February 7, 2006 by Smithy (log)

[snowangel]

Peter solved the problem of the stuck stock. A blow dryer has many purposes. Never thought one would be cooking related, though.

[Pookie]

We ahve the advantage of being on the 8th floor so we can put stuff on the balcony without worrying about critters. That is as long as we remember to shut the door and the cats don't get out.

Growing up we used the carport and backyard as a big fridge. I do remember running out there once with a pot of caramel that I forgot about and dumping it in the snow. That was fun.

We forgot some leftovers from dinner in the car a few nights ago. It was nice to know that they were nice and cold the whole time!

[joey madison]

I use the outdoor freezer with regularity. Recently, I made the mistake of leaving unattended soup in a pot outside, while visiting my parents. They have a habit of feeding some of the local critters... and the soup was visited by a family of possums. They knocked the pot over, and the contents which they did not consume froze to the deck. I suppose it will serve as a possum popcicle for the next few weeks.

I also happen to be one of those crazies who likes to go winter camping. The cold temperature makes eating on longer winter camping trips much more varied and tasty than their summer counterparts. Want to chicken? No problem! Worried about something with mayo? Nah!

[Smithy]

I also happen to be one of those crazies who likes to go winter camping.  The cold temperature makes eating on longer winter camping trips much more varied and tasty than their summer counterparts.  Want to chicken?  No problem!  Worried about something with mayo?  Nah!

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...and there's NOTHING like deep-fried turkey, out in the woods, at night, somewhere below 0 degrees F. Just as long as someone else tows in the turkey, the frying pot, the burner, the propane, and the cooking oil. That oil sure helped the bonfire later.

[Jason Perlow]

Pie crust cooling down:

The rest of the outdoor fridge today:

[Rebecca263]

We just ran outside and made snow candy with honey. Drizzled the stuff on some fresh snow, and then lifted it up and ate it! Silly, I know, but we're first timers!

[snowangel]

The outdoor freezer/fridge is no longer working. Spring is coming!

[Smithy]

The outdoor freezer/fridge is no longer working.  Spring is coming!

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Up here in Duluth, I can still stick a pot of chicken stock outside and have it cool quickly, or a smaller jar of lemon juice and have it freeze overnight. But it's strictly an overnight operation now.

I can see all the debris in the yard! The snow is going!

My chives are coming up!!!

[snowangel]

The outdoor fridge is back in action! I had a mess of raspberry and strawberries juices, so decided it was time to make syrup.

So, it's 35 degrees with a howling wind. Stuck those pans into bowls of ice on the deck table and voila! Quick chill (but not as fast as that January quick chill).

[rabidscottsman]

I do the same thing Jason does. I take cheesechake crust or pie crust wrapped in tinfoil after it comes out of the oven and chill it on the front steps for a few minutes when its cold enough. Saves me a lot of time!

[snowangel]

As the sub-zero temps visited us late yesterday afternoon, my stock froze lickety-split. Problem is that we also had an ice storm, so who knows how long before I can pry the containers off the deck? But, that stuff, stuck out hot, froze in not more than many split seconds.

On another note, my deep freeze (the one in the house, not the one outside) is jammed with two deer. As I decided to make a mess of different kinds of cookie dough today, I realized that I had the perfect freezer for the stuff until we bake this weekend!

[emilyr]

We stick stuff in our barbeque grill in the winter. Great for Christmas left overs and keeps the local possum out the food. One note, don't forget your large container of soup is in the BBQ when the weather is changing every 12 hours in February. Last year we left a big bowl of potato soup in there one night, when it was 28 degrees out. Unfortunately, in a typical Missouri shift of weather, it was up in the 60s by 10 am. Ew.