Please help me feel better about this

lindseykim13

I've just gone outside to the freezer (in my brick shed) to get something out for dinner tomorrow. Found that everything was mostly defrosted
It had about £30 worth of meat (although they were woopsie finds) and 4 meals i had batch cooked a couple of days ago.

Can't even cook any of it as i have no idea why my freezer has done it or how long it's been like that-could have been freezing and defrosting over and over!

That was my stash for when DH starts his new job next week and to keep us going until first pay.

I know theres worse things in life but i put loads of effort into those meals until way past my bedtime. Feel really poo now.

tina_malteser

how long since you last went to the freezer?
bit of a risk take if you think it mite have defrosted then re- froze

katholicos

You understandably feel very disappointed. I have had a chest freezer break down and defrost all its contests and it is very upsetting to lose so much food in one go. At least with mine, the kids were younger and they were able to eat the pizza and oven chips but most of the stuff had to be chucked. I cooked and gave away as much as i could, but still most had to be binned.

As you say, it's not the end of the world, but in your world, it's a pretty serious setback. Investigate the cause of the defrosting, if its a case of the plug accidentally being pulled out, you can of course continue to use the freezer and start building up your stash of meals again...alternatively, the freezer might have to be ditched if it can't be repaired cheaply.

good_advice

Oh no! a lesson learnt. Do not put a freezer outside. They cannot cope in the cold. I have told so many people this in my last job. Freezers need to be of a higher surrounding temp that the cold. A garage or building against the house may be ok.

Dump the lot! is my advice.

aliama

good_advice wrote: »

Oh no! a lesson learnt. Do not put a freezer outside. They cannot cope in the cold. I have told so many people this in my last job. Freezers need to be of a higher surrounding temp that the cold. A garage or building against the house may be ok.

Dump the lot! is my advice.

Agree with this. Unfortunately, very few freezers are actually designed to be used outside (some Beko models are), and if the weather drops below a certain temperature it can result in the whole lot defrosting.

If this is the cause, it probably happened quite a while ago (in the first cold snap), so I agree you probably need to get rid of everything. What a pain.

duchy

If the last time you went to the freezer was only 2 days ago then you'd be ok using some of it today ....well I would

thriftwizard

Check your household insurance - it may cover loss of food in the freezer. Ours does, not as an extra but included as a matter of course. You run a small risk that it might cost you a little bit more next year, but if your claim is modest, it probably won't.

lindseykim13

Thanks-i've got over it today. The freezer is in a building attached to the house. I've had it out there for 2yrs and never had a problem.
I found that the dial had been knocked down to medium probably by one of the kids bikes!
I only have it on as a back up freezer for when i batch cook or find lots of bargains. So i had only recently turned it back on and can't have checked before bunging the food in that it was cold enough.

It's on test now with an upside down cardboard box and a tray of ice cubes on the top and being checked every few hours. I have a feeling it will be fine now.

Suppose i can just be glad that it was only a quarter full.

McKneff

If you have raw meat that has been defrosted then you could always cook all this and freeze it, so at least that lot isnt wasted.

lindseykim13

McKneff wrote: »

If you have raw meat that has been defrosted then you could always cook all this and freeze it, so at least that lot isnt wasted.

Problem is it was all reduced meat so it had no shelf life left-it could have been sat out there for 2 days although cold it's still past it's use by and can't risk it with little ones.
The only pitfall of going woopsie hunting.

kaya

aliama wrote: »

Agree with this. Unfortunately, very few freezers are actually designed to be used outside (some Beko models are), and if the weather drops below a certain temperature it can result in the whole lot defrosting.

If this is the cause, it probably happened quite a while ago (in the first cold snap), so I agree you probably need to get rid of everything. What a pain.

You don't know anything about the basic principles of refrigeration do you?