Preparing for Winter V

kacie

nannygladys said:

I hope it doesn't go back to the bad old days! I remember all the shortages and only having electric for certain hours a day! 

I would be more worried about the food defrosting if we had no electric, how long will the food stay frozen if the power goes off everyday? 

I want to get a couple more base layer tops, and dig out the wool for sofa blankets. 

jamanda

It is the freezer situation that bothers me if the electric goes off.  Very full.

Primrose

A full freezer, although a worry, is possibly less of a risk in a power cut than a nearly empty one, as the mass of frozen items will hold their low temperature for longer.    Really the only thing one can do is keep the door open for a short a time as possible when getting out the things you need.   Then if disaster really strikes, use up the most costly items first. 

3secondmemory

Primrose said:

A full freezer, although a worry, is possibly less of a risk in a power cut than a nearly empty one, as the mass of frozen items will hold their low temperature for longer.    Really the only thing one can do is keep the door open for a short a time as possible when getting out the things you need.   Then if disaster really strikes, use up the most costly items first. 

I do have a memory actually of my mother rushing to Bejams (😂) to buy cheap stuff like Icecream and bags of milk to stop the freezers defrosting. It made no sense to me as a child but there was ice cream! 

bluesooz

filling spaces in the freezer with (eg milk) bottles of water helps keep the temperature stable. 
 A well organised freezer, so you know where everything is, also helps as then the door isn't open as long!

jamanda

bluesooz said:

 A well organised freezer, so you know where everything is, also helps as then the door isn't open as long!

Dream on in this house.  One freezer is OK.  Big chest freezer hides stuff and spits it out later when you aren't looking for it.

Primrose

I can confirm that opaque plastic milk bottles filled with liquid are very resilient at low temperatures.  We regularly freeze home made soup in them.  I suspect other plastic bottles such as soft drink bottles with thinner plastic may be are less reliable though.  Always leave a small space foe the frozen liquid to expand. 

fionaandphil

@jamanda and @bluesooz sounds like our house! Good intentions and it is on an inventory but then it gets moved around when something doesn't fit in the gap or I forget to take it off when it is eaten - glad I'm not the only one!

dreaming

Primrose said:

I can confirm that opaque plastic milk bottles filled with liquid are very resilient at low temperatures.  We regularly freeze home made soup in them.  I suspect other plastic bottles such as soft drink bottles with thinner plastic may be are less reliable though.  Always leave a small space foe the frozen liquid to expand. 

In winter I have always frozen a couple of pints of milk in their plastic bottles in case I can't get to the shops. There has never been a problem with the plastic splitting on thawing, although I always thaw it by standing it in a jug. I have noticed this year though that the plastic does seem to be thinner than before. If I buy 4 or 6 pint bottles I have felt the "handle" part bending quite badly when pouring the milk and have had to support the rest of the container with my other hand. So it may be that the plastic is not as durable as it used to be.

tboo

Re the milk.

Stupid question from me. Does frozen milk taste any different when it's thawed?