Living without a fridge

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Living without a fridge
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gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18409

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 10 5:24 pm Post subject: Living without a fridge
No choice at the moment, as the fridge died on Monday. I do have a freezer. Think I'll get a cool box for milk and butter. Will report back on how this experiment goes. I've switched off the fridge for a while before, but I think this might be permanent.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 10 5:29 pm Post subject:
It is a struggle. We have had jam go off within a few days and are now on UHT milk. It last two days in a bucket in the shade. You should be fine with a freezer and a cooler though. Buy lots of those blue blocks that you freeze and jobs a good un

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18409

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 10 5:34 pm Post subject:
I should think it would be much more difficult without a fridge in Italy. I've already got some icebags that freeze - the ones made of water-filled squares. Just need a coolbox. Oh why didn't I buy one when they were going cheap a few weeks back ? Have cut my electricity usage right down over the last few weeks. Just 1.5-2 units a day now. smug.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 10 5:43 pm Post subject:
One thing to look out for though is the fact that you may have to go to the shops more often, bumping up your petrol bill.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18409

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 10 5:46 pm Post subject:
I only go to the shops once a week, when I do other errands. Everything that will freeze goes in the freezer for storage. Cheese or meat in small amounts, when I buy it, will fit in the coolbox. I really didn't use the fridge that much. In winter / 6 mths of the year, the pantry here is colder than a fridge, though usually just above freezing.

Bodrighy

Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 2157
Location: Near Devizes

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 10 5:54 pm Post subject:
Anywhere you can dig a hole in the ground and keep stuff in that in a bin bag? bucket of water can keep milk for a surprisingly long time as well. Think how people managed before fridges were invented. It can be done. Pete

Mutton

Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 1508

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 10 6:16 pm Post subject:

Used to keep milk fresh for over twenty four hours while camping in the UK in warm summer weather. Bowl of water, soak large cloth of tea towel variety in water, stand bottle of milk in the water and drape wet cloth over bottle of milk, with ends of cloth in the water. Stand all in shade. The water evaporates from the tea towel, cooling the milk, and wicks up the tea towel from the bowl to replenish it.
I know this worked for 24 hours at least, can't remember if it lasted longer than that, too many years ago.

AnnaD

Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 2777
Location: Edinburgh

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 10 7:42 pm Post subject:
Would it be any use freezing milk or butter or whatever in small portions, so you can just bring out an icecube of milk if you want a cup of tea? Good luck!

Mutton

Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 1508

Posted: Thu Aug 26, 10 7:57 am Post subject:
We freeze whole 4 and 6 litre bottles of milk. In the fridge they take up to three days to thaw, open room about 24 hours. So you could defrost your milk supply one bottle at a time standing in a cool box with whatever else you want to keep cool that isn't frozen.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Thu Aug 26, 10 8:03 am Post subject:
I'd agree with freezing pints of milk and using them to cool the coolbox as they defrost. Add a coolblock on the second day and you should stay sorted. Bet you could make a coolbox using the haybox method, got a couple of boxes that will fit inside each other with some insulation in between them? Or a big pottery crock or flowerpot maybe?

marigold

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Thu Aug 26, 10 8:14 am Post subject:
Any suitable sized container (laundry basket, recycling box etc) lined with an old blanket or duvet and a clean towel makes a useful temporary coolbox (cover with another towel and blanket). It's what I use to store frozen food temporarily when I defrost my freezer. Or you could just bung a few freezer blocks in a tray on the top shelf of your broken fridge and store food on the lower shelves!

Rowanlady

Joined: 21 Apr 2006
Posts: 195
Location: NE Hampshire

Posted: Thu Aug 26, 10 8:15 am Post subject:

"In the olden days / When I was young"

We had terracotta milk 'preservers' - something like a plant pot saucer with a long thin plant pot upsidedown with a knob instead of the drainage hole

Saucer was filled with water and the top pot wicked up the water to keep the milk cool

Similarly butter 'preservers' where obviously flatter and with a glass dish inside to hold the butter

Worked well - though I do remember Mum making 'crowdie' cheese on a regular basis

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91ï¿½ N

Posted: Thu Aug 26, 10 8:51 am Post subject:
Is this "living without a fridge" experiment a necessity or a choice? I'd have thought that for the cost of a fridge and it's running costs it would more than pay for itself it avoiding spoiled food and fewer shopping trips, in fact it might even be the greener option.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Thu Aug 26, 10 8:57 am Post subject:

JB wrote:

I'd have thought that for the cost of a fridge and it's running costs it would more than pay for itself it avoiding spoiled food and fewer shopping trips, in fact it might even be the greener option.

The cost of the food that we have wasted would probably have bought us a fridge. Our problem is that due to our circumstances, the fridge would probably have broken down by now.

Given a freezer and a cooler box though I doubt we would have wasted a thing.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Thu Aug 26, 10 9:01 am Post subject:

Mutton wrote:

So you could defrost your milk supply one bottle at a time standing in a cool box with whatever else you want to keep cool that isn't frozen.

We do that too and add 3 litre squash bottles of frozen water. After struggling with a normal cool box for a while, we splashed out on one of these, although you could make one, as has been suggested.

I would suggest you put a tray and rack in the bottom of any box you do use, as the thawing milk and water bottles create a pool of water in the bottom of the box and although this chilled water helps with the cooling, you don't want your food sitting in it and dripping everywhere when you lift it out. It would also be easier to clean if things do get spilt.

The Icy-Tek box was great all through the summer months (I had to change the bottles twice a week instead of weekly in that warm spell) and the other advantage is that it's big enough to cope when we had visitors or to keep picked fruit in before processing, but they might be a bit big for what you're looking for.

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