Idea for Freezers

[BrewerGeorge]

Just thought I'd share something I do with freezers for prepping purposes.

Everybody knows that the big problem with freezers is that if SHTF they lose power. I get around this limitation by freezing cured meats. Summer sausages, jerky, and such. If the freezer loses power, the cured meats just come out and still have weeks or months of life left. While we have power, freezing the cured meats effectively gives them an indefinite shelf life.

They can be high-fat, but in a situation when calories are at a premium that's a good thing. People will say the salt is bad, but when SHTF you have to go back to the 'meat as garnish' model of recipes. A few ounces of cured meat can make a huge difference in a simple rice/beans meal - adding both salt and spices all by itself. They're also very dense so you can fit a lot of food in a small space.

Every year at Christmas, people give those Hickory Farms gift boxes, but lots of people don't really want to eat the included summer sausages. I've made it known to family and friends that I'll take those off their hands for them, and every year I get a pound or two for free. I also have a portion of my deer made into pepperoni, hard sausage, or jerky every year.

By now, I probably have 50 or 60 lbs of these treats in one of the freezers.

(I freeze bulk, raw nuts for similar reasons.)

 

[Justus]

Good idea, Brewer George
We keep enough fuel on hand to run the genny for a couple weeks so we can use up or preserve whats in our freezer.
We'll probably do a little of this too!

 

[Cameramonkey]

On a slightly related note... Ever notice IQF (Individually quick frozen) chicken is expensive and smaller in the store, while "fresh" (most likely frozen and then thawed before being put in the meat cooler) is a bit less expensive and nicer cuts?

While its not as good as a quick freeze, I found a trick to end up with the convenience of IQF.

Unpack your "fresh" chicken and place on a jelly roll pan that has been lightly sprayed with Pam and place in your freezer. This allows the outside to freeze enough that the pieces wont stick to each other in the next step.

After about 60-90 minutes, remove the partially frozen meat and place in a large ziplock to continue the deep freeze. Once solid, you can repackage to your liking.

This trick allows you to freeze it and be able to pick and choose parts as needed when the time comes just like IQF, without needing to thaw the entire foam tray of meat (which could be several meals) and without the higher cost of IQF.

 

[churchmouse]

Having a freezer full of items as op states it will maintain temp for a good while if you leave it closed especially a tub style unit.

 

[whipfinish]

I keep several frozen gallon milk jugs in my chest freezer just in case of a power outage. Keeping the freezer full is always helpful in maintaining the right temperature.

 

[bwframe]

I keep several frozen gallon milk jugs in my chest freezer just in case of a power outage. Keeping the freezer full is always helpful in maintaining the right temperature.

I use the thicker clear plastic drink containers for the same. They seem to hold up to the freeze/thaw better when rotating in and out of coolers, etc. Less air space in freezer equals less compressor running too.

 

[littletommy]

Is it wrong of me that one of my deep freezers is completely full of 5lb tubs of Skyline Chili? Meijer had them on closeout back around Christmas, dirt cheap, I loaded 2 shopping carts down with the tubs! Cashier looked at me like I was crazy, but those big tubs were a dollar less than the 16 oz cans of chili! Good stuff!

 

[CountryBoy19]

Having a freezer full of items as op states it will maintain temp for a good while if you leave it closed especially a tub style unit.

Keep in mind that "items" doesn't necessarily equate to longer duration in a power outage. Solids and fats* do not make good thermal mass, IE, then don't store "cold energy" by converting to solids like water does when it freezes. The temp increase per BTU heat input of solids is a linear curve, flying right past 32 degrees. OTOH, it takes a huge amount of energy to melt ice. The latent heat of melting ice causes the temp to stall at the freezing point for a very long time (possibly days inside your freezer) which will keep lots of things still frozen while the items near the top and edges slowly thaw (but maintain temps near 32 degrees).

Try this as an experiment. Buy 1 lb of lean, ground beef (93/7 comes to mind), 1 lb of fatty ground beef (70/30 would be good), 1 lb of bacon (must account for the salt in the freezing point), 1 lb of dry jerky, and weigh out 1 lb of water. For a truly accurate comparison, repackage the bacon & jerky in the same shape as the beef and freeze the water in a cup to get a nice cylinder shape. Freeze them all for several days to make sure they are frozen solid and their internal temps are equalized. Next, take them out of the freezer, put them on the counter and monitor their temps as they thaw.

The first to thaw and hit the 40 degree "no-go zone" will be the jerky (even though the jerky will last about this temp, I believe the point of the OP was to make other times last longer by adding thermal mass to the freezer)
The next will be the bacon. It has a very low water content, highest fat content, and the salt works against you.
The next will be the fatty beef. It has a higher fat content but shouldn't have any salt. The decreased water content (displaced by the extra fat content) means less thermal mass.
The next will be the lean beef. It has the highest moisture content.
Finally will be the ice. Even though science is working against us via natural convection (circulation) of the cold liquid inside that acts to melt the ice faster, the ice still lasts the longest.

*Fats may store small amounts of "cold energy".

Fill your empty freezer spaces with water. It has 2 benefits; keeps things cold longer, and you can drink it when it melts.

This does, however, raise an important thing I've pondered. Salt lowers the melt temp of water but it still acts the same (storing cold energy) as normal water, just at a different temp. One could effectively create a thermal mass that holds temps below the freezing point of your foods (say 24 degrees) by storing salt water in your freezer. The problem is that it's not drinkable then... just a thought...

 

[churchmouse]

Keep in mind that "items" doesn't necessarily equate to longer duration in a power outage. Solids and fats* do not make good thermal mass, IE, then don't store "cold energy" by converting to solids like water does when it freezes. The temp increase per BTU heat input of solids is a linear curve, flying right past 32 degrees. OTOH, it takes a huge amount of energy to melt ice. The latent heat of melting ice causes the temp to stall at the freezing point for a very long time (possibly days inside your freezer) which will keep lots of things still frozen while the items near the top and edges slowly thaw (but maintain temps near 32 degrees).

Try this as an experiment. Buy 1 lb of lean, ground beef (93/7 comes to mind), 1 lb of fatty ground beef (70/30 would be good), 1 lb of bacon (must account for the salt in the freezing point), 1 lb of dry jerky, and weigh out 1 lb of water. For a truly accurate comparison, repackage the bacon & jerky in the same shape as the beef and freeze the water in a cup to get a nice cylinder shape. Freeze them all for several days to make sure they are frozen solid and their internal temps are equalized. Next, take them out of the freezer, put them on the counter and monitor their temps as they thaw.

The first to thaw and hit the 40 degree "no-go zone" will be the jerky (even though the jerky will last about this temp, I believe the point of the OP was to make other times last longer by adding thermal mass to the freezer)
The next will be the bacon. It has a very low water content, highest fat content, and the salt works against you.
The next will be the fatty beef. It has a higher fat content but shouldn't have any salt. The decreased water content (displaced by the extra fat content) means less thermal mass.
The next will be the lean beef. It has the highest moisture content.
Finally will be the ice. Even though science is working against us via natural convection (circulation) of the cold liquid inside that acts to melt the ice faster, the ice still lasts the longest.

*Fats may store small amounts of "cold energy".

Fill your empty freezer spaces with water. It has 2 benefits; keeps things cold longer, and you can drink it when it melts.

This does, however, raise an important thing I've pondered. Salt lowers the melt temp of water but it still acts the same (storing cold energy) as normal water, just at a different temp. One could effectively create a thermal mass that holds temps below the freezing point of your foods (say 24 degrees) by storing salt water in your freezer. The problem is that it's not drinkable then... just a thought...

All good points. I am aware of these things. Been a refrigeration tech my whole life.

Point is, no empty space in the freezer. As you said, fill it with water if not food.
My point is keep it full of food. It will maintain temp longer than a half full unit no matter what is in it. Keep the door closed and even cover it up with good blankets to reduce temp exchange.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

...
The first to thaw and hit the 40 degree "no-go zone" will be the jerky (even though the jerky will last about this temp, I believe the point of the OP was to make other times last longer by adding thermal mass to the freezer)...

Actually, no. The point of the OP is to have things that will still last a long time once they're out of the freezer after a power loss, and that don't require cooking. The freezer is used to keep them untouched until that time.