14F freezer is good enough
Have been having these doubts for some time, 0F/-18C "recommended" by FDA and similar Canadian health authority, while my meat and fish remain quite hard and I am still alive with freezer temps rangin...
Forum Discussion
Ahhh...if only our foods were free from significant contamination. Then more 'relaxed' preservation styles may be safe. But the stuff that passes as 'safe' consumer foods these days :R
So what happens to your 17F freezer when you open it for 30 seconds to get something out? What is the recovery time to get back to 17F? Now what happens on a 98F day when the A/C isn't running?
What about adding unfrozen food to the 17F? How long does it take to freeze and how does that affect the foods around it?
I can see where a single piece of already frozen food held at a CONSTANT 17F can maintain for an extended period. But that isn't the reality of how most fridge/freezers are used. They are opened, unfrozen items are added, frozen items are removed, used, then returned, and even the cycling of the cooling system doesn't always keep it at an exact constant temp.
In theory, sounds okay. But in practice, I wouldn't recommend it ;)
So what happens to your 17F freezer when you open it for 30 seconds to get something out? What is the recovery time to get back to 17F? Now what happens on a 98F day when the A/C isn't running?
What about adding unfrozen food to the 17F? How long does it take to freeze and how does that affect the foods around it?
I can see where a single piece of already frozen food held at a CONSTANT 17F can maintain for an extended period. But that isn't the reality of how most fridge/freezers are used. They are opened, unfrozen items are added, frozen items are removed, used, then returned, and even the cycling of the cooling system doesn't always keep it at an exact constant temp.
In theory, sounds okay. But in practice, I wouldn't recommend it ;)
