Freezer temp question

[Bretts]

I'm just a homeowner, but I'm hoping you guys might be able to help me or at least point me in the right direction. Everything I've read seems to suggest that a home freezer should be set for about 0 degrees, and that's where I've been keeping the freezer part of my fridge in my kitchen. (Well... maybe a degree or two higher because I don't like really hard ice cream, but close to 0, at least).

Now, I just got a larger freezer for stockpiling meat and other frozen food and I'm wondering what temperature to set it to. I've seen a few things online that suggest setting it as low as -5 or -10, but then others say that it really doesn't need to go below 0. This freezer is just for long(er) term storage, so I don't need to worry about hard ice cream

My question is... what temp would you recommend for a storage freezer like this? Would things last longer (or be better off in any way) with a lower temperature or is 0 good enough? Obviously if there's no benefit to going lower than 0 then I may as well leave it at 0 and save a bit of power.

And, as long as I'm asking the experts... is 0 good for my kitchen freezer? What about the fridge?

Thanks much,
Brett

[jpsmith1cm]

I'm just a homeowner, but I'm hoping you guys might be able to help me or at least point me in the right direction. Everything I've read seems to suggest that a home freezer should be set for about 0 degrees, and that's where I've been keeping the freezer part of my fridge in my kitchen. (Well... maybe a degree or two higher because I don't like really hard ice cream, but close to 0, at least).

Now, I just got a larger freezer for stockpiling meat and other frozen food and I'm wondering what temperature to set it to. I've seen a few things online that suggest setting it as low as -5 or -10, but then others say that it really doesn't need to go below 0. This freezer is just for long(er) term storage, so I don't need to worry about hard ice cream

My question is... what temp would you recommend for a storage freezer like this? Would things last longer (or be better off in any way) with a lower temperature or is 0 good enough? Obviously if there's no benefit to going lower than 0 then I may as well leave it at 0 and save a bit of power.

And, as long as I'm asking the experts... is 0 good for my kitchen freezer? What about the fridge?

Thanks much,
Brett

Believe it or not, I've never checked my freezer temps.

In your situation, I would set the storage freezer at -5.

In most grocery stores, frozen foods are kept at -5 and ice cream from -10 to -12.

As a tech, I want to know if ice cream in storage gets above 0 for any length of time. It will start to melt.

As far as your frozen food, 0 is perfectly adequate, but if you are storing ice cream at 0, you will end up with ice and not ice cream.

[Burnerfixer]

The freezer of a "Domestic Refrigerator" is between 0* and -5* F as per Maytag.

[Bretts]

Thanks for the replies. I just discovered that my freezer doesn't have a whole lot of granularity in the temp settings. I had put my thermometer in the freezer two nights ago. When I read the thermometer yesterday morning it was at about -1. I adjusted the thermostat two notches up to the coldest setting before I went to work yesterday morning, and when I got home from work yesterday it was at -14. I moved it down one notch last night and this morning it was at -7.

Given my three options and based on what you said above I think I'm going to leave it on the -7 setting.

Thanks again,
Brett

[WhoIsThat?]

I heard 0°F to +10°F for freezer temps, and the hardness of the ice cream is the best indicator.

Anybody need any symbols to copy and paste?
µ Ω Δ ω ² ³ ½ √ ∞ °

[Bretts]

I heard 0°F to +10°F for freezer temps

This document (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn403.pdf) from the North Dakota State University says:

"A temperature of 0 degrees fahrenhiet or less must be maintained to keep frozen foods at top quality. The storage life of foods is shortened as the temperature rises. For example, the same loss of quality in frozen beans stored at 0 F for one year will occur in three months at 10 F"

I've seen a few other documents on it as well and nothing credible suggests keeping a freezer at anything above 0.

and the hardness of the ice cream is the best indicator.

Um... I'm pretty sure an accurate thermometer would be the best indicator Ice cream might be a good quick check, though.

[WhoIsThat?]

the same loss of quality in frozen beans stored at 0 F for one year
will occur in three months at 10 F"

Most chemical reactions, including the aging of electrical equipment, double their reaction rate for every 10°C rise above ambient. There must be more going on with the taste of food vs. rise above ambient, if "taste" can even be objectively measured.

I thought ice cream at 0°F was rock-hard.

[Bretts]

Most chemical reactions, including the aging of electrical equipment, double their reaction rate for every 10°C rise above ambient. There must be more going on with the taste of food vs. rise above ambient, if "taste" can even be objectively measured.

Yeah... I'm not entirely certain exactly what was measured to determine "loss of quality", but it was the best scientific study I could find that talked about freezer temps. I did see one quote and I don't recall where I read it that suggested that all bacteria activity is stopped at 0 degrees, whereas bacteria can continue (albiet very slowly) at temperatures above 0 degrees. So in addition to "loss of quality" it's my understanding that you can still have some spoilage in a 10 degree freezer that you wouldn't have in a 0 degree freezer.

I thought ice cream at 0°F was rock-hard.

It's definitely pretty hard at 0 degrees, which is why I keep the freezer attached to my fridge a degree or two above 0. I think it's really kind of a trade off as different things do better at different temps. I don't think that there's any question that food will keep longer at 0 degrees than at 10 degrees, but you also have to consider how long you will have food in your freezer. If you use everything in your freezer within a week or two then it probably doesn't matter as much if the temp is a little higher.

That's one of the reasons I'm so excited about the new freezer I just got. I'll keep a week or two's worth of food in my fridge's freezer and use the new freezer to stockpile food for longer term storage. That way I can keep the new freezer at a lower temperature than the freezer attached to my fridge so things should last longer. As I run out of something in my fridge's freezer I'll just transfer it up from the storage freezer.

[jpsmith1cm]

Ice cream at 0 is starting to get soft. Ice cream at +5 is junk.

This is why you find ice cream and frozen food in separate cases at the store.

The ice cream cases are 5 to 7 degrees colder

[Burnerfixer]

Ice cream at 0 is starting to get soft. Ice cream at +5 is junk.

This is why you find ice cream and frozen food in separate cases at the store.

The ice cream cases are 5 to 7 degrees colder

This is true, however we are talking about a "Domestic" refrigerator freezer combination where the freezer is designed to keep ice cream at a "spoonable temperature".

[jpsmith1cm]

This is true, however we are talking about a "Domestic" refrigerator freezer combination where the freezer is designed to keep ice cream at a "spoonable temperature".

I thought that we were talking about a chest storage freezer.

In the case of a freezer refrigerator combo, 0 degrees is OK.

[kim]

0F or less is best for long term storage. The freezer attached to the reefer does need as long term potential. Also your reefer is just an extention of your freezer. Colder freezer means less humidity in the reefer.

I wonder about temp during defrost, so I keep my freezer in the basement @-5 to -10F. The side-by-side in the kitchen is keep @+5F.

[Airmechanical]

I heard 0°F to +10°F for freezer temps

where or who did you hear that from?

baseline freezer temp is 0 degrees!

ice cream (storage) is best at -20 degrees!



.