"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:34:20 -0000, Ophelia wrote:
>
>> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:12:12 -0500, Cheryl wrote:
>>>
>>>> What's your best method for defrosting a freezer?
>>>
>>> In 1989 and before, I would unplug and let it sit until ice starts
>>> falling out of it.
>>
>> ... and now?
>
> Frost-free fridges. The whole concept of defrosting (and ice
> deliveries) is so 20th century.

I have a large larder fridge which is frost free, but my freezer is an
18cuft chest freezer. I don't defrost it, I chip all the ice off with a
wooden spatula and then sweep it up out of the bottom of the freezer.

--
http://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

blow dryer with a wet off switch, or if your vac does it, a backwards hook
to the exhaust... we used to do ours, twice a year, mid jan and mid july, so
in jan out into coolers on patio, ususally in snow, in july, keep moving
things into kitchen frig until it was empty, then open, let sit for 48 hours
and wipe out, no work to july, as we cut our buying back to accomodate, Lee
"Cheryl" > wrote in message
...
> My fridge is just about empty so time for an easy scrubbing for that
> beast. The top freezer doesn't have much in it, so easy to scrub that out
> quickly. That one is self-defrosting.
>
> My downstairs freezer isn't a no-frost one, and it's been cold enough
> outside to think about putting most in a couple of coolers outside to get
> it done.
>
> What's your best method for defrosting a freezer? I usually use pots of
> boiling water, but this freezer is downstairs, the kitchen is upstairs.
> First time for this since getting the freezer.

another option for the water is if you have easy access to water, use an el
kettle or coffee maker to heat water, Lee
"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:12:12 -0500, Cheryl >
> wrote:
>
>
>>
>>What's your best method for defrosting a freezer? I usually use pots of
>>boiling water, but this freezer is downstairs, the kitchen is upstairs.
>> First time for this since getting the freezer.
>
> My favorite method is to have my wife do it. My second favorite is to
> use anything warm. Boiling water is good, but hot water from the sink
> helps too, if one is nearby.
>
> Do you have a hair dryer? That can add some heat to the box and get
> things started.
>
> Just be sure never to get anxious and start poking away with sharp
> objects. Many a freezer has been ruined that way.
>
>

too hard on food for long term storage, fine for a frig freezer but not for
a couple like us that gets half a beef at a time, Lee
> wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:12:05 -0500, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>
>>My favorite method is to have my wife do it. My second favorite is to
>>use anything warm. Boiling water is good, but hot water from the sink
>>helps too, if one is nearby.
>
> First method should be to buy a self-defrosting freezer. 8
>
> -- Larry

no self defrost has nothing to do with cheaper at purchase, it has to do
with not freezer burning the food, as to hording, stupid, non issue, when i
was a child my father made far more money than i realized, we were raised to
garden, bulk cook and husband resources through frugal shopping...

lets not even deal with people who can't lift or drive so have to hire help
and its cheaper to shop less often...

Lee
"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Brooklyn1" <Gravesend1> wrote in message
> ...
>> On Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:00:50 -0800 (PST), ItsJoanNotJoann
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>On Dec 30, 12:38 pm, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:16:20 -0800 (PST), ItsJoanNotJoann
>>>>
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>> >On Dec 29, 10:46 pm, "Pico Rico" > wrote:
>>>>
>>>> >> what the heck are you folks doing? Just turn a fan on and let the
>>>> >> room air
>>>> >> circulate into the freezer. It will defrost likity split, and big
>>>> >> chunks of
>>>> >> ice will fall off.
>>>>
>>>> >I gotta agree; this is the best method if you don't have a frost-free
>>>> >freezer.
>>>>
>>>> Actually a fan will likely slow thawing... a fan will increase
>>>> evaporation therefore *lowering* the temperature. Were I in a hurry
>>>> I'd place a large pot of boiled water into the freezer and close the
>>>> door... repeat as needed.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>I'm not going to agree on this but I'll admit it's been at least a
>>>hundred years since I've had to do that unpleasant job.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> People who think their old fashioned defrost units cost less to
>>>> operate are fooling themselves, the smallest ice build up decreases
>>>> efficiency and as the ice is allowed to become thicker and thicker the
>>>> unit becomes more and more inefficient. I've owned the kind of
>>>> refrigerator freezer that needed defrosting and I can attest to the
>>>> fact that they do not save power, and due to the ice build up they
>>>> don't hold foods very well, and most folks don't defrost them until
>>>> the ice builds to an intolerable level. There's no savings, none.
>>>
>>>
>>>This I will agree with you 100%!
>>
>> The real reason that people buy those old style manual defrost units
>> is because the initial outlay to buy them is substantially less than
>> frost free, yet they rationalize (falsely) how they save energy. I
>> have two refrigerator freezers with top freezers, between both
>> freezers I have more than enough storage space (9 cu ft of freezer)
>> plus I have tons of fridge space... I find the extra fridge space far
>> more valuable than just freezer space in a huge stand alone freezer...
>> and what if that monster dies in summer. I don't see the point in
>> stocking up on frozen foods anyway when you can let the stupidmarket
>> freezers hold your food until you need it and save your money in an
>> interest bearing account rather than give it to the storekeeper for
>> something you won't make use of for months and it may even spoil... in
>> the US meat and frozen foods are on sale every day. I think people
>> who are obssessed to the point of needing a ton of frozen foods to
>> feel secure do so because of fear, they grew up very impoverished and
>> went to bed hungry... there's no other logical explanation.
>
> I have a side by side refrigerator. It isn't really enough room. When it
> is just the two of us, it is fine. But when my husband is home, it is
> not. We have a little fridge. The freezer in that is pretty useless
> except to store blue ice in and we do at times need a lot of that. This
> time of year we keep drinks that don't require refrigeration in the
> garage. It might not be a safe temp. for things that require
> refrigeration but it keeps drinks cold enough to be suitably drinkable.
> This time of year we use the little fridge for excess room.
>
> Part of our problem now is all the insulin I use. That alone takes up
> most of one drawer in the big fridge. The only other things that ever go
> in the drawer are excess butter, margarine and flat packs of meat like
> lunch meat and bacon. Really nothing else would fit. I can't put the
> insulin in the little fridge because from time to time it will freeze
> inside. The little fridge does require defrosting. At the time we bought
> it there were no little ones that didn't require that. But because the
> freezer is only used for blue ice, I don't care if is icy. It's only a
> problem if the ice reaches the fridge.
>
> I would have loved a second large fridge/freezer but the only place we
> could put one is in the back house. Not only is that not convenient but
> not recommended because we do not normally put heat on back there. There
> is heat in the building and my husband will use it on occasion if he is in
> there. But most of the time during the winter it gets very cold in there.
> It is not recommended to put a fridge in a very cold room because that
> could cause the fridge to run too cold.
>
> In the garage is a chest freezer. An upright would have been preferable
> but it wouldn't fit in there. Again, we could have put an upright in the
> back house but again it wouldn't be convenient. The only small chest
> freezers we could find were not self defrosting. I don't know why.
>
> We didn't buy these because they were cheaper than the self defrosting.
> We bought them because they were the sizes that would fit in our house.
>
> My parents have an upright fridge with little crappy upper freezer in
> their laundry room in the basement. They bought is solely for drinks.
> When the whole family goes over there they need a wide variety of drinks.
> Each of us has our preferred drink. And they buy us each what it is that
> we like. Highly inconvenient to have to keep going down there for drinks
> though. I always sneak an extra one or two of mine into the fridge
> upstairs even though my mom has told me that is forbidden.
>

On Dec 31, 6:06*am, "Storrmmee" > wrote:
>
> blow dryer with a wet off switch.
>
>
Good gawd almighty, how stupid!

On Dec 31, 6:18*am, "Storrmmee" > wrote:
>
> no self defrost has nothing to do with cheaper at purchase, it has to do
> with not freezer burning the food, as to hording, stupid, non issue, when i
> was a child my father made far more money than i realized, we were raised to
> garden, bulk cook and husband resources through frugal shopping...
>
> lets not even deal with people who can't lift or drive so have to hire help
> and its cheaper to shop less often...
>
>
Since you seem to be incapable of trimming posts, I'll do it for you.
Now my question is, what the hell are you talking about???

On Dec 30 2011, 9:35*pm, Cheryl > wrote:
> On 12/30/2011 7:15 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Dec 29, 9:12 pm, > *wrote:
> >> My fridge is just about empty so time for an easy scrubbing for that
> >> beast. *The top freezer doesn't have much in it, so easy to scrub that
> >> out quickly. That one is self-defrosting.
>
> >> My downstairs freezer isn't a no-frost one, and it's been cold enough
> >> outside to think about putting most in a couple of coolers outside to
> >> get it done.
>
> >> What's your best method fordefrostinga freezer? *I usually use pots of
> >> boiling water, but this freezer is downstairs, the kitchen is upstairs..
> >> * *First time for this since getting the freezer.
>
> > I can recall having to defrost - ugh.
>
> > I used to put three large, dry skillets on the stove to get good and
> > hot, then I'd 'brand' the ice with the hot pan, rotating and sopping
> > up as the water formed. *Used to melt really fast. *This is quicker
> > than the hair dryer or hot water method.
>
> > Thank heaven for frost free.
>
> Sounds like an interesting idea. As clumsy as I've been lately (broken
> ribs) I'd probably burn myself. * *Actually, even my
> refrigerator/freezer unit is my first ever frost-free, and even sadder,
> my new oven is my first ever self-cleaning. *lol

My self cleaning oven feature died - and I don't miss it at all.

On Sun, 1 Jan 2012 10:55:26 -0800 (PST), Kalmia
> wrote:

>On Dec 30 2011, 9:35*pm, Cheryl > wrote:
>> On 12/30/2011 7:15 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > On Dec 29, 9:12 pm, > *wrote:
>> >> My fridge is just about empty so time for an easy scrubbing for that
>> >> beast. *The top freezer doesn't have much in it, so easy to scrub that
>> >> out quickly. That one is self-defrosting.
>>
>> >> My downstairs freezer isn't a no-frost one, and it's been cold enough
>> >> outside to think about putting most in a couple of coolers outside to
>> >> get it done.
>>
>> >> What's your best method fordefrostinga freezer? *I usually use pots of
>> >> boiling water, but this freezer is downstairs, the kitchen is upstairs.
>> >> * *First time for this since getting the freezer.
>>
>> > I can recall having to defrost - ugh.
>>
>> > I used to put three large, dry skillets on the stove to get good and
>> > hot, then I'd 'brand' the ice with the hot pan, rotating and sopping
>> > up as the water formed. *Used to melt really fast. *This is quicker
>> > than the hair dryer or hot water method.
>>
>> > Thank heaven for frost free.
>>
>> Sounds like an interesting idea. As clumsy as I've been lately (broken
>> ribs) I'd probably burn myself. * *Actually, even my
>> refrigerator/freezer unit is my first ever frost-free, and even sadder,
>> my new oven is my first ever self-cleaning. *lol
>
>My self cleaning oven feature died - and I don't miss it at all.

Betcha the oven lock contact is stuck... slam it open and closed a
buncha times.

On Dec 29 2011, 8:37*pm, wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:12:05 -0500, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
> >My favorite method is to have my wife do it. *My second favorite is to
> >use anything warm. *Boiling water is good, but hot water from the sink
> >helps too, if one is nearby.
>
> First method should be to buy a self-defrosting freezer. 8
>

For long term storage I prefer a freezer that maintains a constant
temperature. Temperature cycling means even my foodsaver bags open in
the regular freezer, causing freezer burn.

On 1/1/2012 1:14 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>> My self cleaning oven feature died - and I don't miss it at all.
> Betcha the oven lock contact is stuck... slam it open and closed a
> buncha times.

Last week, I cleaned the ovens before we moved out of the house. The
upper oven is self-cleaning, but the lower oven is not. I picked up a
can of oven cleaner at the dollar store and it worked like a charm, both
ovens are spotless. You never know how if your $1 purchase is a good
one, but this one was.

Becca

On 12/29/2011 8:12 PM, Cheryl wrote:
> My fridge is just about empty so time for an easy scrubbing for that
> beast. The top freezer doesn't have much in it, so easy to scrub that
> out quickly. That one is self-defrosting.
>
> My downstairs freezer isn't a no-frost one, and it's been cold enough
> outside to think about putting most in a couple of coolers outside to
> get it done.
>
> What's your best method for defrosting a freezer? I usually use pots
> of boiling water, but this freezer is downstairs, the kitchen is
> upstairs. First time for this since getting the freezer.

At work, our freezer was not frost-free, so I would use a blow dryer.
It worked. The ice would pull away from the walls and I would toss it
in a sink.

Becca