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Islandmike · 04-01-2007, 03:12

If it is an off the shelf Thermometer, make sure it is calibrated to get an accurate reading. You can do it yourself by placing the thermometer in a glass of ice water, distilled, and dont let the bulb touch any ice or the bottom of the glass. You can then read the temp, which should be 32 F or 0 C at sea level. if it is not you can use whatever it reads as a bench mark. That should be close enough for government work.

hellosailor · 04-01-2007, 07:29

Wasn't Glacier Bay making some high efficiency boxes for boats? "When sized to match the heat load, the box air temperature will be 10o F higher than the eutectic solution (+26oF refrigerator, -12oF freezer). "
Trimline Hybrid Plates

Sounds like that should be a zerooF box to me.

Sean, there are organizations in nearly every state that are set up to ensure anything you can legally hunt, can be donated to feed the hungry in that state. Including whole or partial deer. Whoever issues the state hunting license should be able to give you contact information, and the NRA should also be able to find that out for you.

And remember, if you see any deer wearing an explosive vest and a burnoose...open season, no license required.<G>

ssullivan · 04-01-2007, 08:01

Interesting response. It seems that we all have differing information on this. Gord's link says bacteria will grow between 0F and 32F. I have read that it will not, since there is no water (the water is solid). I was told that the decomposition of the food in a freezer (anything below 32) is due to enzymes that break it down, causing it to loose texture and become less than tasty and nutritious. I also was told somewhere else that it is the fats that remain unfrozen above 0F that contribute to faster decay as a result of enzyme activity, not any bacteria. Gord's source is reputable. I read mine on a University reasearch site the other day. Are there any biologists on the site that can put the question to rest?

Unfortunately, we gave up ice cream long ago (makes us too fat!) so that's not a worry.

Just preserving meats in the freezer for long periods is. Maybe I should can all the meat up if we are looking to preserve for extremely long periods.

For clarity, I am using this refrigerator:

http://richbeersmarine.com/plwatercooled.htm

with these holding plates:

Hold Over Plates

As I said before, the thing is super efficient, in that it only runs when I do my daily recharge of batteries. It uses excess genset power, so it's essentially free energy for me that powers the refrigerator. It is a hog of 120VAC energy, but just a drop in the bucket during the genset run. Efficiency is certainly a quality it has. I'm just more concerned with understanding actual science here, since the USDA guidelines are written for the um... low end person who wouldn't follow all the talk about the little critters and compounds in their food.

HelloSailor: Good tip about excess game meat. I plan to hunt smaller game for the most part, so I don't waste any, but I'll certainly look into the various programs before I ever hunt for larger game. BTW: I've never taken an interest in hunting until I started experimenting with living "off the grid" and as far outside of society as possible. For anti-hunters out there, I'm doing it for food instead of going to the grocery store. Not for sport or thrill. Just to eat.

04-01-2007, 08:15

Gord, (ROTFLMAO) Finall, something new to do with a drunken sailor!

hellosailor · 04-01-2007, 08:24

Sean, you may be surprised. Between the prices of license for out-of-state hunters, and the time it takes to find Bambi...then don't forget the time it takes to, ah, repackage Bambi...The supermarket isn't such a bad way to go.

ssullivan · 04-01-2007, 09:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Sean, you may be surprised. Between the prices of license for out-of-state hunters, and the time it takes to find Bambi...then don't forget the time it takes to, ah, repackage Bambi...The supermarket isn't such a bad way to go.

True, but it's not always easy to find good game meat in the supermarkets. Plus, the freshness aspect... it's like the difference between some caned peas from Del Monte and picking a pea pod out of your garden and eating it. No comparison.

colemj · 04-01-2007, 14:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kai Nui

...Why don't the big manufacturers take out one or two of the "sleeps 10" berths in these new 35-40' boats, and install a big, well insulated freezer?...

Yeesh! How big of a freezer are you thinking about that would take up one or two berths?!?! I think Manta did a decent job on their freezer. The box is 10cf divided 6/4 for fridge/freezer. Some have reversed this to have a 6cf freezer instead. Still couldn't stuff in a whole deer though...

Mark

ssullivan · 04-01-2007, 17:17

Manta did do a good job on the freezer. That was one of the best setups I've ever seen. Mark had it all tricked out with digital thermometers you could read right next to the access doors.

gosstyla · 05-01-2007, 09:13

Glacier Bay has a paper on their website that indicates appropriate temperature for various foods - don't know if it is valid.

ssullivan · 05-01-2007, 09:36

Good thinking, gosstyla.

This link:

Food Storage Temp

provides a chart for "long" and "short" term storage of various foods and what temp they should be at. According to this chart, I can store everything on the list at the temps in question. It would seem accurate, since I do in fact store ground beef (or venison) for a month wihtout any issue.

**Alan Wheeler** · 05-01-2007, 11:39

Quote:

Hellosailor said...then don't forget the time it takes to, ah, repackage Bambi...The supermarket isn't such a bad way to go.

Yeah but people get nervouse when you enter the super market with a rifle. Plus the "bang" is darn loud indoors ;-)

So I know 32F is freezing point and is 0C, but what is 0F in celsius??

Auspicious · 05-01-2007, 11:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

what is 0F in celsius??

0°F = -19.4°C

C = (F - 32)*5/9
F = C*9/5 + 32

Islandmike · 05-01-2007, 12:47

wouldn't 0 F be -17.7 C, the formula I have always used is C = (F-32)/1.8 (1.8 is the same as 5/9), but it seems to come out different. That would = -17.7 C. But then again what the hell do I know?