Get a couple of boxes of Bisquick and some cheap protein powder. Start a campfire, mix the Bisquick and protein powder with water, put a glob on a stick like a marshmallow, and roast it in the fire. Boom- protein biscuits. You can even get fancy and drizzle some yogurt in it so it’s like honey cakes from lord of the a Rings. You can probably get 6 months of food on 1 shelf for under 100 bucks and not worry about storage temps.
It’s true that most bacteria stop reproducing at fridge temps.
But there are a few - notably listeria - that are happy as clams at around 40 degrees F.
He buys many boxes of different type cereal so he wouldn't get tired of just one kind. And, he buys instant milk. I know from experimenting and doing it in an emergency, that adding some powdered creamer to instant milk makes it thicker and taste like regular milk.
When buying instant milk, get the box with 1 qt. packages inside. If you buy a box with bulk instant and humidity get in the box it will turn into a brick, so get the boxes with packages inside. The cheapest price will be at Walmart as well as the cereal will be the cheapest there, too.
Now, think about how many types cereal there are. Look at those at the grocery and you see zillions of types. You wouldn't get bored with all those choices. They don't need refrigeration and will last a super long time. You will use a quart of instant milk before it needs refrigeration and/or you can make less than a quart at a time, just make the amount you will use for that meal.
If you have water, multiple boxed cereals, instant milk and powdered creamer, you can live a very long time.
For meat, I have canned meat. There is not a huge amount in a can so you will use it up before it needs refrigeration and that includes canned chicken. When I was into prepping years ago, I called the Hormel company. They said if the can seal isn't broken, the meat will last forever in the can.
At some time, after I started prepping, the govn. made companies put an expiration date on cans so the company was forced to put a date on. You will see a “best by” date which means the product will be at its ultimate best taste by that date but it does not mean the product is not good after that date. Due to what Hormel told me personally, their meat is good to eat regardless of the date put on there. Of course, if the can integrity is gone, like a crack in the can, do not eat it.
We don’t need quite as much meat as we habitually eat.
Fang & I have stored quite a bit of canned dehydrated food,
dried beans, peas & lentils, dried fruits & a bit of
regular canned goods (we keep it rotated as we’ve been
storing food ever since back in Y2K). We have a fairly
small organic garden, also fruit trees, grape vines,
mostly raise a few tomatoes, strawberries, pears & this
& that. We stored up paper products; but have mostly used
those up over time. Also vacuum sealed garden seeds. -
Don’t let storage get you down. Just chip away at it a
little every day or every week. Read other’s suggestions
& make lists of what you need as you go. - Enjoy your
life & do not let food storage become a burden. (People
used to cook their pork sausage patties & cover them
with the sausage grease from cooking.) Also, use your
sense of smell to determine if it’s safe to eat certain
foods. - We also cook on the woodstove during the winter.
I grew up on dried beans, potatoes & cornbread. - Give it
due attention & you won’t starve. - We also have a well
for our water source. It has sulfur; but we have gotten
used to it & it has diluted some.
That way, you won't lose your cool when you open it up.
Refrigerating warm chicken is a bad idea. Let it cool to room temp. And keep cooked meat and poultry separate from raw stuff.
I once owned a travel trailer with a three-way refrigerator in it.
While driving, it could be powered from the truck alternator, making it convenient to stop at service stations without having to make a prior stop to turn off the propane flame.
While camping in developed camp sites with electrical power, it would run on 120 volts, meaning there was no need to monitor propane or battery usage.
Finally, when camping where power was not available, it would run on propane.
After running it while parked in snow or in hot deserts, it became quite apparent that the refrigeration system was "open loop". It had a throttle which controlled how much heat was being pumped out of the storage box, but it lacked a feedback system to turn the power off or on based on temperature such as would happen with a home refrigerator.
We learned to decrease the setting while in warm environments to keep things cold and to increase the setting when in the snow to prevent freezing everything in the box.
One successful tactic for reducing the uncertainty of the results was to load the storage box with water containers as much as possible. Once cooled to the proper temperature these would act as a buffer preventing rapid changes in temperature. The bottles would slow down the cooling, so one had to plan ahead by cooling them early. Then they would slow down heating during hot days or when the door is opened. At the same time they would make it less likely that everything would freeze.
As others have suggested, you might need to add external insulation to preserve the cooling once it has been achieved.
I learned the hard way years ago that home refrigerators need air to circulate between the freezer and the non-frozen storage box in order to work properly. This especially applies to "frost-free" refrigerators, (Which is probably the only thing made these days.)
My frost-free fridge failed to defrost properly and the passage from the frozen food box to the non-frozen food area blocked up completely with ice. What a mess that was.
If your refrigerator is able to make ice, then it should be able to maintain a temperature much below 40 degrees. If it will not make ice, then I would be suspicious that it is malfunctioning. Realize that a refrigeration system is a heat pump. It pumps heat from the storage box to the outside of the refrigerator. You must make sure that the heat delivered to the external coils can be carried off and not allow the coils to be too warm. For example, it may be that your refrigerator is too close to a wall, reducing its ability to dissipate the heat pumped from the storage box.
Never had an issue storing foods. Trust your nose and you’ll be fine. For fridges and freezers pack every possible space with ziplocks full of water.
Thoroughly defrost the unit and the take the vacuum and with the point attachment suck all the dust and lint off the areas where the fan exhausts cooling air from the coils on the exterior. That should get you some improvement in performance. Also, keeping it a couple inches off the floor and away from walls might help, as will having it in the coolest, shaded area of the house.
I was told to keep bottles of water in my propane refrigerator, and to try and leave no empty space. The water holds the cold.
Also a lot of motor home owners put a little fan in the refrigerator to make it more efficient.
Lots of good info in this thread. Will try some of them.
Make sure the coil on the back of your refrig is clean and getting plenty of air circulation. After temp inside stabilizes.
Feel the coil. Will be hot at the top, slide your hand down the coil. Will get cooler. Bottom pass should be about room temp.
If so it has the correct refrigerant charge.
Hot to the bottom, leak.
Chest freezer was an excellent suggestion. Like ....
http://www.sears.com/kenmore-3.5-chest-freezer-white/p-04612402000P?prdNo=10&blockNo=10&blockType=G10
or for another $20 a 5 cu ft.
It’s necessary - IMHO - to ignore the crux of your question and go to the root of the matter: Gut health. In drafting my book I’ve become aware of an epidemic sweeping the population and, as such, the ‘prepper question’ mandates ensuring intestinal health inasmuch as the very food supplies you seek to inventory. I believe the rising incidence of food poisoning reports is not evidence of ‘dirty food’, but of weak immune systems. I also believe the so-called ‘epidemic of disease’ is a consequence as well.
If anyone truly vested in ‘being prepared’ has a combination of these symptoms, educate yourself and fix your gut:
• Acne or other skin problems
• Anxiety, panic attacks, feeling “blue”
• Blurry eyes, eye teaming problems, eye fatigue, floaters, burning or tearing eyes
• Brain fog, poor concentration, feeling ‘spacey’ (confusion)
• Chills, cold feeling in your extremities (cold feet/hands, turning up the heat regularly)
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth, bad breath
• Ear itching, infections, pressure, swelling or tingling
• Fatigue/extreme lethargy especially after eating
• Food sensitivity/allergies
• Food cravings, increased hunger
• Frequent urination
• Gut symptoms, including: Abdominal cramps alleviated by bowel movements, flatulence, generally heinous, heartburn, indigestion, irregular bowels; diarrhea or constipation, painful bowel movements, IBS
• Hair follicle inflammation (candidiasis folliculitis) of various parts of the body (feet, legs, arms), hair loss
• Headaches
• Hyperactivity, attention problems
• Insomnia
• Irritability, mood swings
• Joint swelling and aches, upper back pain/shoulders/neck, lower back pain
• Light-headedness
• Libido problems
• Memory problems, confusion
• Menstruation irregularity, endometriosis, PMS, flushing, night sweats
• Muscle coordination problems, muscle weakness and muscle/tendon pain
• Nutrient absorption problems, malnutrition, need for vitamin supplements
• Sinus problems, post nasal drip, sinusitis/sinus congestion, sinus irritability, seasonal allergies
• Skin autoimmune conditions (eczema), yeast infections, dandruff, dry skin, dry heel cracking rectal itching or athletes foot, extremities numb, burning or tingling sensations, White coated tongue / Oral thrush
• Symptoms worse after starches and/or sugars or foods containing them
The irony is that most people experiencing many of those symptoms have been doing so for years and have rationalized them as ‘normal’, just as I had done.
Think about it: If your gut isn’t as healthy as your inventory, an intestinal illness will kill you long before the food is gone. As you cite about historical food storage: People survived even when there weren’t refrigerators. I believe that’s telling.
.02
Be well.
For each 10 degrees centigrade(not fahrenheit) you raise the temperature, you double the rate of an organic chemical reaction. Conversely, for each 10 degrees centigrade you lower the temp, you cut the rate of the chemical reaction in half.
As for the poorly working old refrigerator: Check the Freon. Make sure the coils are clean. Check the gasket around the door perimeter that seals it
Spices actually often act as a preservative. If you look at the world, the areas where people prefer spicy food are also very warm: Mexico, Louisiana, Southern Italy, Spain, certain provinces of China, India, etc. Yet, in colder climates, the food is usually bland (to me). It has been theorized that when food got too hot and became spoiled, people who preferred spicy food survived and passed that preference on.
Maybe this will sound crazy to everyone but you. I would bury a large picnic cooler. Use a couple of carpet rugs to cover the lid when it is closed to help insulate it. Use ice inside. Make sure you get one with a low drain plug so you can get rid of the water when the ice melts. If you bury it well with insulation it could suit your needs.
my guess is that you need more air circulation inside the refer:
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=refrigerator+fan+battery+operated
Look at the fridge and make sure of two things. 1) keep a very good air flow to the box. 2) make sure the heat exchange coils are clean of dust / dirt.
Those are your no cost options.
Other things I have seen people do. 4” plastic tube from the basement with a small fan to move the basement cool air up to the fridge location. Usually looks ugly, does not cost much.
Consider replacing with a PROPANE (yes, propane) Refrigerator (assumes you have a propane tank /supply). They tend to run $2,000+ but are great long term investments.
Consider replacing with a high efficiency fridge designed for lower voltages. http://www.sunfrost.com/all_efficient_refrigerator_models.html