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Always worthwhile to check your fridge on occasion

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    Always worthwhile to check your fridge on occasion

    Thermoworks stuff is So Much Fun.

    Just picked up their fridge/freezer temperature unit for no good reason whatsoever, other than "why not, it's on sale!"

    Our freezer is set to -2 on the control panel. I *think* we're in range. (fridge temp looks reasonable)


    I'm thinking of casually bringing this along to dinner parties just to play the "guess the actual temperature of the host's fridge/freezer at the end of the evening" game.

    It's fun for the whole family!
    Attached Files

    #2
    on the other hand, should I be concerned about the -9? Just monitor it over a period of time, perhaps?

    Ice seems okay, nothing overly frosted over.... We're in and out of the freezer a few times a day for ice and whatnot, so it's a bit different than a chest freezer temp would be.

    Speaking of, what temp should a stand-up freezer in a garage be set to? That'll be my next test.

    Comment


      #3
      Freezers- 0-F

      I like my fridge 34-36-F

      Comment


      • Michael_in_TX
        Michael_in_TX commented
        Editing a comment
        Same here. Setpoints are 0 F for freezer and 34 F for fridge. It should be noted, of course, that temps inside the fridge/freezer will vary. The lower third is roughly where my unit hits its target temps, whereas near the top shelfs it will be a few degrees higher.

      • Dewesq55
        Dewesq55 commented
        Editing a comment
        I would love my freezer to be -4F. That way you can "pasteurize" fish for sashimi and sushi. But I don't think most domestic freezers will reliably stay that cold, especially if you go in them often.

      • Attjack
        Attjack commented
        Editing a comment
        I keep my light beer in the back where it's super cold.

      #4
      oh, that’s your actual fridge for food…..sometimes I think my wife is trying to get our house thermostat down to those temps 😂

      carry on….

      Comment


      • Jerod Broussard
        Jerod Broussard commented
        Editing a comment
        Too funny, can't stop chuckling. Summer east Texas with wife- $640+ electric bill; after wife- $146 electric bill

      #5
      Panhead John The FDA recommends 40 for fridge temps, and ServSafe backs that up with their "keep under 41 degrees" documentation. By no means am I suggesting your personal target is incorrect; merely pointing out the FDA value as one source of guidance.

      That was just a snapshot of my temps at that moment. Over the course of the day, we saw temps closer to the -2 in the freezer section, and closer to 38 in the fridge. I'm going to guess something something is cycling the temps. As long as we don't see 45 or higher....

      Bright side: temps are at least in the officially recommended zones, so that's good.

      Comment


      • Jerod Broussard
        Jerod Broussard commented
        Editing a comment
        The problem is if things get sideways, you are already at 40, and you don't want food over 40 for more than 2 hours. But yeah, you good. Check out Bruce Tomkins.

      • jfmorris
        jfmorris commented
        Editing a comment
        Actually, the FDA recommendation says to keep your refrigerator "at or below 40F". I try to keep mine around 35-36F. That way if things do warm up when the door is open for a couple of minutes, the food still stays below 40.

      #6
      The freezer should be below zero and the fridge needs to be below 41. Anything over 41 is unsafe. You’re a bit too close to the danger zone in my opinion. I wouldn’t want my fridge to be anything over 40, preferably below 38.

      Comment


      • bbqLuv
        bbqLuv commented
        Editing a comment
        ComfortablyNumb Good beer is better served cool and not cold.
        For ice-cold beer, I stick my finger in it until it reaches the correct temp.
        "And away we go!"

      • Panhead John
        Panhead John commented
        Editing a comment
        Mr. Luv, if you’ll see the number of likes Mr. Numb got, I’d say most people prefer cold. Sorry.
        Last edited by Panhead John; August 31, 2021, 01:56 PM.

      • Dewesq55
        Dewesq55 commented
        Editing a comment
        bbqLuv - I like my Guinness at "cellar temperature" around 50*F. Lagers and pilsners I prefer pretty cold - Less than 40F

      #7
      WillTravelForFood How do you like that thermo? Thinking about getting one, but the reviews on Thermoworks sight have a lot of people complaining about the probe cable being too short. You? I did a quick chat with Thermoworks to ask if the unit itself can live in the fridge and was told it's supposed to be on the outside. However, in the Q/A section someone asked that and the Thermoworks response was that it can be inside or outside.

      Comment


      • WillTravelForFood
        WillTravelForFood commented
        Editing a comment
        It's designed for industrial/professional kitchens, I'm sure. For home use, I could see the cables being a bit problematic for a permanent installation.

      • jfmorris
        jfmorris commented
        Editing a comment
        I think on my fridge(s), the 3 foot cables would make it hard to reach the fridge AND the freezer, since my fridge in the house is a side-by-side. On the top or bottom freezer models, I can see it working well if you are able to run the 3 foot probe wires under the door gasket, and hang the unit on one side of the fridge.

      • WillTravelForFood
        WillTravelForFood commented
        Editing a comment
        @jfmorris: exactly, the cords are about 3ft. If you can reach both the fridge and freezer section from one side of the unit, then the cables will be fine. For a side by side unit, well.... I guess you'd put the unit on top of the unit and string the cords down the left or right side as needed? Not exactly practical for long-term use, but perfectly usable for an overnight check.

      #8
      I kind of like the idea of this one, even though you have to open the door to see the temp. It would mean no wires to run:

      Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.

      Comment


      • Rod
        Rod commented
        Editing a comment
        I'm debating that one too. I'd want to get two of them though as I'm interested in seeing temps in multiple locations of the fridge only. That's why I was asking about whether or not you can put the unit RT8100 in the fridge in case the cables are too short.

      • WillTravelForFood
        WillTravelForFood commented
        Editing a comment
        Rod - you can put both sensors wherever you need to. If both are in the fridge section, you could monitor for those different temps. (I didn't read the instructions to pay attention if one probe was intended for freezer-specifically or not)

      • Rod
        Rod commented
        Editing a comment
        WillTravelForFood I was talking about the actual thermometer, not the probes themselves. I'm sure there is no differences in probes.

      #9
      About all the 'fridge too warm comments' - keep in mind a few things... a) fridges cycle, b) temps vary inside the fridge. The lower shelves of mine are closer to 35 than 40. The upper? not so much, they're closer to 40. Same for doors vs close to the sides.

      While the digital thing is nice, you can get cheap stick on analog thermometers which I have in a couple of places.

      Comment


        #10
        Rod if you just want to check your fridge and freezer with a couple of probes, but don't need a permanent setup, I just checked, and my Smoke has a working range down to -55F. That thing runs for years on a set of AA batteries, and has magnets. If you have something like that, and aren't cooking with it, it would be a good way to check the temps for a few days on your fridge and freezer. In fact, I may do that now, as I have 3 fridges, and have been wondering where they are sitting, temp-wise.

        Comment


        • Rod
          Rod commented
          Editing a comment
          jfmorris I do have a Smoke and that's a good idea. However, I do want it to be permanent. Too bad you didn't mention this earlier as I already ordered 2 of the RT615s. Your tardy response is my excuse.

        #11
        Since I know a few of you were concerned about the previously posted 40 marker, here is your fridge temp update from overnight (two probes in fridge):

        37 and 38 degrees.

        Comment


          #12
          Originally posted by rickgregory View Post
          While the digital thing is nice, you can get cheap stick on analog thermometers which I have in a couple of places.
          Perhaps, but they're not nearly as much fun.


          (have one sitting in the back of the fridge, and I wasn't happy with what it was showing - hence the discount double-check with something I trust is more accurate)

          Comment


            #13
            I have that Thermoworks model that you have, WillTravelForFood . I purchased it after Huskee recommended it on another topic.

            It works just fine. I only use it on my freezer, though. It's an upright standalone freezer and typically runs at -7 to -9 deg most of the time.

            On my analog freezer thermometers, the "safe" zone is noted as 0° to -20°. I use analog thermometers in my fridges and side-by-side freezer. I check them every time I open the door. Two per unit, placed on the upper and lower shelves. Both fridges are kept at 34 to 36 degrees.

            Since I'm not opening the big standalone freezer as much, the Thermoworks thermometer is great for me to check without having to open the door.

            That freezer is packed pretty tight, no matter how much food I take out of it and cook. I cook the food and freeze the leftovers. Or I cook the leftovers, rejoice at the space that has opened up, then buy more meat. Hence the consistently jammed-full situation.

            I've reached a steady state with it, foodwise.

            Anyway, that thermometer gives me great peace of mind.

            Kathryn
            Last edited by fzxdoc; September 1, 2021, 07:06 AM.

            Comment


              #14
              I have come so close to getting one of these.....and came very close after the Big Freeze this February. One of these models Thermoworks makes will tell you the time that a unit was above where you wanted it to be.

              My hesitation is that I'm concerned that the probe wire will get in the way and/or not work with the door seal correctly.

              Comment


                #15
                As fzxdoc mentioned I use the same one and I love it. It beeps if you get out of bounds in your temps, which is useful in the event of a failure that you're unaware of, or as happened to me last summer w/ my spare fridge, the frost gets out of hand and it clogs the vent and the fridge temp starts skyrocketing while the freezer temp plummets to -double digits. I also have a single-probe one on my regular fridge, just can't be too cautious I guess.

                Comment

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