PROTECC the fruit
June 23, 2019 10:40 AM Subscribe
Sometimes I forget that numbers have meaning and anyway I accidentally 2lbs of strawberries. THIS IS NOT A RECIPE QUESTION. This is about FOOD STORAGE.
I accidentally ordered 32oz of strawberries without that actually registering in my idiot brain as 2 entire pounds, and now I am awash in strawberry. This is great because I love strawberries and am excited to eat them every day for the next week; I don't need any help in deciding how to eat them.
HOWEVER. This is also terrible because my fridge behaves suboptimally where berries and similarly delicate stone fruits are concerned. In order for my freezer to be cold enough to suit my non-negotiable specific medical needs, the entire unit has to be turned down to fruit ruining levels of coldness. My berries always freeze solid within 24h of being refrigerated. I HATE THIS.
How can I protect strawberries and other dainty fruits from freezing solid in my fridge without sacrificing freezer coldness? There is no separate temperature dial for fridge or freezer, it is One Single Dial for both.
Here's what I've tried so far, with results parenthetical:
- swaddling the plastic clamshell box thingy like an infant with paper towels (froze overnight)
- leaving them out on the counter (moldy mush in 3 days)
- not letting the swaddled box touch the sides of the fridge or anything else in the fridge (froze overnight)
- not eating strawberries (sadness)
- turning the temperature of the fridge up enough to keep the berries from freezing (medically vital ice packs do not refreeze fast enough in migraine emergencies)
- varying the shelf on which the fruit is stored (it made no difference)
- putting them in the fruit drawer (they froze AND i forgot they were there for an embarrasingly long time)
I have absolutely no interest in making jam, baking a pie, or using these strawberries in any kind of recipe that will extend their fridge shelf life. I don't want to freeze them deliberately and eat them later, the slimy hideous texture of defrosted berries is a microaggression against me personally. If you give me recipes I will set my bees on you. Fear the bees and their fruitless wrath.
I accidentally ordered 32oz of strawberries without that actually registering in my idiot brain as 2 entire pounds, and now I am awash in strawberry. This is great because I love strawberries and am excited to eat them every day for the next week; I don't need any help in deciding how to eat them.
HOWEVER. This is also terrible because my fridge behaves suboptimally where berries and similarly delicate stone fruits are concerned. In order for my freezer to be cold enough to suit my non-negotiable specific medical needs, the entire unit has to be turned down to fruit ruining levels of coldness. My berries always freeze solid within 24h of being refrigerated. I HATE THIS.
How can I protect strawberries and other dainty fruits from freezing solid in my fridge without sacrificing freezer coldness? There is no separate temperature dial for fridge or freezer, it is One Single Dial for both.
Here's what I've tried so far, with results parenthetical:
- swaddling the plastic clamshell box thingy like an infant with paper towels (froze overnight)
- leaving them out on the counter (moldy mush in 3 days)
- not letting the swaddled box touch the sides of the fridge or anything else in the fridge (froze overnight)
- not eating strawberries (sadness)
- turning the temperature of the fridge up enough to keep the berries from freezing (medically vital ice packs do not refreeze fast enough in migraine emergencies)
- varying the shelf on which the fruit is stored (it made no difference)
- putting them in the fruit drawer (they froze AND i forgot they were there for an embarrasingly long time)
I have absolutely no interest in making jam, baking a pie, or using these strawberries in any kind of recipe that will extend their fridge shelf life. I don't want to freeze them deliberately and eat them later, the slimy hideous texture of defrosted berries is a microaggression against me personally. If you give me recipes I will set my bees on you. Fear the bees and their fruitless wrath.
How about a cooler and ice packs? It'd probably take a decent amount of monitoring to keep it in the right range, but should theoretically be possible.
If this is a common problem for you and you have the space, mini-fridges are cheap (particularly around back-to-school) and often available lightly used from students leaving dorms. Alternatively, a small standalone freezer (like a chest or upright freezer) for your ice packs and other things you want to keep very frozen might allow you to calibrate your fridge better for the rest of your food.
posted by mosst at 10:50 AM on June 23, 2019 [9 favorites]
If this is a common problem for you and you have the space, mini-fridges are cheap (particularly around back-to-school) and often available lightly used from students leaving dorms. Alternatively, a small standalone freezer (like a chest or upright freezer) for your ice packs and other things you want to keep very frozen might allow you to calibrate your fridge better for the rest of your food.
posted by mosst at 10:50 AM on June 23, 2019 [9 favorites]
Also, if you put the strawberries in a sealed plastic container lined with several layers of paper towel they will last longer in any fridge.
posted by rockindata at 10:50 AM on June 23, 2019
posted by rockindata at 10:50 AM on June 23, 2019
This is only spitballing as I haven't had a chance to try it myself, but I have been trying to problem-solve a similar situation and the next thing I'm going to try is putting the berries inside a thermal lunch bag thingy *with room-temp gel ice packs at least underneath* so the berries are not touching anything that's touching a freezer-cold surface.
It won't work forever, you'd need to swap out your room temp ice packs at some interval, and you'll have to find the balance line between "berries explode into solid slab of mold as if you left them on the counter" and "slimy semi-thawed disgustingberries".
Plan B: I have this tiny refrigerator which is NOT cold enough for the medications I had purchased it to store, I have taken it to hotels to keep some string cheese and pepperoni but I seriously doubt it's maintaining a dairy-safe 39 degrees, but it keeps a few diet cokes at a pleasantly drinkable temperature. You still might want one of those greensorber/dessicant things you buy for produce drawers as I've noticed it's prone to condensation.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:53 AM on June 23, 2019
It won't work forever, you'd need to swap out your room temp ice packs at some interval, and you'll have to find the balance line between "berries explode into solid slab of mold as if you left them on the counter" and "slimy semi-thawed disgustingberries".
Plan B: I have this tiny refrigerator which is NOT cold enough for the medications I had purchased it to store, I have taken it to hotels to keep some string cheese and pepperoni but I seriously doubt it's maintaining a dairy-safe 39 degrees, but it keeps a few diet cokes at a pleasantly drinkable temperature. You still might want one of those greensorber/dessicant things you buy for produce drawers as I've noticed it's prone to condensation.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:53 AM on June 23, 2019
Take the berries out of the clamshell. Wash them and dry them. Line a dry container with dry paper towels (if you use the clamshell, wash and dry it completely.) Put the dry berries in the container, in single layers of berries separated by layers of paper towels. Put the package in the warmest part of the refrigerator you can find (usually nearest the front.) The reason I have used the word "dry" so many times is that I find absolutely dry berries in a dry container stay edible for the longest time, and when they're wet they freeze more easily.
(Casting out a weather eye and trying to ignore that ominous buzzing noise: if the berries still freeze after all that, puree them in a blender (WITHOUT defrosting) with rum for a cocktail, or milk/soy/yogurt for a smoothie, to avoid the slimy texture of the defrosted berries.)
posted by Daily Alice at 10:53 AM on June 23, 2019 [4 favorites]
(Casting out a weather eye and trying to ignore that ominous buzzing noise: if the berries still freeze after all that, puree them in a blender (WITHOUT defrosting) with rum for a cocktail, or milk/soy/yogurt for a smoothie, to avoid the slimy texture of the defrosted berries.)
posted by Daily Alice at 10:53 AM on June 23, 2019 [4 favorites]
Best answer: OK, so my first thought was to wrap them in something -- paper towels aren't amazingly insulating, but can you manage something like a reverse thermal cooking bag? Wrap them in anything that's quilted or has two layers with loft between them -- I mean, obviously you can't like stick a duvet in the fridge, but do you have winter clothes that could serve this purpose? Basically, a bunch of layers of something that's intended to keep heat in, to limit the cold air that penetrates.
Or, going the reverse way: I assume NYC has reached it's usual summer state of 978% humidity and 80+ degrees, but what's the coldest part of your apartment like? Could you swaddle the berries in wet paper towels or dishcloths, and put them there to keep cool? Kind of make them their very own little self-contained swamp cooler.
posted by kalimac at 10:55 AM on June 23, 2019
Or, going the reverse way: I assume NYC has reached it's usual summer state of 978% humidity and 80+ degrees, but what's the coldest part of your apartment like? Could you swaddle the berries in wet paper towels or dishcloths, and put them there to keep cool? Kind of make them their very own little self-contained swamp cooler.
posted by kalimac at 10:55 AM on June 23, 2019
Oooh, kalimac is making me think - could you use an insulated lunchbag or small cooler INSIDE the fridge, so it's essentially keeping it warmer than fridge-temp? You could add a room-temp ice pack or something each day to add just a little heat if it's getting too cold, or crack it open if it's staying too warm.
posted by mosst at 10:56 AM on June 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by mosst at 10:56 AM on June 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
I have used an inexpensive styrofoam cooler for a similar problem and it did work. YFMV (Your fridge may vary)....
posted by mightshould at 11:01 AM on June 23, 2019
posted by mightshould at 11:01 AM on June 23, 2019
Experiment with insulated lunch bags, including tall, rectangular-shaped ones that fit on the warmer fridge door.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:04 AM on June 23, 2019
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:04 AM on June 23, 2019
If you have any kind of vacuum insulated thermos at all, a pint-sized stainless would be ideal, fill it with very hot water and put it in a bag or other confined space in the fridge with the strawberries wrapped in paper towels. You'd need to change the water every 24 hrs, I'd guess.
posted by jamjam at 11:23 AM on June 23, 2019
posted by jamjam at 11:23 AM on June 23, 2019
If the other options given don't work for whatever reason, maybe there's a neighbor or nearby friend you can ask to store the berries, in return for some percentage of them (or of something else altogether)?
posted by trig at 11:37 AM on June 23, 2019
posted by trig at 11:37 AM on June 23, 2019
Large cooler, small freezer pack. I freeze water or soda bottles with water, in this case maybe just a cup of water. Large cooler loses temp faster, so it should not freeze. A lot depends on the temp of your house. I would not wash them, but I would consider separating them into layers with paper towels.
I would try to eat them in 3 - 4 days, eating the riper ones 1st. Grocery strawberries are hybridized to be tougher and last longer. Most local strawbs are very tender and dont keep long and are tastier.
posted by theora55 at 11:51 AM on June 23, 2019
I would try to eat them in 3 - 4 days, eating the riper ones 1st. Grocery strawberries are hybridized to be tougher and last longer. Most local strawbs are very tender and dont keep long and are tastier.
posted by theora55 at 11:51 AM on June 23, 2019
Response by poster: I don't have any kind of cooler bags or boxes or whatever and I'm not going to go out and buy one at this point. I do have insulated silver paper freezer bags that my popsicles came in but i don't know that I want to start messing about with them as they are smallish.
Strawberries are washed and drying in front of the fan and will be swaddled carefully in hand towels inside of a large washcloth-lined tupperware, will report back on success/failure/death from fruit overdose.
I have definitely given a lot of thought to getting a small freezer just for the ice packs as it would most certainly be easier to have them right next to the bed for Bad Head Days but I know the sound of it doing freezer things would make me have an increased level of murder thoughts.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:06 PM on June 23, 2019 [3 favorites]
Strawberries are washed and drying in front of the fan and will be swaddled carefully in hand towels inside of a large washcloth-lined tupperware, will report back on success/failure/death from fruit overdose.
I have definitely given a lot of thought to getting a small freezer just for the ice packs as it would most certainly be easier to have them right next to the bed for Bad Head Days but I know the sound of it doing freezer things would make me have an increased level of murder thoughts.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:06 PM on June 23, 2019 [3 favorites]
turning the temperature of the fridge up enough to keep the berries from freezing (medically vital ice packs do not refreeze fast enough in migraine emergencies)
Is it the freeze, or the refreeze, of the icepacks that is the issue? If it's the refreeze, buy more icepacks so you can turn the fridge/freezer temp up to non-berry-ruining temperature and still have enough icepacks already frozen for migraine emergencies and can afford a longer refreeze of the used ones.
Apologies if there is some medical or storage reason this won't work but it seems like you have already tried all of the fridge/berry options!
posted by foodmapper at 12:10 PM on June 23, 2019
Is it the freeze, or the refreeze, of the icepacks that is the issue? If it's the refreeze, buy more icepacks so you can turn the fridge/freezer temp up to non-berry-ruining temperature and still have enough icepacks already frozen for migraine emergencies and can afford a longer refreeze of the used ones.
Apologies if there is some medical or storage reason this won't work but it seems like you have already tried all of the fridge/berry options!
posted by foodmapper at 12:10 PM on June 23, 2019
...I know the sound of it doing freezer things would make me have an increased level of murder thoughts.
I am a noted hater of sounds and learned from Wirecutter that the noisiness of fridge/freezer compressors is almost entirely a function of how small and how level they are. When I had a cube fridge, I used sticky notes to make it extremely level, kept it in my bedroom, and it made way less noise than any HVAC or fan I've encountered.
posted by bagel at 12:23 PM on June 23, 2019 [3 favorites]
I am a noted hater of sounds and learned from Wirecutter that the noisiness of fridge/freezer compressors is almost entirely a function of how small and how level they are. When I had a cube fridge, I used sticky notes to make it extremely level, kept it in my bedroom, and it made way less noise than any HVAC or fan I've encountered.
posted by bagel at 12:23 PM on June 23, 2019 [3 favorites]
I always store strawberries in glass mason jars because they keep much longer. I would try wrapping a mason jar in towels and placing in whatever the warmest part of your fridge is (the door, and either the top or bottom depending on freezer location). I would not make them wet/damp...I think that would make them spoil quickly.
posted by pinochiette at 12:24 PM on June 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by pinochiette at 12:24 PM on June 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
If you’re home and it’s not too much trouble, you could cycle the berry snuggling insulator towels every few hours, thereby re-encasing your berry tupperware in a cushion of warmer air. But I’ll also nth the styrofoam cooler recommendation. If you can approximate it with some kind of Russian doll nesting of containers, it’ll help.
posted by deludingmyself at 12:30 PM on June 23, 2019
posted by deludingmyself at 12:30 PM on June 23, 2019
From a physics standpoint, you need to delay the amount of time it takes for the temperature of the strawberries to reach equilibrium with your refrigerator, which means you'll need something that insulates them from the cold of your refrigerator (making it take longer for heat to leave the strawberries), and/or provides more thermal mass than the strawberries alone (providing another source of heat in addition to just the strawberries that would need to be dissipated). Insulated containers are probably your best bet, and you could add something like unfrozen cold packs or half-full ziplock freezer bags of water to increase the thermal mass, possibly even changing them out for warmer ones as they get cold.
I do think that looking at a separate fridge/freezer for your medical needs is probably a better long-term bet, as it's going to be harder to maintain a nice constant temperature for your strawberries with the advice above, so you'll be battling between keeping them from freezing and keeping them from spoiling from being too warm.
(This isn't part of your question, but another thing you could do to get your ice-packs to freeze faster is to wrap them in wet paper towels before freezing them, as the paper towels drying out in the dry freezer air will cool them more quickly. I use it to quickly chill beverages all the time.)
posted by Aleyn at 12:50 PM on June 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
I do think that looking at a separate fridge/freezer for your medical needs is probably a better long-term bet, as it's going to be harder to maintain a nice constant temperature for your strawberries with the advice above, so you'll be battling between keeping them from freezing and keeping them from spoiling from being too warm.
(This isn't part of your question, but another thing you could do to get your ice-packs to freeze faster is to wrap them in wet paper towels before freezing them, as the paper towels drying out in the dry freezer air will cool them more quickly. I use it to quickly chill beverages all the time.)
posted by Aleyn at 12:50 PM on June 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
If your Tupperware is big enough, make sure to pack them loosely and in single layers, because moisture will condense on them as they go from room temperature to refrigerator temperature and you want that moisture to be absorbed by the towels. Also if you can, change out the towels once a day or whenever you open the Tupperware (I realize this is much more of a pain for someone who is not using paper products and it is probably overkill in any case. But I speak as someone who used to buy strawberries from farm stands in gallon-size buckets and could usually keep them going for a couple of weeks.)
posted by Daily Alice at 12:51 PM on June 23, 2019
posted by Daily Alice at 12:51 PM on June 23, 2019
Here is something I didn't know before: washing accelerates molding, so don't wash fresh berries until just before eating.
posted by dum spiro spero at 12:52 PM on June 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by dum spiro spero at 12:52 PM on June 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: update after close examination almost half of them were already too ripe to risk refrigerating and i am now very burpy and unwell
posted by poffin boffin at 1:33 PM on June 23, 2019 [12 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 1:33 PM on June 23, 2019 [12 favorites]
Washing in a dilute vinegar solution, rinsing, and then drying completely helps fresh berries keep significantly longer, perhaps long enough to eat them all even if they're kept unrefrigerated.
posted by jedicus at 2:21 PM on June 23, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by jedicus at 2:21 PM on June 23, 2019 [3 favorites]
Put them in a ziplock. Put the ziplock in a bucket of water. Put the bucket in the fridge and change the water as needed. Assuming your fridge is not so cold as to freeze that bucket of water overnight the berries will never be below freezing temperature.
posted by zengargoyle at 6:06 PM on June 23, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by zengargoyle at 6:06 PM on June 23, 2019 [3 favorites]
The other sorta squicky thing... put the berries in a ziplock and store them in the tank of your toilet. It's the coolest place in the house and every so often the clean water being held in a giant ceramic container is removed and replaced with fresh water as cold as it comes out of the tap. It's pretty close to putting them in a pot and leaving them in a running stream or cooling off a watermelon or a six-pack by just dumping it in the cold stream.
posted by zengargoyle at 11:42 AM on June 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by zengargoyle at 11:42 AM on June 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: SCREAM the luxuriously betoweled tupperware fruit palace WORKED my fruits are ALIVE or at least not frozen solid, what a good. i also cleaned out the freezer of ancient frozen foods a bit so the cold circulation is better, so hopefully i won't have to turn it down so low to achieve optimal frozenosity.
posted by poffin boffin at 7:03 PM on June 24, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 7:03 PM on June 24, 2019 [7 favorites]
Response by poster: update one lonely strawberry subjected to terrible unethical experiments survived almost 2 weeks and remained delicious, thank you to everyone here for my most successful and productive askme in 11 years.
posted by poffin boffin at 8:57 AM on July 5, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 8:57 AM on July 5, 2019 [6 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by rockindata at 10:49 AM on June 23, 2019 [12 favorites]