On Monday, August 4, 2014 4:11:05 PM UTC-6, Julie Bove wrote:
> "Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > I'm not sure how long it's been since the
>
> > last defrosting. I would have said at least
>
> > five years, but based on some recent discoveries
>
> > I might have to roll that back. Maybe 7 or 8,
>
> > but I can't rule out 10. Or more.
>
> >
>
> > I didn't want to do this. It's so much work
>
> > and a real mess. But the thermostat stopped
>
> > working. It wouldn't shut off. The day before
>
> > yesterday, I noticed some items from the freezer
>
> > were so cold my fingers were sticking to them.
>
> > Yesterday, I noticed stuff in the refrigerator
>
> > section were frozen. This is no good, I have
>
> > to fix it. I vaguely recall this happened
>
> > once before, and it was fixed by defrosting.
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> >
>
> > In recent years, I'd just chip away enough ice
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> > so I could get the door closed and keep a tunnel
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> > through the ice large enough for an ice cube
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> > tray, bag of frozen prawns, and bag of frozen
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> > potstickers. When I'd have extra ice cubes,
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> > I'd put them in a plastic bag to plug up the
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> > front of the ice tunnel, which seemed to work
>
> > fairly well for keeping everything frozen.
>
> > (The freezer door fell off a long time ago.
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> > The door I was referring to above is the main
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> > refrigerator door.)
>
> >
>
> > My handy method of defrosting is to put my
>
> > broom across the top of the fridge, use my
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> > laundry basket as a counterweight on the
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> > far end of the broom, use the handle (sticking
>
> > out over the front) to hang my big box fan
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> > in front of the freezer, and use the blast
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> > of air to melt the ice. I alternate that
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> > with chipping the ice out with a kitchen knife,
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> > oyster knife, or a 19th century English carpet
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> > stretcher I bought on eBay that works quite
>
> > well for chipping ice.
>
> >
>
> > My mom used to boil a pot of water on the stove
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> > and use hot water to defrost the ice. I've
>
> > tried that method, but I've always worried it
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> > might cause the Freon to boil and burst the
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> > refrigerator. It's also more work than the
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> > air blast method. Also, Mom only had to deal
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> > with much thinner ice layers because she
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> > defrosted much more frequently. For the last
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> > 30 years or more, she's had a frost-free
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> > refrigerator. Of course, no serious foodie
>
> > uses one of those.
>
> >
>
> > To my surprise, I found something plastic
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> > in the back of the freezer. I thought I knew
>
> > what was in the freezer, and it was all ice.
>
> > But no, there were two Zip-lock type bags.
>
> > One had what looks like fried rice. That's
>
> > got to be more that 5 years old. Closer to
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> > 10, I'd say. I can't remember the last time
>
> > I made that style of fried rice (with bits
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> > of fried egg in it).
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> >
>
> > The other had a couple pieces of chocolate!
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> > Could be Valrhona, I thought. Nope, even
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> > better! It was a piece of that Chocovic
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> > Trader Joe's used to sell. Could have gone
>
> > rancid over the years, but no. The first
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> > piece was okay, no hint of rancidity, but
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> > also not notable for the fruitiness that
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> > made the Chocovic so good. I ate the second
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> > piece, and it was the same, of course.
>
> >
>
> > I wasn't tempted to try the fried rice.
>
> >
>
> > I'm about halfway done. I haven't found any
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> > money or drugs, but it's not all melted.
>
> > Who was that politician who kept his bribe
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> > money in the freezer? If it was my freezer,
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> > the FBI never would have found it. So far,
>
> > while writing this posting, I've had to use
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> > my large sponge three times to transfer water
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> > collecting in the pool at the bottom to my
>
> > bucket. I dumped the bucket once, and it's
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> > about half full now. I should be ready to
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> > begin wrapping up in another hour or two.
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> > Just in time to begin making dinner.
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> >
>
> > Hopefully, this will solve the thermostat
>
> > problem. Wish me luck! Time sponge it out
>
> > again.
>
>
>
> I'm sure you know that isn't the way to defrost the freezer. They make a
>
> spray for that now. Works really well.

Please elucidate...never heard of this process.