HOME FREEZING 9 



be further reduced if a good home-built freezer is used. In comparing lockers, 

 small and large home freezing cabinets, and home-built freezers, Stout (13) re- 

 ported that the cost per pound for storage amounted to from 4 to 13 cents. On a 

 basis of economy, he pointed out that with freezer storage at 10 to 13 cents per 

 pound only high-priced items such as meats, poultry, and luxury foods in the 

 fruit and vegetable line should be stored. 



Atherton, Briwa, Foss and Dorsey (1) indicated that, on a basis of a 24-cubic- 

 foot capacity freezer costing $400, the cost of freezing and storing food would 

 range from 10 1/2 to 6 1/4 cents per pound, depending upon whether the freezer 

 was filled once or twice during the year. In this case the cost of the freezer was 

 written off in fifteen jears. Essentially similar data on the cost of owning and 

 operating a home freezing unit have been indicated by Wiant, Griswold, Barrows 

 and Blakeslee (21). 



The above discussion is presented as a guide to persons who are considering 

 home freezing in their food preservation program and who, by necessity or other- 

 wise, are concerned with its economic aspects. On the other hand, there are 

 groups of people who are not concerned with the expense of a new appliance, 

 either because they can readily afford it or because it will pay for itself in the 

 personal satisfaction derived from it. The above discussion would naturally not 

 be of particular interest to persons in the latter group. 



Freezer Operation 



One of the hazards in home freezing is overloading the freezer. In this case 

 the food may actually spoil before it is cooled to below 32°F. and frozen. For 

 this reason information should be provided on the maximum quantity of food 

 which should be frozen in a particular cabinet at one time. 



Power and mechanical failures must also be considered in the operation of 

 the freezer. The time it takes the frozen food to thaw depends on the size of the 

 freezer, the amount of food stored, the amount of insulation, and the temperature 

 of the room in which the freezer is located. In experimental tests Tressler, Evers, 

 and Long (16) reported that food in a well-filled 4-cubic-foot cabinet showed no 

 appreciable thawing until about 72 hours after the current was shut off. Larger 

 cabinets would hold products over a comparatively longer period. In case of a 

 power or mechanical failure dry ice may be placed in the cabinet to prevent the 

 thawing of the frozen products. Except for this, the cabinet should not be opened 

 during the shut-off period. If the freezer must be shut off for a prolonged 

 period for repairs, the food should be transferred, if possible, to some other freezing 

 facility such as a locker plant. 



According to Masterman and Lee (12), the cost of operating a home freezing 

 unit depends on the capacity of the cabinet, its construction, the refrigeration 

 unit, the surrounding or ambient temperature, the amount and initial temperature 

 of the food frozen, the efficiency of the refrigeration machine, the length of time 

 and the frequency of opening the cabinet, and the temperature which is main- 

 tained in it. 



Crowther (3), states that new, well-built cabinets with five inches of insulation 

 may use on an average the following amounts of electricity per month: 



Size of Cabinet Average Kilowatt Hours 



(Cubic Feet) per month 



2 40 



4-8 60 



10-16 100 



18-25 125 



