Why is it at this time of year everything that plugs in wants to go wrong?? Now its my fridge freezer, is it true that perhaps fridges don't work well in garages as the room is too cold?
I cant seem to get the temp low enough in the fridge despite turning it down (not sure which way is down as have no instructions! dial is 1-5 so guessing 5 is coldest?? bosch fridge freezer). Only discovered when I took the turkey out and it didn't feel very cold plus odd smell, but this may have just been packaging. Have checked with a temp probe in a glass of water and it says 8'c the milk said 6.9'c but was on bottom shelf.

This, the washing machine and mouse problems (computer mouse) is certainly trying me at christmas!!

Oh no that sounds like the turkey is history ? :-(

Have you people coming round tomorrow ?

The higher the number the lower the temperature. I worked in a lab of a factory which made mainly yog but cream also & the fridge temps are one thing I had to learn well. The best temp for a fridge is 4 degrees.

Some freezers and fridges don't work AT ALL well in cold rooms/garages. This was a problem I had in my old flat which had an unheated kitchen (also an extension with 3 external walls). Took me ages to work out why it was happening, then a friend got a new freezer and read the 'destructions' which stated it will not function properly if the room/garage drops to below 12C.  Obviously that was what was happening with mine (both were secondhand, gifted from friends).

However there's been a mini disaster here this week too, I bought a fresh turkey from Tesco on Monday with everything geared to it keeping til 26th, but thought the fridge seemed not as cold as it used to be. I whacked it up to full volume (5 on its scale) and stuck two thermometers in the fridge, to my shock it was no colder than about +10C in there Turkey needed to be kept between -2 and +4C ... panic panic, no room in the freezer either (full of dog food!) so turkey was fostered out to a neighbour til today!

Can't blame this on a cold kitchen.... well it is, but mum's had this fridge at least 10 years, so I think it has simply come to the end of its life. In fact I remember last year it would freeze things if it got turned too cold by accident, which it certainly ain't doing now!

mmm thats probably why fridge not cold then!

Well I washed turkey and put on clean plate, smelt fine once out of bags but haven't used the giblets just in case. I will cook it very well and check the temp before removing from the oven.

happy christmas everyone, if i dont write for a while you'll know i have food poisoning!!!!!!!!!!!!

I believe it is the new kind of enviro-friendly fridges/freezers that have this strange cut-out below a certain temperature.... Something to do with CFCs. So if you have a centrally heated home, which uses energy, you can have an CFC-friendly fridge... but you can't if you don't have a hot home or want to keep it in a shed.... lol...

Learnt my lesson now - I wouldn't buy a freezer unless it was suitable to be kept in a garage, and I wouldn't go for a FF combination. Most under counter fridges are OK... it's when you get a FF combination and the freezer part grinds to a halt in cold weather, the fridge bit decides it also can't be bothered.

Turkey: Washing usually helps, it's surface bacteria making the smell, and providing it's properly cooked afterwards there should be no problems :)

I would boil up the giblets for a while... then you can use the stock for gravy, or remove the neck after boiling [bones] then doggies can have a special stock to go on their dinners. As they cope better with bacteria than we do, I'd just give them the giblets raw anyway.... I raw feed so I'm confident, but I do understand others may not be.

Merry Christmas and here's to a good dinner tomorrow :) *clink* *clink*

> I'd just give them the giblets raw anyway....

I bought a turkey larger than we need and dissected it making a crown for us humans and the dogs are getting the legs and wings etc raw for their dinner...
Spoilt or what!

> mum's had this fridge at least 10 years, so I think it has simply come to the end of its life.

Is that all...our larder fridge was 27 years old when it packed up last year & the freezer which has been kept in the garage for the last 11 years, is about 30 years old & still working fine...apart from one of the springs on the lid went about a month ago so is heavyish to lift & comes down with a slam!!

Things that are made these days, just arent made to last though, as it's such a throw away society

well its in the oven, no smell unless i get really really close to it. I think I've just very paranoid about it and the fridge temp in the garage but thats only got drinks in now.

I do raw feed but was panicing about the whole thing being off i chucked the neck. My gravy wont be instant stuff but not made from scratch, helped with gravy powder.

have a lovely day x

> I bought a turkey larger than we need and dissected it making a crown for us humans and the dogs are getting the legs and wings etc raw for their dinner...
> Spoilt or what!

If it was me the crown would go to the dogs and the legs and wings for us, as I don't like turkey breast much, OK if in a stew.

Mine got most of the giblets parsons nose, ends of the legs and wing tips raw, on their grub last night but OH was greedy and wouldn't let them have the separately bagged/vacuum packed liver.