If you're entertaining for the holidays, the refrigerator can fill up quickly. Luckily, many of us have extra refrigeration space at the ready this time of year – on the porch, deck or fire escape. It's not just for kegs of beer!
Most often, we see drinks being kept cold outdoors, but it works for food, too. A Chicago blogger at Food on the Dole recently mentioned keeping a pot of lamb stock out on the fire escape for two days, secured with a brick on top and checked occasionally for signs of critters. It made it through unscathed.
Of course, it might not be doable if temperatures drop too low – you don't want exploding champagne bottles or food frozen solid if you're going to be serving it soon.
Do you keep food or drinks outside in the winter?
Related: Survey: Do You Have More Than One Freezer?
(Image: Flickr user Ed.ward, licensed under Creative Commons)
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Haha! Yes, one very cold New Year's Eve I kept champagne and other alcohol out on my frigid balcony. Pretty sure the champagne exploded when I opened it and was slushy. Still tasted fine, but made one heck of a mess!
i dont do that anymore, after someone stole the beer out of our yard
My family has to be careful about theft as well, but with all of the snow, it usually stays pretty concealed. It's not Christmas unless someone is outside searching for Champagne in the snow banks!
Yes! We have only have a mini fridge and have to use the fire escape for food anytime we entertain.
Just keep an eye on the forecast. When several inches of snow fall mid-party, no one wants to step outside to grab more drinks
I love using the snow to quickly cool things after cooking as well such as cooked ice cream mixtures and boiled clementines for clementine cake. So efficient and free!
Here in Minnesota our balcony is used more as spare freezer space than fridge space! Works great for making extra ice cubes.
Ha ha ha! I have been waiting for the temps to drop enough to use my front enclosed porch as my extra fridge. Finally it's cold.... and my huge pot of soup can go out, along with a couple cases of beer & some wine.
Not since this (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/3120767122_7c96c2feb9.jpg) happened to our Raspberry Lambic :(
It's the one thing a cold climate is useful for. Throughout university, I kept my drinks and lunches cold by hanging them in bags outside a window. It looked a little ghetto, but it also kept them out of the communal fridge, which was a biohazard area.
i've been using snow and cold weather as my guest refrigerator for years.
I've prepared food and left it on the patio until its time to heat them up. (as long as the temperature is below 35 degrees)
My mom always cracked the whip on us kids on the coldest days to clean out the freezer and put everything outside so she could defrost it.
My best friend who lives in the French Alps has a tiny kitchen at her house, but as she says, "No matter - I have the world's biggest refrigerator right outside on my balcony!"
I used to do this every winter during college. We had to unplug everything during winter break, so that meant defrosting the fridge a few days before going on. So we would fill a few bags with anything we wanted to keep cold, and hang it out the window. It worked like a charm.
My mom does that all the time. She once treated a couple of pigeons to some delicious chocolate cake that way.
I wish! It's 76 degrees in LA today and I have a broken fridge...
I have a cooler on the front porch for CSA and milk deliveries which I use in the winter for making ice. Why take up room in the freezer with ice trays when nature will do it for me?
I wish it snowed so I could do that here.
Here in Ottawa Canada, it's more a freezer than anything (ie no drinks outside during the winter!). it's great for storing left-overs that you want to freeze.