# Please, tell me you can't do this! (Warm Refrigerator) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733 "2008-06-12T23:11:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/1 "2008-06-12T23:11:12Z")
I can’t believe I’m even asking this… but… my roommate is just plain crazy. I think. Our fridge is on its way out. It is colder than the ambient temperature, but only just. Certainly not the 40 or 45 degrees necessary to store meat safely in a refrigerator. So. She bought a huge hunk of beef not quite two weeks ago. It has stayed in the fridge. It’s like a big roast-thingie from which steaks etc. can be cut. I am not a frequent beef eater (the real guards keep chasing me away & won’t let me wear their hats! ho ho) so it’s been awhile since I looked at the thing. Last night, I thought I’d have a steak so I pulled it out and Lo! It was _actually green_. Not fuzzy, true enough, but _very green_. Also it stank to high heaven. Long story short, my roommate, (who in point of fact has almost no sense of smell) insisted on keeping part of it. She cut off the outer 1/3 of it, the greenest part, and kept the inner part which still of course smells like “don’t eat me!” I know you can do that with cheese. And I know she spent quite a bit of money on that roast. But for the love of Og, Dog, or the FSM, please tell her that it is NOT OKAY to eat that meat!!! Thank you, brujaja ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/2 "2008-06-12T23:25:51Z")
40-45[sup]o[/sup] is not cold enough to store meat. It is the beginning of [The Zone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_zone_%28food_safety%29), and that meat is now toxic waste. Refrigerators should keep food between 32-35[sup]o[/sup]. Freezers should keep food close to 0[sup]o[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/3 "2008-06-12T23:28:38Z")
My brother lived in Spain in the early 70s. IIRC he said they liked their meat “blue,” which is what we call “(slightly) spoiled.” ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/4 "2008-06-12T23:36:00Z")
Okay, “blue.” But, “green”?! The Wiki on “aged beef” says that it is kept just above freezing. Our fridge is maybe 55 or 60 degrees. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/5 "2008-06-12T23:37:52Z")
[Aging Beef - Dry Aging The nearly lost art of the great steak](http://bbq.about.com/cs/beef/a/aa030301a.htm) It’s done at about 35°F, not the 50° of your busted fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/6 "2008-06-12T23:39:28Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] 40-45[sup]o[/sup] is not cold enough to store meat. It is the beginning of [The Zone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_zone_%28food_safety%29), and that meat is now toxic waste. Refrigerators should keep food between 32-35[sup]o[/sup]. Freezers should keep food close to 0[sup]o[/sup]. [/QUOTE] Yep. Though, it should be mentioned that some Irish butchers often claim that certain cuts of beef aren’t aged properly until they “have a beard”. The beard being mold. They’re aged at around 35-37 degrees, or thereabouts. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/7 "2008-06-12T23:44:31Z")
[QUOTE=brujaja] Our fridge is maybe 55 or 60 degrees. [/QUOTE] You no longer have a refrigerator. You have a humidor. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/8 "2008-06-12T23:52:58Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] You no longer have a refrigerator. You have a humidor. [/QUOTE] Oooh, they could start curing Italian salumi. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/9 "2008-06-12T23:54:30Z")
[QUOTE=Labrador Deceiver] Oooh, they could start curing Italian salumi. 😉 [/QUOTE] Ding-dangit, **Lab**. Now I’m hangry. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/10 "2008-06-13T00:42:28Z")
\ Clarified thread title. \ ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/11 "2008-06-13T00:58:54Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] Now I’m hangry. [/QUOTE] I just found the mythical Third Word! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mwbrooks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mwbrooks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mwbrooks)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/12 "2008-06-13T02:29:40Z")
[QUOTE=brujaja] Our fridge is on its way out. It is colder than the ambient temperature, but only just. Certainly not the 40 or 45 degrees necessary to store meat safely in a refrigerator. [/QUOTE] Side issue here: check the fan on the fridge’s compressor coil. I had a fridge once that was doing that. I found a dessicated mouse caught in the fan blades. I pulled it out and the fridge started working fine again. No, I did not take that as an opportunity to try mouse jerky. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/13 "2008-06-13T03:11:27Z")
Just thought I should add this: If your roommate is going to buy large sections of beef like this in the future, She should break it down into smaller pieces, wrapped in butcher paper. Then, she should freeze what she isn’t going to use in the next week or so. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/14 "2008-06-13T03:28:53Z")
I say the roommate should go for it. Seems to me that when she eats it she’ll get the education on food safety she presently lacks. Either that or you’'ll learn the diffreence between slightly tinged color & truly spoiled. Either way, Ignorance is Fought. Win-Win situation, I say. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/15 "2008-06-13T04:42:25Z")
[QUOTE=brujaja] Okay, “blue.” But, “green”?! The Wiki on “aged beef” says that it is kept just above freezing. Our fridge is maybe 55 or 60 degrees. [/QUOTE] Methinks that beef has sufficiently aged to buy booze and vote. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/16 "2008-06-13T04:50:19Z")
[QUOTE=brujaja] Long story short, my roommate, (who in point of fact has almost no sense of smell) [/QUOTE] I’ve known two people who had no sense of smell, and it turns out that both of them had brain tumors. I know that sounds scary, but I’m just saying it could be the sign of a real problem. Especially since this person is seriously considering eating visibly rotten meat. Frankly, I would not eat anything stored in that refrigerator that I would not eat stored in a cupboard. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/17 "2008-06-13T05:09:45Z")
By the way, if the circulator fan in the freezer compartment has failed, that can lead to premature icing of the coils, and reduce/block flow of cold air to the refrigerator compartment. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/18 "2008-06-13T05:35:05Z")
[QUOTE=Tamex] I’ve known two people who had no sense of smell, and it turns out that both of them had brain tumors. I know that sounds scary, but I’m just saying it could be the sign of a real problem. Especially since this person is seriously considering eating visibly rotten meat. Frankly, I would not eat anything stored in that refrigerator that I would not eat stored in a cupboard. [/QUOTE] Some people just don’t smell very well. Two of my BIL’s are perfectly healthy, they just don’t have a good sense of smell/taste (hey, my eyes don’t work right, why not the nose?). I have known one of them to eat bread from a moldy loaf (hopefully a different part of the loaf) without even noticing. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/19 "2008-06-13T09:18:54Z")
[QUOTE=dangermom] Some people just don’t smell very well. [/QUOTE] No kidding. In high school I once sat behind a kid who always farted and behind one with halitosis! ---
**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/20 "2008-06-13T10:16:27Z")
[QUOTE=dangermom] Some people just don’t smell very well. [/QUOTE] From wiki on hyposmia: > [@](#): > > It is estimated that up to 4 million people in the United States have hyposmia or the related anosmia. So it’s 1 of 76 Americans has impaired sense of smell. Quite common, apparently. **bbs2k** - some unlucky individuals have hyperosmia - enhanced sense of smell :eek: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733.md?page=2)