How do you use the Refir and Frig?

[therobesons]

The Galley on the 420 is so small that it is hard to get anything in and out of the freezer and the frig is not much better.

Have you made shelves, lanyards, or buckets or what?

Yes I am a big person, making it harder to get into the galley then open the doors to get something.

Any ideas?

 

[whatfiero]

to use the fridge

I was thinking about making shelves as well maybe that whit wire shelving the sell at home depot so you can see thru it to the next shelve just worried about it rusting over time

 

[KD3PC]

we used a series of baskets (dollar store/walmart) that held a bit less than 2 quarts. They were often organized by meal, or by content (condiments, zips of lunch meats, etc)

we had two plastic coated wire shelves that separated the fridge top and bottom as well as right and left (the left side was colder as it shared a wall with the fridge)

for the freezer, similar set up, but we had to use a ruler with a hook to retrieve things at the very bottom.

This on our 1991 P42.

 

[Benny17441]

Small galleys and top loader refrigerators do not provide the conveniences we may be used to at home. We attempt to get around the negatives by carefully planning how we load the refrigerator. We started preparing menus for our trips a long while back so we may know what we will be eating on the 4th day out before we pack. We also started to precook most of our meals in the convenience of our home kitchen. A set of plastic cannisters with tight fitting lids helps us to pack these meals in even size containers that can be stacked. What can be frozen will be frozen which also helps the running of the refrigerator. These containers can then be stacked in the order in which they will be consumed according to the menu. Eggs and items that do not require refrigeration are not placed on the refrigerator. We keep the beer in an ice cooler for the first couple of days and as we loose the ice and start to gain refrigerator space we move them over. By precooking not only do we simplify storage in the refrigerator but also on the use of the stove. Most of the foods can be heated on the microwave oven running on the inverter or generator. One way of dealing with uncomfortable spaces is limiting the number of times that we need to go into them.

 

[Bob 04 H260]

I see experienced cruisers using mesh bags to group like with like in a fridge/freezer. The colour of the bag can make it easy to pick out the salad from other veggies or cheese etc. and allow air movement within the box. Shelves also are a big help but should not restrict the movement of air. I am going to add a couple of small fans in our freezer and fridge.
Bob

 

[Buck420]

Freezer & Frig

The Galley on the 420 is so small that it is hard to get anything in and out of the freezer and the frig is not much better.

Have you made shelves, lanyards, or buckets or what?

Yes I am a big person, making it harder to get into the galley then open the doors to get something.

Any ideas?

Bob,

First, ditto Benny's comments, they are excellent... (although, we generally have enough refrig space that I don't need the cooler).

More specific to our boat ...
I rarely need to completely fill up my freezer, even on week to 10 day trips;
so I put a bag of ice in the bottom of the freezer, and try to arrange things in the order that they will be needed. That way you don't have to lean WAY over to get all the way to the bottom of the freezer....
But leave a some ice on top, in a bag... cause it's needed every evening.

RE the frig ... lower level, ... left side.. I load a 24 pack of beer cans (Miller Lite, etc), (stacked 2 high) and to the right (next to the freezer wall, where it should be coldest), four 1/2 gal juice (or milk) containers fit nicely....
filled w/ whatever you like.
Produce, eggs, and other larger stuff goes on top of beer.....
Don't worry, you WILL find a way to access the buried beer
Top shelf, things like smaller bottled water(s), cheese, yoghourt, and other smaller items.
By packing smart, you can easily get to what you need w/o any trouble.
Personally, on our boat, I don't find it necessary to use colored bags, or additional shelves ... but, as always, to each his own.

 

[redunculous]

Can anyone post any pics?

As strange as it sounds I find this a real interesting topic and I'm glad the robesons brought this up.

I find my freezer a bit of a pain, the fridge is front and top loading so not so much but I will add a shelf with a lip (probably a wire one for cooling)