That time a lamb shoulder taught me to always double check the freezer temp

Was prepping for a big holiday order last December at the shop in Austin and pulled out a 25lb lamb shoulder that felt kinda soft. Thought maybe it was just defrosting weird. Cut into it and the smell hit me like a truck - whole thing had gone bad because our walk-in had been sitting at 38 degrees for like two days. Had to toss it and refund a customer $180. Now I check that thermometer dial every single morning before I even grab a knife. Anyone else had a fridge fail on them during a busy week?

2 comments

2 Comments

coran636d ago

Did you end up checking the thermostat calibration after that? I had a similar thing happen with a freezer full of ground beef for a taco joint I used to work at. The digital readout showed 0 degrees but the actual temp inside was like 15. I bought a cheap wireless thermometer with a probe that sits in a bottle of water and it emails me if the temp goes above a certain point. Saved my butt a few times since then. It's worth the $30 just for the peace of mind especially during busy weeks.

the_wyatt6d ago

@coran63 yeah the calibration was way off on mine too lol. ended up grabbing one of those wifi probes and it's been a lifesaver every time the compressor cycles weird.