Kitchen

[joann1218]

Does anyone have this? Thinking of buying and would like to know how good it is. Thank you.

[m0rgan]

They said they were new yesterday on the presentation.

[Deadeye Daisy]

Not new. Q has been selling them for years, but with different patterns.

Have been using ThermaFreeze for many years. Got on to them when one of our online prescription companies started shipping refrigerated Rx with several of the 4 X 6 cell ones. Have never gone back to regular gel packs or blocks.

If you're not interested in the patterned ones, you can usually get for much less from other vendors, Amazon, or even direct from the company. All mine are plain white ones.

Just remember after soaking to dry them THOROUGHLY on both sides BEFORE freezing and NEVER over soak them. They are filled with the same tiny hydro beads that are used in garden soil, Cool-Danas and the like. Soaking too much can make them expand too much when frozen, causing leakage.

If you're not sure if you've hydrated them sufficiently and have a postal scale, weigh a soaked sheet. A 10" X 15" sheet (4 cells X 6 cells) will weigh 24 oz (1 oz per cell) when correctly hydrated. The smaller sheet (7½" X 10" - 3 cells X 4 cells) will weigh 12 oz. The long one (6 cells X 16 cells) should weigh in at 96 oz or 6 pounds. When correctly hydrated, the cells should look like little plump ravioli.

Because of the many configurations sold everywhere, it's hard to compare prices by the sheet. Best way to compare - divide the total cost with shipping and tax by the number of 'cells'.

The ones currently selling on Q have a total of 264 cells. If you buy one set, cost per cell is about 10½ cents each. If you get two sets with reduction in shipping and item cost, cost per cell is around 9½ cents each. I've gotten them for under 7 cents per cell from other places.

When initially hydrating, freeze for several days. After that, refreezing overnight will usually suffice. Word to the wise, don't bother to try to freeze in tiny hotel refrigerators. They don't freeze fully.

[Monketoes]

I have some. they work fine

[debic]

I have the older unpatterned ones also. Wonder if they improved them so you can't over soak? I don't like putting them on the bottom as the gel can ooze out if stuff is too heavy. Also unless raw meat is sealed, they get nasty if the blood drips into them. I mostly stack them on the top and don't use with raw meat that's not in a container. Learned my lesson.

[Deadeye Daisy]

ALWAYS use ANY kind of cold packs either on top of or around food or on the sides of a container, never on bottom. Cold never 'rises'. It only goes down.

[Naturesbeauty]

After soaking I put mine in a zip lock bag.......this way if they leak it doesn't leak on whatever you use them with.......I like the re-usable ones sealed in plastic better. They are available at most stores. You don't have to soak them they are filled with water just freeze, they look like a sheet of ice cubes.

[Deadeye Daisy]

I prefer ThermaFreeze to the gel cubes, especially when traveling by air. (You can't board a plane with ANY type of gel cubes or packs, even if frozen).

I pack the ThermaFreeze (dry) in my carry-on. As soon as I get to my hotel, villa, ship, train or wherever we're staying, I rehydrate, dry and place in large Zip-Lock bag with room, cabin or compartment number.

They put in freezer for me. This way, I have cold packs for the next three weeks for day trips, picnics or whatever. Hotels and ships have no issues with freezing the packs. I've had them frozen in the biggest hotels, as well as the smallest pensions. Same with large cruise lines and small river boats.