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Refrigerator

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Received a question about a bowl that was gifted. They want to know if it’s OK to keep it in a refrigerator. I told them probably OK, but I wouldn’t recommend it long term.

It’s a pieced bowl similar to the attached photo. Don’t recall the woods involved in their’s but know I used Titebond3 and Watco finish.

What are your thoughts about refrigerating?

Thanks,
Ron
 
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No! The fridge is a dehydrator. If you have food in it, the outside is trying to shrink while the inside is wet. It will create stress, and wood relieves stress by cracking. Plus, what ever is in the bowl will soak in much deeper.

robo hippy
 
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I wouldn’t let anything with oil or moisture set in bowl for very long. I suspect almost all bowl finishes are permeable unless it is thick epoxy.
 

Donna Banfield

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When asked by customers, (following a question such as that), my response goes something like this: “You can do anything you want with the bowl...after you pay for. But, I wouldn’t recommend it. Your bowl should never see the inside of any modern appliance - no refrigerator, oven, dishwasher or microwave.”
 

Randy Anderson

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Never thought about this one. I tell customers no to dishwasher, microwave and don't leave soaking in the sink but duh, never thought to mention not to set it in the frig full of wet salad or pasta. Will add to the list to tell them..thx.
 
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I'm not recommending these practices, just putting a couple data points in the conversation.

I sometimes put a bowl in the fridge with fruit or tomatoes in it. It's been the same bowl for several years and no problems. I also made some walnut plates a couple years ago, finished with walnut oil, and every once in a while I nuke it for 30 seconds to rewarm something. No problem with that either. Neither of these have any glue or joints, however.
 

hockenbery

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You can do anything you want with the bowl
My response is somewhat similar I always say “you can do anything to the bowl once but if you never submerge it in water, just wipe with a damp cloth, it will outlast all of us.”

When aske what a hollow form holds - my response is “dreams”
 

Timothy Allen

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At least around here where I am at, the trees we make our bowls from have spent every winter of their lives outside in temperatures well below those of a refrigerator, so my answer would be "sure, you can put a wood bowl in the refrigerator" -- but now I am gathering that people might want to do this with something other than just air in the bowl????
 

Roger Wiegand

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I have wooden bowls that live in my camper full time. That means they go from -20 (F) to 120 or higher over the course of a year. Nothing untoward has happened yet. What Bad Thing happens from chilling a piece of wood? I worry about high heat (having seen what happens to a guitar left in the back seat on a hot summer day), but it's never occurred to me to worry about cold. To an earlier point the relative humidity in most refrigerators (and manual defrost freezers) is quite high, approaching saturation.

I'm not sure where it came from. but my favorite quote about bowls is "If it won't hold soup, it's art!"
 

Donna Banfield

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I doubt many would store an empty wood bowl in the refrigerator. It's more likely the foods left inside that would cause the damage. And of course, it will never be the fault of the buyer/consumer. You should have warned them. That's why I warn them.
 
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