Special Flavoring

[rspears]

I'm not sure what brought this to mind, and it's kind of long but it's one of those stories that keeps coming back at family gatherings, and one that some of you might identify with.

A nephew got married, and as we were helping clean up after the reception there were a couple of dozen fancy cupcakes left over and my wife boxed them up, knowing that they can be frozen and defrosted for use later, good as new. Like many of you we have an older refrigerator in the garage, which is said to be "The Beer 'Fridge", but which also becomes the overflow 'fridge and that's where the cupcakes ended up, slid into the top freezer section in their cardboard cartons.
Now fast forward about six months, we're having a family dinner with all the kids, grand kids, and the nephew & his bride so my wife has pulled out the cupcakes, telling the bride that "...these are from your wedding, saved for a special occasion." A couple of people were eating one of the fancy cupcakes when my gearhead son takes a bite of one and announces in a loud voice, "These taste like car exhaust!!" At that point the bride said, "Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but I didn't think they tasted the same."
During that six months I had been doing a LOT of cold start tuning on the '33, trying to get my Injection vs Coolant Temperature correction curve nailed down, and having a devil of a time with it. I always had the big double door open, but many times the garage was hazy with overly rick exhaust fumes hanging in the air. It seems that a modern frost free refrigerator circulates the air throughout, using the freezer section to cool the refrigerator section and drawing in "fresh" air, too. The cake and icing had been bathed in unburned hydrocarbons for six months or more, and they were indeed a "special" flavor.

Of course, every time we're all together and it's time for dessert someone makes a comment, either "Now this hasn't been in Roger's Beer Fridge, has it??", or just "...remember those cupcakes??" We're careful now to only store things in bottles, cans, or sealed containers - NO CAKE ALLOWED IN THE BEER 'FRIDGE!!

[MelloYello]

LMAO - - - Sherlock would have been proud of your mystery solving, Roger, it's still better than exhaust fumes that smell like Beer, eh?

Em

[34_40]

Not sure what triggered the memory or what prompted you to share that one... but I'm glad you did!

That was a good story! And one of those that will remain in the family history for years to come... 8-)

[cffisher]

I did that once from painting a car in the garage. Mama was not happy at all.

[MelloYello]

So the solution is NO food in the Shop Frig only Beer, right?

[rspears]

So the solution is NO food in the Shop Frig only Beer, right?

Food in sealed containers is OK, especially if it might go with Beer? And to be clear, this is the Garage Fridge. The shop is in the pole barn, and the 'fridge out there is one of those little mini units one of the kids had in their college dorm room, only big enough for maybe a six pack or two??

[36 sedan]

Moral of the story; You can't have your cake and eat it too...............

.

[Bob Parmenter]

Don't think that will get you a segment on a Cooking Chanel show Roger.

Not as good a story as yours, but you reminded me of one. My bride saved the top layer of our wedding cake for that old tradition of cutting into it on the first anniversary. It languished in the freezer for that year, removed and carefully thawed, and then the big moment....................................................................ta dah! A well frosted block of decorators styrofoam.

[Dave Severson]

Similar to lunch at the dragstrip on Sunday when the guy running the grille happened to spill a bit of fuel on his hands while fueling the car----We call them E-85 Burgers!!!!!!

[Hot Rod Nick]

Cool story, thanks Roger. It also brought back my own memories of flavors and smells that trigger other old memories.