
Flesh Made Wood: The Invention of Artificial Refrigeration (2014) - benbreen
http://theappendix.net/issues/2014/4/flesh-made-wood-the-invention-of-artificial-refrigeration
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Jedd
I grew up with a fridge in the home, but my parents certainly did not have
electronic refrigerators growing up -- perhaps not the most profound
difference in our worlds, but certainly up there.

The ability to reliably, safely store perishable foods in quickly usable form
for weeks, or (only slightly less conveniently) freeze for many months, is
hugely significant, and it's easy to underestimate the cultural impact.
Similar to the electronic / mechanical washing machine, I suspect.

I've always assumed a fridge is a fridge, albeit some have fancy doodads like
cold water dispensers, ice makers, etc. However, I've just started looking at
a new fridge in earnest, and discovered it's way more complicated now than
just the cold bit (2-4C) and the frozen bit (-18C).

I'm looking at a device now that has 5 separately doored areas, with each area
adjustable, some by up to 15C difference, for combinations of temperature and
humidity, with 'barely frozen' for slightly longer than fridge storage,
different _types_ of fruit/vegetables, things that need to be rapidly frozen,
etc.

I'm starting to wonder if I have the competence to drive such a machine.

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1e-9
One of the possible benefits of the increasing use of refrigeration in the
United States during the early 1900's was a rapid decrease in the stomach
cancer rate, which appears to be largely due to the decreasing use of nitrate-
based salts for meat preservation. Stomach cancer was the leading cause of US
cancer mortality in 1930. The stomach cancer death rate dropped by a factor of
2 from 1930 to 1950 and kept on dropping until it is now about one-tenth of
the 1930 rate and isn't even in the top-ten list for cancer mortality. In
countries where highly salted foods are still prevalent (e.g. Japan and South
Korea), stomach cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death in spite of the
increased use of refrigeration.

~~~
dcx
What might be some examples of Japanese and Korean foods which use nitrate-
based salts for meat preservation? I assume meats marinated or cooked with
high levels of regular salt are not what you are referring to? This looks like
a gap in my knowledge on healthy eating. I'm based in an Asian country and
Google was not very forthcoming on this topic.

~~~
1e-9
Pickled vegetables and salt-cured fish appear to be the most significant
culprits in Asia. Also, both high levels of regular table salt (sodium
chloride) as well as high levels of nitrate have each been linked to stomach
cancer, so it doesn't have to be a nitrate-based salt to be of concern.

[1]
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2682234/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2682234/),
[2]
[http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/21/6/905](http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/21/6/905),
[3]
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4291998/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4291998/)

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sparkpeasy
Artificial refrigeration and air-conditioning also serves as a handy proof of
work for all the cities that in fifty years will have newly hot climates
battling scorching temperatures and partially underwater.

[https://www.wired.com/story/this-scary-map-shows-how-
climate...](https://www.wired.com/story/this-scary-map-shows-how-climate-
change-will-transform-your-city/)

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Scaevolus
Perhaps more significantly, refrigeration and air-conditioning allowed
previously inhospitably hot regions to increase in population and
productivity.

[https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/thermal-
delight/](https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/thermal-delight/)

