When we first bought this house, there was (is) a cold storage room in the basement. I used it for all my canned and boxed groceries. We used to buy a LOT more than we do now (3 kids at home then, none now), so I would run out of kitchen cupboard space. When I bought groceries, they would automatically go into cold storage.

Now that it's just my husband and I here, it's used as regular storage of 'stuff'.

I would think it would be great for anything with wheat in it to avoid those bugs that materialize. Pastas. cereals, flour, etc.

I’ve never had a problem here with bugs but have yet to assess food storage in the new kitchen so good that I have the cold room. I was just wondering if it would be too humid to keep boxes and bags of grains and flour. Canned goods would be fine as just well as some root vegetables.

What do you all mean by "cold room"? I'm picturing a walk-in pantry that is kept at 50-ish degrees -- is that correct?

My house was built in 1940 and has what the owner called a "Canning Cellar" -- a small room off the basement. It has shelves and a cement floor. As far as I can tell it stays about as cold (low 60's in winter) or warm (mid 70's in summer) as the rest of the basement, so I'm not real sure if it was any better for storing home canned goods than anywhere else in the basement.

I wonder how cold it will stay if there are two refrigerator units running there - they create a fair amount of heat in a room.

I would think any food that is in a sealed container against moisture would do well in a cooler room. I’d for sure have a good supply of emergency food and water stored there.

How cold is the cold room? My cousins in Denmark had one that was a perfect temperature for storing the butter, ham, fruit, jellies. It was right off their kitchen. Where is yours?

And I agree, running the appliances in there might warm it too much for that. But for storing staples etc, it would be fine.

Provogal-- Provo as in Utah? I'd think there'd be tons of local info about "cold rooms" and food storage if you are in Utah, what with the LDS influence. Is this cold room the same as what would be called a walk-in pantry elsewhere? If there's a 'fridge, I'm guessing the room is not naturally chilled. It sounds really interesting, regardless.

My son's house in Minnesota has a basement room intended for food storage. The house is about 130 years old and very small, but at the time I imagine families needed to really make sure they had food stored in the home for winter. His basement stays cool enough to extend food life, but warm enough not to freeze in winter, which is also important. The built in shelves are very, very sturdy. He also makes his beer and sauerkraut in that room. He makes his own breads so he buys 50-pound sacks of flour, but I don't know if that goes in the basement room or not.

How big is your cold room? Does it have or will you put in shelves?

How about your slow cooker, mixer etc. kitchen appliances you don't use ever day? I have bins in my "hot room" right now, LOL, that is my shed in the back yard. In the summer a hot room, in the winter a cold room. I have yarn and fabric stored in the bins out there, besides the usual garden tools.

arkansas_girl: Cold room = cold storage room. No insulation. Cement walls, cement floor. No heat. I've actually used it to thaw my turkeys out. Even in the summer, it's nice and cool. Mine is under my staircase in the basement. It's like a pantry in the basement. You can store fresh veggies that don't need refrigeration in there too. Best place to store potatoes. My friends parents had black dirt in a box in theirs, and stored all their potatoes in it. They kept fresh a looong time.

I'm going to guess provogal lives in Canada.

I don't know if some variations of his shows are still being shown, but there's a Toronto-area general contractor named Mike Holmes who has had a series of TV shows about building and remodeling on cable stations. Holmes on Homes was one of them. He's become quite a local personality.

Among the many things I learned was that there are certain peculiarities of Canadian construction compared to US techniques and one of them is "cold rooms". These were very common in older houses but I'm not so sure about newer construction. Sometimes under the front porch, sometimes in the basement, these were areas for food storage. You can imagine with how cold winters are in Canada, arranging for "cold storage" isn't too hard a task. Such cold rooms are not common in general construction in the US, except maybe something like root cellars in farmhouses, etc.

Is having one useful these days with larger refrigerators and less home grown food to store? I wouldn't think so.

Oh man I loved Holmes' show! He went in and fixed bad contracting work and showed how things should be properly done. It used to be on HGTV, and I think there's a show of his on DIY Network now.

And I would think any pantry products would benefit from cool storage - spirits too.

Provogal, you can buy an inexpensive digital hygrometer/thermometer at Walmart or any hardware store. If there isn't one already in the room, you should know the temp. and humidity levels.

A cold room would be fabulous! I store all of my dry goods in airtight containers, so humidity wouldn't matter very much. I love the idea.

I’d keep my wool clothes in there to protect them from moths!

Veggies'll stay fresh longer, especially if stored in paper rather than plastic, where the the high moisture causes faster deterioration, but even in plastic containers it is slower than in a warmer location. In paper rather than bare also, to reduce circulation of air.

I was going to suggest that yoou get a hygrometer, so that you can be aware of the humidity levels - often you can get a combination with a thermometer, which will allow you to be aware of the changes in those levels from season to season.

Once you get used to the additional storage choices, I think you'll be pleased with the extra options.

ole joyful

My cold room is in the basement below the front slab porch. I believe it is uninsulated hence the cold. I think the appliances are meant for that space. They are a European brand and quite short and narrow. I agree getting a hygrometer/thermometer for the space. These owners were so focused on storage. There is also a large walk in cedar closet for our out of season clothes. I love Mike Holmes too. He is an institution here.

Yes, I am Canadian from Mississauga near Toronto. Provogal refers to Providenciales (Provo to locals) in the Turks and Caicos BWI where we have a condo and spend much of the winter off and on.

Thanks for comments and suggestions.

I had a cold room in a previous house. Running appliances with warm motors defeats the purpose. Think of the room as a refrigerator itself.