Cool storage

I have air conditioning, but I like it hot. My A/C is usually set at 81°F if it's on at all. My kitchen is generally hotter than that.

As it turns out, there are a whole host of things that are unhappy at this temperature. I long ago discovered wine is one of those things, so I have one of those reach-in wine chillers.

I have a basement but it's inhospitable for storing anything. It might be suitable for growing mushrooms but I hesitate to attempt that because it might be so hospitable for that they might take over.

So the solution was a second wine cooler. Filled with non-wine.

I removed half of the shelves and covered the remainder with sheets of plexi-glass and now have a 55°F storage space for chocolate, popcorn, seeds, nuts, anchovies, potatoes, bagels, garlic, onions, and shallots.

The Peltier-based wine chillers are inexpensive, use very little electricity, and work great for this purpose. Highly recommended!