Hi there. There's a smell in my fridge, but all food is in date, and nothing's gone off recently. Does, "cold" have a smell?
Sometimes out of doors in winter it seems one can smell frost. But I'm not convinced this is true. Most likely one gets a thermal inversion and smells smoke trapped at ground level or something. But maybe one of the Canadian contingent on this forum can comment with more authority on this? If the fridge smells, it is not clean. Clean it thoroughly, paying special attention to the folds in door seals and the condensation panel and drain at the back. That should fix it. Unless it has gone mouldy at some point in the past, in which case you'll never get rid of it and may as well buy a new fridge.
You can get rid of mold with rubbing alcohol (expensive, but you get a nice buzz) or bleach (cheap, but unpleasant to work with). The best way to track down the odour is to empty the fridge, turn it off and let it come to room temperature. The smell is most likely water under the crisper. Wipe with a soapy rag the underside of all shelves and containers, as well as bottles and jars, before returning them. I have an an uncomfortably acute sense of smell, and all outdoor cold has ever done is hurt my sinuses. Refrigerator and freezer smells are due to something other than temperature.
Fat oxidizes due to air left in the bag. The water content sublimates, the fat oxidizes thus leaving that smell.
