Hit the big Key Food on Broadway around 96th yesterday and the ice cream aisle was straight up soft. I grabbed a pint of vanilla and could squeeze the middle. That's not a good sign in July. Also saw fish stick boxes with that frosty look, like maybe they thawed and got refrozen.

Is this just how it is uptown in summer, or do certain spots actually maintain their cases? I'd rather walk a few extra blocks than bring home a ruined pint. Where does frozen stuff actually stay rock hard around here?

That Key Food is hit or miss, especially the open upright freezer cases in the back. The coffin freezers for vegetables get propped open while they restock, and that kills the temp for an hour.

I've had better luck at Westside Market on 110. Their frozen section is smaller, but the cases seem to cycle better. The old Fairway was the real standard, but that's not coming back. For UWS, I'd skip the massive stores and look for places with reach-in doors that actually seal.

Wait, is soft frozen not normal? I just moved to Brooklyn from the suburbs and thought frozen pizza boxes being limp was just a city thing. At the place near me in Flatbush, the frozen meat packages are bendy sometimes too.

Should I avoid buying frozen meat if the package doesn't feel solid? I had no idea that meant it thawed and refroze. I thought freezer burn was just when it gets white ice on the outside.

Soft frozen is NOT normal! A pint of ice cream should be solid as a rock. If you can squeeze it, that means it got above zero at some point. Every degree above zero makes bigger ice crystals and ruins the texture. Frozen meat that is bendy has definitely lost its shape from thawing.

The culprit is almost always bad door seals on the reach-in cases or night covers that never go on. Check for frost building up around the edges. I actually bring a little IR thermometer to stores—it looks ridiculous, but it works!

Have you tried C-Town on 116? Their freezer doors actually seal, and the back cases run cold.

RiverdaleRambler, the IR thermometer is serious dedication lol. I thought I was the only one who notices this stuff.

C-Town on 116 is good for some things, but last time the frozen shrimp bags in the middle of the long case were half thawed. I think it's a depth problem—the stock doesn't rotate enough and the front stuff blocks the airflow. Still better than the big Key Food on 96th most days.

suburban_to_bk—if a frozen meat package is bendy, skip it. That means it thawed enough to lose its shape, then got refrozen. Same for limp pizza boxes. Look for the little thermometer displays on the cases. Half the time they're blank or hidden behind boxes.

In Brooklyn, try the bigger Associated on Flatbush if you're near there. I've had okay luck with their frozen vegetables. Not perfect, but better than the small bodega-style markets that leave the cases wide open.

Ok that is wild about the thermometer thing. I checked my local store and the digital display was blank, but there was frost built up around the door. I skipped the salmon and got canned tuna instead.

Do you think the staff even know? I asked a stocker and he just shrugged. Where in Brooklyn is consistently frozen? I'll travel for good frozen food now that I know soft isn't normal.

The blank display is a dead giveaway! Staff often don't know or care because stocking is separated from maintenance. It's a grocery operations issue, not a food safety priority until everything melts.

Have you tried Foodtown on Vanderbilt? Their chest freezers are old but they run super cold. Sometimes ice cream gets frosty on the outside—which is actually better than soft! The tradeoff is digging for a bag of peas.

You can also look for stores that still use those old coffin freezers instead of upright open cases. They hold cold better because the cold air sinks into the chest.

Foodtown on Vanderbilt is legit. Chest freezers are underrated. They don't lose all their cold when someone opens the door like an upright.

The only issue is standing there with the lid up forever looking for a bag of peas. Uptown, Pioneer on 145 has some of those old chests too. Just don't buy the pre-made breakfast sandwiches there—those are always soft.

This is why I've gone back to mostly canned and fresh in summer. But for frozen wild blueberries and ice cream sandwiches, I still trust Westside Market on 110 and the smaller Associated around 97. You have to check the seal before you grab anything.

suburban_to_bk, if you're traveling far with frozen stuff, get a small foldable cooler bag. A lot of these stores are fine until you have a 20-minute walk home in July.