Frozen

Freezing happens when the temperature of a (food/drink-)item reaches sub-zero degrees celsius or sub-32 degrees fahrenheit. (frozen) food items will no longer spoil.

Outdoor freezing can be caused by cold weather.

Certain foods will turn mushy the first time they are defrosted, and rotten when they are defrosted a second time. Eating a mushy food item also has a -5 morale penalty.

Heating up frozen food

There are several ways to thaw food, you can increase the ambient temperature with a fire, or place the food in a different Z-level which has higher temperature. (Often cellars are cold not freezing).

You can also use a tool with the "food cooking" quality, such as a hotplate, or even a pot or pan if there is a nearby fire to de-thaw your food. activate the tool. You can also heat the food up to being (hot), which usually improves the morale bonus from the food, if you don't get a morale bonus by heating this food, there is an option to stop heating after thawing the food.

An Integrated Toolset can also be used to heat up frozen foods.

Morale effects

Depending on the food type, there are some effects on morale and temperature, some foods are better eaten hot, others better eaten cold. The food will mention these effects in the description. Water is better drunk cold for example. A lot of other foods will turn mushy after being frozen once, which has a -5 morale penalty.