A power outage can be aggravating, especially if your refrigerator breaks down, allowing your food to degrade quickly. However, having a clear strategy in place for what to do in the event of a power outage can save your food. Stay with us to learn some quick and easy strategies to save your products and your sanity the next time the power goes out.
Keep an appliance thermometer in your refrigerator
Appliance thermometers will help you check the temperature of the food in your refrigerator and freezer when there’s no power. Make sure that the temperature in the freezer is at or below 0°F and the temperature in the refrigerator is at or below 40°F. These are the temperatures that ensure the safety of your food.
Keep the doors of your refrigerator and freezer closed.
Freeze water bottles and use them to cool food in the refrigerator.
Freeze a couple of water bottles in the freezer and then use them to keep the food inside the refrigerator at 40°F or below.
Think of buying some ice.
Having a cooler may come in handy when you need to save food fresh out of the refrigerator. Buying some block ice or frozen gel packs can also be a good idea, especially when you realize that the power outage may last a long time.
Group foods in the freezer
As we mentioned above, the fuller the freezer is, the longer the food stays fresh in it. It’s better to try to keep your freezer full or at least group the foods in it together in one corner.
Freeze refrigerated food and leftovers
Think of moving the foods you may not need immediately from the refrigerator to the freezer to keep them safe for longer. These may include leftovers, fresh meat and poultry, and even milk.
Know which foods you can keep and which foods you need to throw away.
No matter how hard you try to keep the right temperature inside your freezer and refrigerator, chances are, it can eventually get higher if the power outage lasts long. It’s rather dangerous to decide which food is still good by tasting it. Here are some guidelines that will help you know which foods you can keep and which you’d better throw away after they were kept for more than 2 hours at a temperature above 40°F.
- You can keep hard and processed cheeses, butter and margarine, fresh uncut fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, peanut butter, jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, ketchup, olives, and pickles. You can also keep bread, waffles, fruit pies, fresh mushrooms, herbs, and spices.
- You should throw away: cooked or uncooked meat, poultry, seafood, soft or low-fat cheeses, milk and cream, cooked pasta, rice, potatoes, fresh fruits and vegetables, cooked vegetables, casseroles, soups, and stews.
See this chart for more information and remember the golden rule: when in doubt, throw it out!
