How to Keep Foods Cold During A Power Outage

Here in the U.S. we are pretty lucky.  Power outages are rare, and usually resolved fairly quickly, but every once in awhile, inclement weather or freak accidents can knock out the power for a lot longer than expected.  Since it’s no secret how much I DESPISE food waste, it’s probably no surprise that it’s the first thing on my mind in the event of a power outage.

First, at any given time I have 2 to 4 plastic milk jugs filled with frozen water in my freezer.  In the event of a long term power outage, they serve to keep the food colder longer.  It is KEY not to open you fridge and freezer unnecessarily during an outage.  It allows the cool air to escape, and speeds up the thawing process.

Installing a thermometer inside your fridge and freezer is also a great idea.  During power outages, food that has stayed at least 40 degrees or colder can be safely refrozen.  If you don’t have a thermometer inside the appliance, you will have to individually take the temperature of each item.  I don’t know about you, but that would take me forever.

As a rule of thumb, if your power is out longer than four hours, you’ll probably need to throw out refrigerated perishables like deli meat, milk, poultry, etc.  That is a sad, sad waste of food, so if possible, you may want to consider loading them into a cooler with blocks of ice or dry ice  or into the freezer {if they are available}.

Perishable items can safely be left out for 2 hours, so any items you can’t find room for in the fridge/freezer/cooler should become dinner.  Weather permitting, make it a BBQ night, so that you can properly prepare the food without electricity.

What precautions do you take to save your food during power outages?

~Mavis