What to do with Food in a Power Outage?

[dlester Profile]

Does anybody have any ideas on how to protect your food in the event of a power outage? I have an extra fridge in the garage and a good bit stored up from good sales. I would love to hear about any ideas that you guys have to save your stash.

A generator is just too costly so I am looking for alternatives.

Thanks
Dionne

[klw Profile]

They say that if you keep the doors to the fridge and freezer closed, your food should be good for 24 hours before it could start to spoil. Other than that, if you have a grill you could cook the meats as they become thawed and hopefully by then the power would be back on so you could keep the leftovers in the fridge, or you could invite your neighbors over.

Karen

[sprchk Profile]

One tip I've heard is to take up extra space in your freezer with filled water bottles or freezer packs. In the event of a power outage, they will help keep the food cold longer.
And of course don't open the freezer door any more often than is absolutely necessary.

[prendermac Profile]

We used to have frequent power outages during storms. When a big one was coming- I would take out the items we used the most (milk, juice, butter, jelly, cold-cuts, yogurt...) and put them in a cooler. This way we could still access them without having to open the fridge door.
In warm weather, I would wrap my garage freezer in quilts to keep it colder.

After 24 hours- start grilling baby! Block party!!!!
(check with your homeowners policy- you may be able to collect on it if you have a low deductible and you keep a list of what you have to throw out)

[Vicky Profile]

Donate to a food shelter for a tax deduction and/or just for a good deed.

[clippyclippy Profile]

(check with your homeowners policy- you may be able to collect on it if you have a low deductible and you keep a list of what you have to throw out)

Might want to take pictures - considering the value of a couponer's freezer stockpile it might be hard to convince the insurance company without proof.

[dlester Profile]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. The good news is that it will be less than 32 degrees outside so that will definitely help to keep things cold int he garage.

Hopefully if the power does go out it doesn't last for too long.

[Mussakka Profile]

We always keep the fridge and freezer tightly closed to keep what cold air is inside. If you don't open it, most refrigerated things will last 24 hours and the freezer, depending on its volume, could possibly make it up to 48.

What my grandmother used to do was put food outside on the porch (it was screened in). As long as it's under 40 degrees and not in direct sun, it's just as cold as a fridge. I do this with easy to spoil things like milk and sandwich meats, plus convenience things like bottled water, soda, etc. Folks with a garage could use that, provided the temperature is correct. I think most refrigerated food should be kept under 40 degrees to prevent or retard spoilage.

[Birdy Profile]

I agree with people saying to put food on a porch/in a garage/outside. Its been cold enough here that its perfectly safe. My parents live up north and they use an unheated mudroom (its kind of a random addition on their house, too small to be a porch, and built on the exterior of the house) as a cold storage room in the winter, regardless of power outages. Lets them stock up and save on energy bills!