Power Outage! How Long Will My Food Keep?
To determine if food is safe to consume when there is a power outage, there are several important rules and criteria.
The first and most important rule for both the refrigerator and the freezer is: Keep the door shut. Plan meals and snacks and then open the refrigerator only long enough to get food out. Foods in the freezer will remain frozen for about two days if it is full, is in a cool area, and is well insulated.
Refrigerated foods need to stay at or below 40°F. Once the temperature increases inside the refrigerator so that foods are no longer in this safe range, the safest rule to follow is the two-hour rule: Don’t leave perishables above 40°F for longer than two hours.
- Highly Perishable Foods. Discard if they have been in the danger zone (40°F and above) for more than two hours. Perishable food examples: milk, eggs, meat and poultry (or any type of protein), gravies, casseroles, vegetables, salads.
- High-Acid Foods. These will keep longer at temperatures above 40°F, but will lose quality and should be discarded if visible signs of spoilage are detected. If the temperature remains above 40°F for more than 24 hours, it would be advisable to discard these foods as well. High-acid food examples: fruits, commercially processed mayonnaise, pickles, jams/jellies, ketchup, mustard, or foods that are low in moisture like hard cheeses. After 24 hours, pitch all food or put into coolers packed with ice.
Thawed Frozen Foods
- Meat and Poultry. Refreeze if (1) the temperature of the freezer is 40°F or below, (2) meat or poultry is still partially frozen or contains ice crystals, and (3) the color and odor are good. Check each package. Rewrap if necessary. Throw out if packages are smelly or showing signs of spoilage.
- Vegetables. Refreeze if ice crystals are still in the foods, even though quality will suffer. If condition is poor and questionable, throw it out. If condition is good, boil 20 minutes and eat, or cook 20 minutes and refreeze, or can in a pressure cooker.
- Fruits. Refreeze if taste and smell are good, or use for cooking, baking or jelly making.
- Shellfish and Cooked Foods. Refreeze if ice crystals are present or the freezer is still 40°F or below. Smell is not a sign of safe food in shellfish or cooked foods. If condition is poor or questionable, throw it out. If condition is good, boil or bake 20 minutes and eat.
- Ice Cream. Throw out if thawed. If it has been in a freezer that is still 40°F, pour in glasses for a delicious milkshake and drink immediately.
- Breads. Refreeze.
- Pies and Cakes or Other Baked Goods. Refreeze plain cakes and fruit pies if the freezer is still 40°F or below.
If it appears likely that the power outage will last more than one or two days, dry ice may help keep some frozen food from spoiling, providing you can obtain it.
Allow two and a half to three pounds of ice per cubic foot of freezer space. Twenty-five pounds of dry ice in a half-full 18-cubic-foot freezer should keep the food frozen two to three days. The same amount in a full freezer should keep the food frozen three to four days. Cover the freezer with blankets but do not cover air vent openings. Gas given off by the dry ice needs a place to escape.
A bit of humor: While shopping in Sam’s Club one day, I heard one of the “demonstrator” ladies say, “You just have to un-thaw this and heat it in the microwave.” Think about that. If you un-thaw food, wouldn’t you be freezing it?
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Joan has created the web site to help families prepare for the inevitable crises that sprinkle themselves throughout our lives. More detail on safe food storage and shelf life is available at Family-Survival-Planning.com.
