How to keep your food fresh during a prolonged power outage

Boom! Crash! You’re in the middle of a thunderstorm and now your power is out. When you’re in the middle of a power outage, you have more than just your lights to worry about. You also have to worry about navigating in the dark and keeping the food in your fridge from spoiling. If the power is out for several days, you also have to worry about preserving the food in your fridge. That’s why it’s good to have a plan in place by preparing for the possibility of a power outage. Power outage in your home. It is a particularly good idea now as extreme weather events such as Hurricanes And Heatwaves still affect people in the United States.

Losing a fridge full of food is expensive, annoying and potentially dangerous if you’re unable to get to a store during a storm, like Hurricane Debby, which made horrific landfall this month. But there are ways to prepare in advance so you can save all or most of your perishable food. Here’s what to do.

For more tips on disaster preparedness, see our guide at how to prepare for hurricanes, wildfires, storms and other natural disasters And 11 things you should do to prepare for a power outage.

If possible, prepare to save your food before a power outage occurs

Before a power outage occurs, there are a few things you should do in case you need to save your food. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends having the following items on hand:

• Device thermometer for your refrigerator and freezer so you can monitor if temperatures are rising and you need to take food out. The temperature in the refrigerator should not rise above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and in the freezer should not rise above -18 degrees Celsius.
• A cooler And frozen gel packsif you need to take food out of the refrigerator to keep it cold.
• Dry ice or block ice to keep food cold in the refrigerator if you anticipate a power outage for an extended period of time.

Read more: Best Coolers for 2022

What to do with your food when the power goes out for the first time?

If there’s a power outage, keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed—only open them if absolutely necessary, and even then, try to do so quickly so the cold air doesn’t escape. If the doors remain closed, your food will last up to four hours in the refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer, and 24 hours in a half-full freezer, according to the CDC.

If the four-hour mark has passed (or if you see that the temperature in the refrigerator has risen above 40 degrees F) and the power is still out, it’s time to start removing food from the refrigerator. If there are any perishable foods left in the refrigerator after that, you’ll need to throw them all out.

One exception would be if you have dry ice. You can put the dry ice on the top shelf of your freezer and the bottom shelf of your refrigerator and it will keep your perishable foods cold. You will need about 3 pounds of dry ice per cubic foot of freezer space, which should keep foods cold for at least two days. Just make sure you know how to handle dry ice safely before using it.

Divide your food into two groups

First, make two piles: foods that absolutely need to be kept cool, and foods that you can safely leave on the counter until the power comes back on.

Foods that do not need to be refrigerated

The following foods can be safely stored outside the refrigerator:

• Butter (for 1-2 days)
• Peanut butter
• Most cooking oils, with the exception of nut oils
• Herbs
• potatoes
• Most fruits and vegetables
• Bread
• Coffee
• Honey
• Ketchup, mustard and hot sauce

Foods that need to be kept cool

The following foods must be stored at 40°F or below to prevent bacterial growth and spoilage:

• Dairy products (cheese, milk, whipped cream, sour cream)
• Eggs
• Meat, poultry and fish (cooked or raw)
• Cutting fruit and vegetables
• Leftovers

How to keep perishable food cool without a refrigerator

Once you have your pile of perishables, it’s time to get out your cooler and ice packs. Put a layer of frozen food at the bottom. Then put a layer of food from the fridge on top. Top it all off with another layer of frozen food. If you don’t have ice or ice packs, go to the store and buy some if it’s safe there.

Put ice or ice packs around the food in the cooler – don’t just throw everything on top or bottom. Spreading the ice out will help keep the temperature of the food more consistent. Attach your refrigerator thermometer to the cooler to keep an eye on the temperature.

If you don’t have a cooler, you can use your freezer instead. It’s insulated and will keep your food cold as long as you keep the door closed and always have enough ice in it. To prevent melting ice from turning your freezer into a pond, put the ice in trays and place them around the food.

You should never taste food to see if it has gone bad—if in doubt, throw it away, advises the CDC. Throw away foods with unusual smells, colors or textures immediately. As for frozen foods, you can safely refreeze or cook thawed frozen foods that are at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below or still contain ice crystals.

For more tips on preparing for natural disasters, see How to pack an emergency bagAnd How to recover important documents after a natural disaster.