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What happens to food when the power goes out? Your refrigerator will stay cool (under 40°F)
for about 4 hours after it loses power. A full freezer will last 24-48 hours. The government
advises you to discard your food after these set times. Not the best advice.
Don’t throw everything away after 4 hours that’s just dumb.
If the fridge gets over 40°F it is time to toss anything away made with raw eggs: potato
salad, Cesar dressing, mayonnaise. Other food can usually be saved very easily, here's how.
The freezer turns into a perfect refrigerator when the power shuts off. Move the stuff you
want to save from the fridge to the freezer when approaching the 4 hour mark. Using Ice
water in a cooler will also work great to keep (packaged) things cool: yogurt, cheese,
milk.... As a general rule of thumb as long as there are visible chunks of ice in the
cooler the food will be fine. If you have some spare blankets laying around wrap and
cover your refrigerator and freezer to help keep things cool. If you are super worried
about spoilage then you could buy a digital thermometer for around $10. Lastly, eat what
you can, and share it with the neighbors. Food Storage:
If the food goes bad and the stores are closed, now what? MRE's and buckets of rice and beans
are not very practical. The best way, in my opinion, is to stock up on storable foods
you are going to eat anyway: peanut butter, crackers, pasta, canned sauces, freeze dried noodles....
At the store buy 2 cans of soup instead of 1. Eat and rotate the food as you go. It's
possible to store 6 months of food in this way, if you wanted to. Have an alternate way
to cook if the power is out. A propane or charcoal grill will come in handy, camp stoves,
and solar ovens work too.
So remember. 1. Move your food to the freezer after 4 hours.
2. Use a cooler and ice water for packaged foods.
3. Have a cook-out & invite the neighbors.
4. Store food logically. More at clayfootfarm.com