How to keep food in the refrigerator when the power goes out

If you live in the central United States or mid-Atlantic regions, you may encounter this issue soon Major winter storm and polar vortex. And if severe winter weather causes power outages, one of your first concerns may be the food in your refrigerator. Although a sudden power outage can threaten your groceries, you don’t have to let them go to waste: A little preparation can help keep your food safe and fresh until power returns.

Losing a refrigerator full of food is expensive, inconvenient, and can be dangerous if your rations are low and you can’t afford to buy more. Although you may not be able to save everything, depending on the length of the outage, there are ways to prevent most perishable items from spoiling when your refrigerator stops working.

Read on to learn how to save food in your refrigerator in the event of a power outage.

For more tips on power outages, learn Everything you want to know about home generatorsand consider whether a Backup battery for home It may be a better option.

Make a plan to preserve your food before a power outage

Before you experience a power outage, it’s best to take some steps to prepare in case you need to preserve your food. the Recommendation from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The following items should be on hand:

• Temperature measuring devices For both the refrigerator and freezer, so you can monitor if temperatures rise and you need to start removing food. The refrigerator temperature should not rise above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and the freezer temperature should not rise above 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
• A Cooler and Frozen gel packsIf you have to take food out of the refrigerator to keep it cold.
• Dry ice Or cut ice to keep food cold inside the refrigerator, if you think the power will be out for a long time.

Read more: Best coolers of 2022

Do this first to save your food when the power goes out

When an outage occurs, keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed — don’t open them unless you absolutely need to, and even then, try to do so quickly so you don’t allow cold air to escape. If the doors remain closed, your food can stay safe for 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.

Once you’ve passed the four-hour mark (or if you see that the temperature inside the refrigerator has risen above 40 degrees F) and the power is still out, it’s time to start moving the food out of the refrigerator. If there’s still perishable food left in the refrigerator after this point, you’ll have to throw it all away.

The exception here would be if you have dry ice. You can place dry ice on the top shelf of the freezer and the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, and it will keep perishable foods cold. You need about 3 pounds of dry ice per cubic foot of freezer spaceWhich should keep food cold for at least two days. Just make sure you are aware of this How to handle dry ice safely before using it.

Divide your food into two groups

First, you’ll make two piles: food that needs to be kept cold, and safe food that can be left on the counter until the power comes back on.

Foods that do not need to be kept cold

The following foods can be kept safely outside the refrigerator:

• Butter (for 1-2 days)
• Peanut butter
• Most cooking oils, except nut oils
• Herbs
• potato
• Most fruits and vegetables
• bread
• coffee
• honey
• Ketchup, mustard and hot sauce

Foods that should be kept cold

The following foods should be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below to prevent bacterial growth and spoilage:

• Dairy products (cheese, milk, whipped cream, sour cream)
• egg
• Meat, poultry, and fish (cooked or uncooked)
• Cut fruits and vegetables
• leftovers

How to keep your perishable food cold without a refrigerator

Once you have your perishable food pile, it’s time to pull out your cooler bags and ice. Place a layer of frozen food on the bottom. Then put a layer of food from the refrigerator on top of that layer. Cover with another layer of frozen food. If you don’t have any ice or ice packs, go to the store and buy some if it’s safe to do so.

Place ice or ice packs around the food in the cooler, not just all of it at the top or bottom. Distributing the ice will keep the food at a more consistent temperature. Slide a refrigerator thermometer inside the cooler to monitor the temperature.

If you don’t have a cooler, you can use a freezer instead, which is insulated and will keep your food cold as long as you leave the door closed and keep a fresh supply of ice inside. To prevent melting ice from turning your freezer into a puddle, place ice in containers and place them around food.

You should never taste food to see if it’s spoiled, and if in doubt, throw it away, the CDC advises. Discard any food with unusual odors, colors or textures immediately. Regarding frozen foods, you can safely refreeze or cook frozen foods that have thawed at 40°F or below, or that still contain ice crystals.

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