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Save Freezer Food During Power Outages

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Save Freezer Food During Power Outages

With tropical storms and hurricanes like Georges, power outages could jeopardize the food in your freezer and refrigerator.

Several things can protect refrigerated or frozen food during power outages. A few tips could save your food.

Keep the freezer closed to keep the cold air inside. A full, free-standing freezer will remain at freezing about two days, and a half-full freezer will remain about one day.

Use alternate freezing methods. If the power stays out for several days, use dry ice to maintain freezing temperatures in the freezer. About 25 pounds of dry ice will chill a 10-cubic-foot, full freezer for three to four days, and the handling instructions should be followed carefully. Do not touch dry ice or breathe the fumes. Dry ice may be used in the refrigerator, but block ice is better. Place the ice in the refrigerator's freezer unit, and put refrigerated perishables such as meat, poultry and dairy items in the freezer unit. Place meat and poultry on a tray so that if they thaw, the juices will not contaminate other food.

Evaluate items that begin to thaw. Consider each thawing item separately. Food that contain ice crystals or feel refrigerator-cold may be refrozen. Discard any food that has risen to room temperature and remained there for two or more hours. Immediately discard anything that has a strange color or odor.

When in doubt, throw it out. Never taste food to see if it's safe. Some food may look and smell fine, but if they have been at room temperature too long, food poisoning bacteria may have multiplied enough to cause illness. Raw meats and poultry from the freezer usually refreeze without much quality loss. Do not refreeze vegetables or prepared foods, such as casseroles. Fruits and fruit juices refreeze with little quality loss. Refrigerated items should be safe as long as the power is out no more than four to six hours, but unless ice is added or they are moved to the freezer, the items may have to be discarded.

To prepare for a power outage, you could:

Put extra ice in freezer, since a full freezer retains cold longer. Also, turn the temperature selection to the coldest setting.

Have a "two cooler" plan. One cooler is devoted to food, with ice to keep the food cold. The other cooler is just bags of ice. It is easier to access the "food" cooler without opening the "ice" cooler. This will make the ice in the "ice" cooler last longer.
Place in the freezer plastic, one-gallon water jugs two-thirds to three-fourths full of water. The jugs will freeze without cracking. If the power goes out the frozen water will help keep the freezer cool, and when the ice melts the water will stay in the container and you still have drinkable water.
 
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