If you live in the Central American or Mid-Atlantic regions, you may soon experience it big winter storm and polar vortex. And if severe winter weather causes a power outage, one of your first concerns may be the food in your refrigerator. While a sudden power outage can put your groceries at risk, you don't have to let them go to waste: A little preparation can help keep your food safe and fresh until power is restored.
Losing a fridge full of food is expensive, inconvenient and can be dangerous if you run out of food and can't manage to buy more. While you may not be able to save everything, depending on the length of the outage, there are ways to prevent most of your perishables from disappearing when the refrigerator stops working.
Read on to find out how to preserve food in your fridge in the event of a power outage.
For more tips on power outages, learn everything you need to know about home generatorsand consider whether a home battery backup may be a better option.
Make a plan to preserve food before the power goes out
Before facing a power outage, it's best to take a few steps to prepare in case you need to preserve food. On a recommendation from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is to have the following items on hand:
- Thermometers for appliances for both your fridge and freezer so you can monitor if their temperatures are rising and you need to start removing food. The refrigerator should not rise above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer should not rise above 0 degrees F.
- A cooler and frozen gel packsin case you need to take food out of the fridge to keep it cold.
- Dry ice or block the ice to keep food cold in the fridge if you think the power will be out for a long time.
Read more: Best refrigerators for 2022
Do this first to preserve food when the power goes out
When there's an outage, keep the fridge and freezer doors closed – don't open them unless you absolutely have to, and even then try to do it quickly so you don't let the cold air out. 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 in the fridge has risen above 40 degrees F) and the power is still off, it's time to start moving the food out of the fridge. If perishable food is left in the refrigerator after that point, you will have to throw it all away.
The exception here would be if you have dry ice. You can put dry ice on the top shelf of the freezer and the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, and it will keep your perishables cold. You need approx 3 kilograms of dry ice per cubic meter of freezer spacewhich should keep food cold for at least two days. Just make sure you are aware of how to safely handle dry ice before using it.
If the power is out for more than four hours, you'll probably want to move your perishable food into a cooler.
Divide your food into two groups
First, you'll make two piles: Food that absolutely must be kept cold, and food that is safe to leave on the counter until the power is restored.
Food that should not be kept cold
The following foods can be stored safely 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
- Med
- Ketchup, mustard and hot sauce
Food that needs to be kept cold
The following foods must be stored at 40 degrees F or lower to prevent bacterial growth and spoilage:
- Dairy products (cheese, milk, whipped cream, cream)
- Eggs
- Meat, poultry and fish (cooked or uncooked)
- Cut fruits and vegetables
- Leftovers
How to keep your perishable food cold without a refrigerator
Once you've got your pile of perishables, it's time to get out the cooler and ice packs. Place a layer of frozen food on the bottom. Then put a layer of food from the fridge on top of that layer. Top it 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 to do so.
Layer ice or ice packs around the food in the cooler — don't just throw it on top or bottom. Distributing the ice will keep the food at a more consistent temperature. Move the refrigerator thermometer inside the cooler to keep an eye on the temperature.
If you don't have a fridge, you can use your freezer instead – it's insulated and will keep food cold as long as you leave the door closed and have a fresh supply of ice in it. To prevent melting ice from turning your freezer into a pond, put ice in bowls and place them around the food.
You never have to taste food to see if it's bad—when in doubt, throw it out, advises the CDC. Throw away any food with unusual smells, colors or textures immediately. Regarding frozen foods, you can safely freeze or cook thawed frozen foods that are at 40 degrees F or below, or that still contain ice crystals.
For more tips on how to prepare for natural disasters, check out how to pack an emergency bagand how to recover important documents after a natural disaster.