Winter Storm Hernando is sweeping across the northeastern US, endangering lives and disrupting hundreds of flights.
Even if you’re staying home, you might have to deal with the serious problem of power outages. Unless you have a backup generator, you may be worried about not just freezing temperatures, but also a lot of ruined food: If the power is off, so is your refrigerator.
But all is not lost. If you just made a trip to the grocery store to get ready for the storm, you don’t have to kiss all your money and supplies goodbye. Keeping your perishables safe depends entirely on how well you can trap the cold you already have. Every time you open the door to “check” on the milk, you’re letting out the insulation that keeps your food out of the danger zone. Depending on how long the electricity stays out, your freezer can actually act as its own battery, if you know how to pack it correctly.
You don’t have to lose your entire investment just because the lines are down. If you’re hunkered down while dealing with inclement weather, here’s how to protect your food when the power’s out.
Here’s everything to know.
How long is food good in fridge without power?
According to the Food and Drug Administration, food in the refrigerator will stay cold for about four hours as long as your keep the doors closed, while a full freezer can stay frozen for up to 48 hours.
If you want to be extra safe, you can keep an appliance thermometer in your freezer, which can help confirm the freezer stayed below 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the power outage. If it did, all of the food is safe to be refrozen, the FDA states.
Make a plan to save your food before a power outage strikes
Before you face a power outage, it’s best to take a few steps to prepare in case you need to save your food. The recommendation from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is to have the following items on hand:
- Appliance thermometers for your refrigerator and freezer, so you can monitor if their temperatures rise and you need to start removing food. The fridge should not rise above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and the freezer should not rise above 0 degrees F.
- A cooler and frozen gel packs, in case you have to take food out of the fridge to keep it cold.
- Dry ice or block ice to keep food cold inside the fridge, if you think the power will be out for a long time.
Do this first to save your food when the power goes out
When an outage hits, 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 as not to let the cold air out. If the doors stay closed, your food can stay safe for up to four hours in a 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 the temperature inside the fridge has risen to over 40 degrees Fahrenheit) and the power is still out, it’s time to start moving food out of the fridge. If perishable food has been left in the fridge after that point, you’ll have to throw it all out.
The exception here would be if you have dry ice. You can put dry ice on the top shelf of your freezer and the bottom shelf of your refrigerator, and it will keep your perishables cold. You need about 3 pounds of dry ice per cubic foot of freezer space, which should keep food cold for at least two days. Just make sure you’re aware of how to safely handle dry ice before using it.
Separate your food into two groups
First, you will make two piles: food that absolutely must be kept cold, and food that is safe to leave on the counter until the power is back on.
Foods that do not need to be kept cold
The following foods can be safely kept out of the fridge:
- Butter (for 1-2 days)
- Peanut butter
- Most cooking oils, except for nut oils
- Herbs
- Potatoes
- Most fruits and vegetables
- Bread
- Coffee
- Honey
- Ketchup, mustard and hot sauce
Foods that need to be kept cold
The following foods must be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower to prevent bacteria growth and spoilage:
- Dairy products (cheese, milk, whipped cream, sour cream)
- Eggs
- Meats, poultry and fish (cooked or uncooked)
- Cut fruit and vegetables
- Leftovers
How to keep your perishable food cold without a refrigerator
Once you’ve got your pile of perishable food, it’s time to pull out your cooler and ice packs. Put a layer of frozen food at the bottom. Then put a layer of foods from the fridge on top of that layer. Top it off with another layer of frozen foods. If you don’t have any 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 all on top or bottom. Distributing the ice will keep the food at a more consistent temperature. Move your fridge thermometer inside the cooler to monitor 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 leave the door shut and keep 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 should never taste food to see if it’s gone bad — when in doubt, throw it out, the CDC advises. Throw away any food with unusual odors, colors or textures right away. In terms of frozen foods, you can safely refreeze or cook thawed frozen food that is at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, or that still contains ice crystals.
For more power outage tips, learn everything you need to know about home generators and consider whether a home battery backup might be a better option.
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