What About Power Outages?
If the power goes out at your house, follow basic food safety rules. Perishable food is safe at room temperature for 2 hours when the temperature is below 80 degrees F. Above that temperature, you only have one hour before bacteria start to grow in unrefrigerated food.
Keep your refrigerator and freezer closed. Open the doors as little as possible. An unopened refrigerator should keep foods cold for up to four hours; you will still have to evaluate each item individually when the power comes back on. A freezer that is half full should keep foods frozen for 24 hours; a full freezer should keep foods frozen for 48 hours. You can cover your fridge and freezer with thick blankets to try to insulate them and keep them as cool as possible. For longer outages, you can try to find dry ice to pack into your freezer, but you must take special precautions handling it.
If the power outages lasts longer than 4 hours, remove milk, meat, and dairy products from the fridge and pack them into a cooler with lots of ice.
Having an instant read food thermometer is crucial to determining food safety after the power comes back on. If refrigerated products are still below 40 degrees, they should be safe. Check to see if frozen foods still have ice crystals visible and that their temperature is below 40 degrees. You can then refreeze these foods, but there will probably be some loss of quality.
And remember the most basic rule: When in doubt, throw it out. Any cost savings you may gain by keeping questionable food will cost you much more in terms of doctor and hospital bills if someone gets sick.
Remember that cooking outside during a power outage on your charcoal or gas grill is a great way to keep the temperature inside your house as cool as possible.
Here's more crucial information: check sell-by dates when shopping and tell the grocery store manager if you see any expired foods on the shelf. Don't dawdle between the grocery store and your freezer or refrigerator at home. Never use food in cans that are bulging, leaking, rusted or dented. Thaw foods in the refrigerator. Bring all canned soups and gravies to a rolling boil before serving.
Do not serve food in non-food containers!! Things like flower pots and litter pans (for the Kitty Litter Cake (and even then I'd still use a large roasting pan myself) can only be used if the container is first well-lined with food-safe material, either another container, or a couple of layers of plastic wrap. Not only are many containers made with lead, but they could be sprayed with pesticides while in the warehouse. Just be safe and choose containers and serving dishes made for food.
If you study this information, safe food handling will become an ingrained part of your kitchen habits. They are second nature to me! And I enjoy cooking and entertaining more because I know I have done everything I can to ensure that the foods I serve family and friends is safe.
~Linda
